Tom, not necessarily. The truck sends more than you would think even at idle RPMs. Just yesterday I sat at the bottom of a hill, put it in low range and locked the center diff, let off the brake and it just crawled up the hill. That's with 33s and stock gearing

 

See if your wheel seals are leaking on the rotors haha! That or your torque converter is rather...off... I would say lol.

And as for braking shorter by tossing it into N first? I'd say very much so no on paper and from experience driving manual trans cars/trucks and motorcycles for years... I'll admit that I've never actually gone out in an auto and done actual tests to see, but engine braking, especially in a constant 4x4 or in low range should be rather considerable. Unless there is something specific about how Rover transmissions work (or age lol)? Even downshifting could increase your breaking distance in an emergency because of the second or so the tranny could take to engauge out and back into the lower gear... i don't think id try that with an obstacle, hard corner or car pulling out in front of me in a hurry! I'll double down and say that in every evoc course ive ever been in, having the tranny in neutral or downshifting an auto in a hurry to stop never makes things better/quicker... staying in gear (and out of overdrive) and squeezing the brakes down or stab braking is the way to go without abs to do the work for you.

im up for the challenge though, ill do some rolling tests in the disco with some cones and see what i come up with, maybe the disco tranny like everything else is its own sdrawkcabssa thing lolol

 

Next time your pulling into a parking space a little too briskly(and trying to get stopped before you hit the concrete stop thingy), knock it in Neutral while your standing on the brake pedal and see if you don't feel an immediate increase in stopping power. I feels like the truck loses about 2000 pounds of weight instantly in mine. Maybe something is wrong with mine? I don't think so though.