When I got into off-roading an all-wheel drive vehicle had a stiff ladder chassis and semi-elliptical blade springs with solid axles all round - and, usually, a rather thirsty petrol engine.
My 1982, four-speed, two-litre Toyota Hilux bakkie easily slurped 18 litres/100km at a rock-and-roll speed of 110km/h. And when I say rock and roll, I'm referring to the ride comfort.
I loved that truck; it got me into, and out of, some of the weirdest places I had ever been on wheels but man, you needed kidney belts, a change of clothing if it was a hot day and a fairly strong upper body for the steering.
In those days, the first Land Rover Discovery was still a distant dream, alluded to in rumours and whispers. People spoke of how wonderful it would be while they contemplated the cost of replacing side-shafts and gearboxes on their old Defenders and Range Rovers.
At the time the battle between Toyota and Land Rover was steadily being won by Toyota, especially as far as affordability, durability and ability were concerned.
Times have changed. So have Toyota prices. And so, too, has the Land Rover Discovery.
Those early Discos certainly had character. A bit of a tender character, considering the things that blew up, out or away. And sometimes, around corners, you wished you had training wheels on the car as it listed violently to port or starboard.
It was only when the Discovery 3 came along that I really sat up and took notice. I realised that something was happening at Gaydon. Good things. A test drive at the time told me so and I loved it.
Enter the Discovery 4, in TDV6 HSE guise, and I can't think of another vehicle I would like to own as much as this one.
It looks businesslike in a sort of dark metallic brown with tinted windows and big wheels that nicely fill the wheel-arches, exuding an air of superiority. The design works, despite the overall box-like lines, blocky front end and huge slab of bonnet, because it is proportionally correct.
Of course, it looks much the same as the Disco 3 but a few strategic changes have done much to refresh certain aspects.
When you get in you are, expectedly, surrounded by luxury. After all, this is a luxury vehicle, at home in the best company, and I wonder why one would want to pay a considerable amount more for the Disco's sister ship, the Range Rover.
When the Top Gear Live crowd was here I asked presenter Richard Hammond what he believed to be the best car to buy today and he said the Range Rover. At a dinner later, Jeremy Clarkson said the same thing.
And each vowed he didn't say that because of sponsorship - in fact, they and colleague James May had each bought one on the strength of their conviction.
Clarkson actually went on record about the Discovery, saying it was a fine vehicle but that it would only serve to prove you couldn't afford a Range Rover.
SMOOTH NEW THREE-LITRE DIESEL
None of that elitist drivel for me, thank you very much. Well, if the truth be told, I can't even afford a Suzuki jeep; I can barely keep my 1963 Volkswagen Kombi on the road.
But if I was in that league, I'd feel a proper businessman having bought a vehicle I deemed just as good for a price well below that of the choice they made.
To drive it really is to fall in love. Yes, I can carry on about the comfort of the seats, the great all-round visibility, the generally user-friendly instrumentation, the efficiency of the automatic aircon and so on.
I could point out the superb sound system that brought my long-standing favourites, such as JJ Cale, perfectly into the middle-ear.
But it was the smooth new three-litre diesel engine and magnificent suspension system that did it. Once the smooth automatic transmission gets the Disco into top gear, it tools along happily at the legal speed limit while spinning at less than 2000rpm.
The Disco found the going sweet and easy, whether on highway, byway or no way, even laden with a full complement of seven passengers.
The two fold-out seats in the rear are more comfortable than they look. I carried two adults in them for 300km and there were no complaints.
WALK IN THE PARK
And there was some sand and rock - and obstacles including both - to traverse at the destination.
You select your drive by turning a knob to the correct setting. Under certain circumstances you need to switch off traction control and going to manual shift is needed here and there.
But the ease with which this vehicle handled various types of terrain, while carrying a full complement, was almost deflating. One expected adventure but got a walk in the park instead.
Brilliant traction, great ground clearance and quite sufficient power and traction made clambering over the rough stuff just seem so, well, pedestrian.
And the whole trip was done at decent cruising speed, on 11.2 litres/100km.
Like the Subaru WRX, this is a car I'd like to own. But at R725 000 I'd have to wait, not for my ship, but for the armada to come in. - INL Motoring