An Overland Adventure with Kingsley Holgate in the All-New Land Rover Discovery

Jaguar Land Rover unveiled the newest addition to their range - the all-new, fifth-generation Discovery, and in typical Land Rover fashion, did it in the best way possible.

We collected the vehicles and set out on a 2-day adventure into the wild region of the Northwest Province, on an overland adventure with none other Kingsley Holgate as our host.  For those who are not in the know Kingsley Holgate is a world famous adventurer and explorer who has visited every African state on our continent, circumnavigated the globe along the Tropic of Capricorn and contracted Malaria 57 times in doing so.

The all-new Discovery 

Our transport for the adventure was the brand new Discovery in petrol and diesel derivatives, packed to the silky smooth roof linings with new technology and advancements from the Solihull-based manufacturer. The reason for this overland launch was to showcase the new developments in the vehicle that Kingsley would be taking on his latest expedition to the Horn of Africa.

To say that the Discovery is technologically advanced would be an understatement. It now features intelligent software and apps that allow near complete control of the vehicle from mobile devices and seamless integration of said devices into the vehicle itself.

Control interfaces through mobile device apps allow control of various aspects such as climate control, vehicle access, location services, remote seat and position control and expanded storage for in-car entertainment (which can be managed through the touchscreen infotainment centre or associated app), and access to the 60GB of onboard storage.

Technology in Action

The first leg of our little expedition saw us engage in some training involving the towing system onboard the Discovery. We were showed how to manage the retractable tow hitch and to operate the reverse camera system, that allows you to perfectly hitch a trailer in a one-man operation.

Via camera, this system guides the ball of the tow hitch directly to the trailer’s, with absolute precision. This then allows you to hitch the trailer by raising the air-suspension and the tow hitch ball into the hitch, with no effort from oneself. A test sequence then runs to ensure that all the lights are operational - and once again it is automatic, allowing the driver to single-handedly do the safety check.

We then proceeded to drive down into a riverbed (that still had a river in it!), and using the new terrain response system called ATPC (All Terrain Progress Control), rock-crawled our way up and over seemingly impassable rocks and ridiculously steep inclines to extricate ourselves from the small ravine. Little did we know that we’d be doing it all over again – this time with a trailer attached!

This system absolutely boggles the mind, as the Discovery almost seemed to drive itself through the technical terrain, even while pulling a loaded trailer.

Spirit of Adventure

After depositing the trailers back where we found them, we once again hit the road for an epic trek across open wilderness, making use of tarred and dirt roads through bushveld, echoing the same terrain that Kingsley Holgate would be traversing with these same vehicles soon.

The sun was just dipping below the horizon when we arrived in our tented camp, weary from a day of hard trekking. After a brief look around our “accommodations”, we met at the central area of the camp where Kingsley and his son Ross regaled us with entertaining stories of their life as adventurers, and gave us a glimpse into the life that the Discovery has given them.

The stories were plentiful and at times too colourful to capture here, but the common thread woven through these tales is how much Land Rover has added to their ability to carry out these expeditions and their humanitarian efforts.

Verdict

It is incredibly difficult to put into words the kind of awe the exploits of Mr. Holgate inspire, but knowing that the Discovery has been with him at his highest and lowest times on these adventures is a comforting thought. The fact that the next expedition will be done in these technically advanced vehicles speaks volumes of their trust in the Discovery.

If it’s good enough to take through a war-torn African country where rats eat your engine wires, then its good enough to grace our local roads. I personally cannot wait to get one of these Discoveries on a proper test so that I can really engage with the heaps of technology crammed inside.

Models and Pricing

Discovery TDV6 HSE Luxury 4WD Auto	R 1 331 500. 00
Discovery Si6 4WD Auto	R 1 457 900. 00