The all-new 2017 Land Rover Discovery has been revealed in dramatic fashion and will go on-sale here in July, starting from $81,590+ORC.
REVEALED OVERNIGHT next to a world-record breaking Lego Tower Bridge. Why? Just because. Moving on… The new Discovery was previewed by the Discovery Vision Concept back in 2014 at the New York Motor Show which set in train the look for all Discovery family products, including the Discovery Sport.
According to Land Rover’s design boss, Gerry McGovern, “Design creates an emotional connection between our customers and our vehicles. Our clear design strategy means our vehicles are instantly recognisable and communicate the values of Land Rover that our customers love. New Discovery’s flawless volume and proportions, sophisticated surfaces and precise detailing beautifully combine with engineering integrity to create a premium SUV that will resonate with today’s customers.”
Despite its rounded corners, the new Discovery retains the 27-year old model’s stepped roof ensuring third-row seats are comfortable and full-size, and allowing for Land Rover’s stadium style seating where the row behind is slightly higher than the row in front.
While the Volvo XC90 is currently the best of the seven-seat SUVs, the new Discovery looks set to take back its crown with the brand saying 95th percentile adults (6ft 2in) will be able to sit comfortably in the third row. Despite this, the new Discovery measures just 4970mm long. Both third-row seats incorporate ISOFIX mounting points (five in total in SE models and above).
Land Rover is also claiming the new Discovery will be one of the most practical interiors when it goes on-sale:
- “Hidden cubby stowage in the central console capable of holding four iPads or a pair of two-litre drinks bottles.
- “A central armrest cubby large enough to house five iPad minis with a lid that hinges through 180 degrees to function as an armrest even when open
- “Hidden small-item stowage behind the fold-down Climate Control panel
- “A flush-fitting push-operated ‘curry hook’ in the front passenger foot well capable of securing carrier bags.”
Boot space with the third-row folded down flat is 1137 litres which grows to 2406 litres with both the second- and third-row seats folded flat. The boot also offers an inner panel that can be used as a cargo barrier when the tailgate is raised. When this inner panel is lowered it provides a 285mm overhang which can double as a bench. It mirrors the horizontally split tailgate of previous generations of Discovery.
As previously teased, the second and third-row seats can be remotely configured by owners using an app. All three rows of seating are available with heated seats, heated and cooled for the first and second rows. To make getting in and out easier, the Discovery can be lowered by 40mm when in running height.
Like other new Jaguar Land Rover product, the new Discovery is available with InControl Touch Pro via a 10-inch touchscreen, which Land Rover said reduces switches on the centre console by a third when compared to its predecessor.
Ground clearance is rated at 283mm (up 43mm) while a maximum wading depth of 900mm (an increase of 200mm) “puts Discovery in a class of its own”. The new Discovery gets Terrain Response 2 as well as Jaguar Land Rover’s All-Terrain Progress Control which can be programmed to “autonomously maintain” a suitable crawl speed chosen by the driver. “The clever technology allows the driver to concentrate solely on steering the vehicle as they negotiate obstacles, without the distraction of operating the throttle or brake pedals, and can also be used from a standstill to help when pulling away on slippery surfaces,” Land Rover said.
Approach angle is 34 degrees, breakover is 27.5 degrees and departure angle is 30 degrees, while wheel articulation is 500mm. New Discovery runs a 50:50 drive distribution front to rear and can be shifted from high- to low-range on-the-fly at speeds up to 60km/h.
“Customers who don’t require low-range transmission can opt for the full-time four-wheel drive system with single-speed transfer box. This provides a torque split of 42:58 across the front and rear axles, but can redistribute torque to the axle with the most grip, up to 62:38 and 22:78 respectively,” Land Rover said.
Like the Range Rover before it, the new Discovery which makes use of the brand’s aluminium monocoque chassis has seen weight tumble by 480kg, compared to the predecessor model’s steel ladder frame.
New Discovery will go on-sale with, as predicted, Jaguar Land Rover’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder twin-turbo-diesel Ingenium engine with 132kW and 430Nm of torque, as well as the beefed-up Ingenium engine offering 177kW and 500Nm of torque, and also a 3.0-litre V6 diesel making 190kW and 600Nm of torque. All engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Braked towing capacity is 3500kg.
Rear cargo “cage”, for mother-out-laws, lol
The back end looks tacked on, the departure angle looks worse too
Way over the odds with the price
– 500kg is a good effort
I dont know… do a price/spec comparison with a Y62 Patrol or a 200 Series and I think you’ll be quite surprised at how comparatively cheap it really is.
Departure angle is better by .4 of a degree, approach is mildly worst than D4.
All in all I am not sold on the looks yet, need to see one in the flesh.
Look amazing in the flesh! Saw them at Solihull three weeks ago, and their presence is strong. Is a solid looking vehicle but certainly has a rounder shape than D4 but seems more masculine though which I wasn’t expecting. I think that’s from the wide tyres. Didn’t get long looking at it but now seeing it uncovered I like it a lot.