Land Rover debuts Discovery
New model is a departure from LR4, both more modern and less uniquely Land-Rover distinctive
PARIS— The all-new 2017 Land Rover Discovery makes its formal debut at the Solihull, England, assembly factory tonight, with a public unveiling at the Paris Motor Show tomorrow.
The fifth-generation “Disco” is longer than before, offering seating for up to seven full-size adults. Or so the company claims.
This is made possible in part by the continuation of the stepped roofline, which offers more third-row headroom. The roofline also enables the so-called stadium seating, where the second and third rows are successively higher off the floor to provide better outward visibility for the occupants.
The exterior styling is a marked departure from the outgoing LR4, looking both more modern and less uniquely Land-Rover-distinctive, at least to my eye.
The cladding covers an aluminumintensive structure which makes the new Disco some 480 kilograms lighter than before, a significant improvement.
The horizontally split tailgate has been replaced with a more conventional one-piece design, intended to provide easier loading access, and a bigger ‘roof’ when enjoying outdoor tailgating activities.
For those who liked the old design because it gave you a nice place to sit, a fold-down ‘inner tailgate’ can be ordered.
Vast improvements to the design, execution and feature content inside make the new Disco much more habitable.
A host of driving aids for both onand off-road driving are available.
Two engines will be offered in Canada. The 3.0-litre turbo-Diesel’s massive torque and excellent fuel consumption make it the obvious choice.
Yes, they have gone to “park assist,” the self-steering parking feature nobody ever uses.
But one added feature which probably will be useful is that this technology has been adapted to assist in backing the vehicle when a trailer is attached.
Two engines will be offered in Canada. The 3.0-litre turbo-Diesel’s massive torque and excellent fuel consumption make it the obvious choice.
For those who just don’t get it, the 3.0-litre supercharged gasoline V6 is also available.
Both are mated to an eight-speed ZF automatic.
Two four-wheel drive systems are available, one with the traditional two-speed transfer case, the other with a single-speed unit for those who won’t be doing any serious mud-plugging.
The new Discovery will be available in Canada in mid-2017, starting at $61,500.