Alphonse Karr obviously wasn’t talking about Land Rovers when he said ‘the more things change, the more they stay the same’, but 150 years later on it’s a particularly apt way of beginning a review of the new Series II Discovery.

The Series II, you see, is almost entirely different from its predecessor … yet almost entirely indistinguishable.

It is a technological tour de force sheathed in a security-blanket skin that panders to the odd reassurance certain sectors of post-war Britain derive from ideas like ‘tradition’ and ‘heritage’. In short it looks pretty much like last year’s model but it’s practically all new.

Carry-over body parts are limited to the rear door panel so it’s much more than just a facelift, but the redesign is so true to the original Discovery concept that it’s only when you have old and new side by side that you appreciate the differences. Tail lights high on the ‘D’ pillar, prominent ‘pull out’ door handles, more rake in the ‘screen, and bigger arches are the giveaways.

So what’s changed? Well, just about everything under that new body has come in for a rework. A separate chassis and live axles still feature large, and the basic drivetrain is the familiar, but a host of electronic wizardry has been added in an effort to improve both on- and off-road performance.

Motive power comes from your choice of a 132kW/320Nm 4.0-litre V8 or a 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbodiesel that pumps out 101.5kW and 300Nm.

The V8 is an evolution of previous models that’s been touched up to reduce NVH and improve fuel consumption. The diesel, on the other hand, is all new and a very welcome addition over the rough, noisy old 83kW four-pot oil burner. Both are available with a choice of manual or automatic gearboxes and, of course, are equipped with a proper dual-range transfer box for ‘real’ four-wheel-driving.

Where the plot begins to differ markedly from off-roaders of yore is in the widespread use of electronics to look after braking, traction, ride height and handling functions.

Most of these gadgets have appeared elsewhere so they’re not exactly startling new concepts, but building in ABS (anti-lock brakes), ETC (electronic traction control), HDC (hill descent control), SLS (self-levelling suspension) and ACE (active cornering enhancement) has added more than a certain degree of foolproof functionality to the Discovery.

These days most people are familiar with ABS and self-levelling suspension, and ETC is becoming increasingly common, so HDC and ACE are the novelties here. As such they deserve some sort of explanation here even if their acronyms just about say it all.

HDC was originally developed for the Land Rover Freelander to overcome its lack of low-range gearing. Not having the benefit of gear-multiplied engine braking, the little Landie had the potential to rush off down steep hills leaving the white-eyed drivers furiously stomping on the brake pedal. HDC works like ABS in reverse to apply the brakes to keep speeds down below 7km/h. It’s good because it means that off-road novices won’t get themselves into trouble.

The idea behind ACE goes back several decades to Formula One and the ever-inventive Lotus team’s experiments with sway bars that were dynamically monitored and controlled on the move by electronics. Fearing that this might eliminate driver skill, the powers that be banned the idea … which is partly why Land Rover resurrected the idea for its ACE arrangement.

Vehicles with long-travel suspension, like the Defender, tend to experience a fair degree of body roll, and that can lead to excessive understeer … or worse if the driver isn’t that clever to begin with. The quick solution is to tie the body down with stiff anti-sway bars but that tends to compromise axle articulation (hampering off-road ability) and give a harsher ride. Land Rover wanted neither so decided to go the hi-tech route with a system that monitors lateral acceleration and adjusts the roll resistance of a conventional-type sway bar.

To make it really simple … the harder you corner the harder the bar tries to keep the vehicle’s body parallel with the road. Go in fast and it acts like a stiff bar and lets you load on the G forces. Go in soft, or take a casual diversion past a tree on that bumpy forest track, and the Disco is so compliant and smooth you’d never even think the bar was there.

Around town it works fabulously. You can chuck the Disco into corners with a great deal more confidence than you can most other 4x4s, and while it’s not exactly in go-kart territory it’s a lot closer to hot-hatch than anything else this size gets.

It works pretty good on the rough stuff too. HDC and ETC both do their bit without arousing any complaints (although ETC is no match for a positive locking diff system) and ACE works simply because it stops working and lets the suspension get on with the job of keeping all four wheels on the ground.

Where it does (quite possibly literally) trip up is on emergency brake-and-avoid manoeuvres on fast dirt roads … like when a ‘roo leaps out right in front of you. Hit the picks and haul on the wheel and the combination of weight transfer and ACE gives you lightning response and razor-sharp steering which can lead the unwary driver to over-correct. The taut front-end arrangement also makes the rear feel scarily light, and if all this happens on a loose gravel curve you can really find out what the phrase `throttle-off oversteer’ means.

Still, modern vehicle engineering is all about compromises, and as far as compromises go the positives of ACE far outweigh any negatives. Likewise with ABS, HDC and ETC. The beauty of the combined acronyms is that you don’t have to be a great driver to look good in a Discovery: ACE lets you chuck it around like a vehicle half its weight.

ABS takes the white out of those white knuckled stops; and HDC and ETC (in combination with one of the great 4x4 chassis of our time) let you tackle the rough stuff like a pro. It’s pretty much a joy all ‘round.

Not that we’re totally over the moon about the Disco. There are a couple of seemingly ‘traditional’ design points that are enough to make you stop and think about other vehicles in the price range.

First off, while both of the engines are improved (the diesel is a quantum leap) neither offers performance which can be considered much more than adequate when compared to the other vehicles in their class. Secondly, while the Disco’s interior has been cleverly designed (the ergonomics are much improved over Series I vehicles) the wide transmission tunnel and clunky larger-than-life detail elements make it feel a little cramped, and unless you’re into loading tall things into the back the luggage space isn’t that fabulous either.

On the other hand, the Disco absolutely drips character and refinement. Now that’s something you can’t really say about too many other medium 4x4s, but before you start thinking that the Disco and/or the reviewers at Fastlane are stuck-up and pretentious, let us tell you about what must be the British motoring industry’s greatest gift to the world since the Mini—the curry hook.

That’s right, tucked away just under the dash is a handy little hook that’s been placed there for the specific purpose of securing the handles of plastic bags containing take-away food. True to our duty as testers, we tried it out and discovered that it not only worked a treat but seemed entirely unaffected by the use of metric rather than imperial plastic bags, or a preference for Thai over Indian curries.

Just how many takeaways you’ll be able to afford is another matter through. The ‘base’ V8 manual Discovery tips the scales close to $47,000 with the diesel option adding $1500, the auto option adding $2600, ACE adding $4000, and a seven-seat plus SLS package building on an extra $3000. Pick the upmarket ES with all the extras as standard and you’re looking at $66K for the V8 and not much change from $68 for the diesel.

Sounds like a lot, but when you get down to it the Disco is arguably the most sophisticated medium 4x4 wagon on the market, and one of the most capable on or off the road. As such it’s pretty good value for money … and where else will you get a curry hook thrown in.