Land Rover has just revealed the new Discovery model, to be available for purchase from July 2017. The seven-seat tourer has had a total re-design that has obviously been predicted by the Sport model version already available. Gone is the…
Land Rover has just revealed the new Discovery model, to be available for purchase from July 2017.
The seven-seat tourer has had a total re-design that has obviously been predicted by the Sport model version already available. Gone is the bluff, squared-off design to make way for the ‘family’ appearance prevalent across so many marques now.
At this stage base pricing has been announced at $81,590 for the Td4 SE variant.
The main news for RV Daily readers is that the new Disco will offer a 3500kg braked towing capacity with a semi-autonomous Advanced Tow Assist and a new Sd4 four-cylinder turbo-diesel, 500Nm, 177kW engine. The range will offer four- (132kW, Td4) and six-cylinder (190kW, 600Nm Td6) turbo-diesels, all with eight-speed ZF transmissions.
Well-known for its flat-floor cargo area when all the seats are stowed, Land Rover has taken this tech a step further with the inclusion of a new (and app controllable) Intelligent Seat Fold Technology. Yep, the seats will configure themselves to your requirements, even taking into account items on a seat to be folded down, or on top of a folded seat to be raised. Walking out of Bunnings or Ikea will take on different possibilities. Luggage space is quoted as being up to 2406 litres.
The usual occupants of these rear seats can rejoice in the fact that there will be up to nine USB ports, six 12-volt charging points and Wi-Fi hotspots for up to eight devices. The central armrest/cubby will hold up to five iPads.
Land Rover states that the ‘curry hook’ has been retained, and redesigned within the passenger footwell. It’s now a push operation to make sure your precious take-away stays secure and doesn’t wreck the carpet on the way home.
The new model is 480kg lighter than the outgoing Disco and on a wheelbase that’s 38mm longer at 2.92m. It has grown longer by 1.41m to 4.97m but is narrower and lower than its predecessor. Within these changes the ceiling height still manages to accommodate persons 1.9m tall in the third-row seats.
The Activity Key is another, smaller, but no less practical innovation, which can be taken and worn on the wrist during outdoor activities (including water sports) while the main ignition key remains in the vehicle, deactivated by a button on the battery-less Activity Key.
The new Discovery retains a low-range transfer with shift available up to 60km/h – although buyers can opt for single range full-time four-wheel drive – and uses the Evoque’s All-Terrain Progress Control Technology (ATPC) to allow a crawl speed of up to 30km/h to be set off-road and free up the driver to concentrate on the terrain.
Along with air suspension that can be raised to +40mm and +75mm the Discovery also has Terrain Response 2 with its suite of off-road settings that are well known for great performance off the bitumen. Dynamically the vehicle is aided by a lowering of 13mm at speeds over 105km/h.
While the outgoing model retained the singular separation with its box styling (with the demise of the Defender) the new look may upset some Discovery devotees. However, with the raft of new technology and maintaining the full off-road capability, the styling is not enough of a departure to genuinely get upset about. Land Rover will no doubt have another big seller on its hands.
