Automotive

Land Rover tows 110-tonne road train to prove Discovery's pull

Land Rover tows 110-tonne road train to prove Discovery's pull
The Discovery pulled 110-tonnes of road train in Australia
The Discovery pulled 110-tonnes of road train in Australia
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The road train and Discovery in the Australian outback
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The road train and Discovery in the Australian outback
The Discovery pulled 110-tonnes of road train in Australia
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The Discovery pulled 110-tonnes of road train in Australia
The Disco kicks up the Aussie Outback dust
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The Disco kicks up the Aussie Outback dust 
Lining up the towbar on the Discovery is aided by a camera
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Lining up the towbar on the Discovery is aided by a camera 
One is a road train, the other is a road car capable of pulling a road train
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One is a road train, the other is a road car capable of pulling a road train 
The Discovery in the Australian Outback
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The Discovery in the Australian Outback 
The Discovery managed to pull 110 tonnes
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The Discovery managed to pull 110 tonnes 
Some of the figures on the Discovery road train pull
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Some of the figures on the Discovery road train pull
View gallery - 8 images

The new Land Rover Discovery might look like a softer car than the model it replaces, but a towing stunt has proved it's still a seriously capable vehicle. A bare-bones Discovery TD6 has pulled a 110-tonne road train through the Australian Outback, upping the ante over the train-towing stunt from Land Rover last year.

Australian road trains are famed for being the biggest, longest, heaviest road-going loads in the world. They aren't allowed in built-up areas, instead sticking to the remote highways criss-crossing the sparse Outback, and measure up to 53.5 meters (176 ft) long.

The train pulled by the new Discovery was even longer than that, though. Rather than the legally mandated four trailers, the Disco towed a seven-trailer rig with a 12-tonne tractor to operate the hydraulic brakes on the trailers. Total weight? 110-tonnes – that's 10 tonnes more than the Ingenium-powered Discovery Sport pulled last year.

The Discovery managed to pull 110 tonnes
The Discovery managed to pull 110 tonnes 

With 190 kW (255 hp) of power and 600 Nm of torque on tap, the Discovery TD6 is only rated to pull 3,500 kg (7,716 lb) on the road, but it required no significant modifications for the stunt. Land Rover says the car survived the 16 km (9.9 mi) pull unscathed, hitting 44 km/h (27 mph) in the process.

"Towing capability has always been an important part of Discovery DNA and the raw weight of the road train tells only half the story here," says Quentin Spottiswoode, Land Rover Product Engineer. "Pulling a rig and seven trailers, with the rolling resistance of so many axles to overcome, is a huge achievement."

You can check the Land Rover video of the stunt below.

Land Rover Discovery Tows 110 Tonne Road Train

Source: Land Rover

View gallery - 8 images
6 comments
6 comments
jerryd
It is a lot easier when going slightly downhill as they are doing.
Bob
I notice a down hill slope in the back ground. I'm not impressed since my 60hp diesel farm tractor could probably pull that much and more. It's all a matter of having enough traction and gearing the drive train low enough. I guarantee that The Discovery at 255hp won't be too impressive pulling its rated 7716 lb load. It takes a large diesel or big block gas engine to do a satisfactory job. A smaller engine straining to pull a large load gets horrible gas mileage.
Bob Flint
Once rolling the momentum would be a challenge to try and stop the train if something such as a cow actually did come across the road. I imagine a driver was left onboard the truck to activate the brakes in that event.
highlandboy
As usual with automatic vehicles, the toque converter does all the work getting the weight moving. Though to be fair he distance it pulled the road train without overheating is impressive.
JimFox
"It is a lot easier when going slightly downhill as they are doing" "I notice a down hill slope in the back ground"
What- for 16km??... honestly, the level of comment on this site is abysmal!
warren52nz
I guess we want to see how other 4WD vehicles do in this test. It's no competition with just one brand doing it.