We reveal Land Rover's new Discovery 5
If you haven't heard about the new Discovery, then frankly you've been on another planet!
On sale from Spring 2017, new Land Rover Discovery will be priced from £43,495 to £68,295 (for the limited 600 First Edition models.)
The New Discovery embodies Land Rover’s drive to go Above and Beyond, combining British desirability with an unstoppable spirit of adventure. It’s an authentic, three-row, seven-seat SUV with unbeatable capability and versatility.
Everyday ingenuity has been at the heart of the Discovery attracting more than 1.2 million customers over the last 27 years.
The fifth-generation model benefits from Land Rover’s strong, safe and light full-size SUV architecture, delivering comfort and adaptability like no other.
The New Discovery is for the digital age. Ingenious technology keeps families safe, connected and confident on all surfaces, all terrains and in all weathers to ensure every destination is reached.
New Discovery was previewed by the Discovery Vision Concept, which showcased the future direction of the entire Discovery family when it debuted at the New York Auto Show in 2014, and represents a radical departure for Land Rover’s most versatile SUV. The revolutionary design gives Discovery a dynamic appearance with sophisticated surfaces and precisely engineered details designed to resonate with customers on an emotional level.
The Discovery family has always had a spirit of adventure and the new model provides a dramatic reinterpretation of Discovery’s 27 years of heritage and practical DNA with a sophisticated design that pays homage to previous models without being restrained by them.
Trademark design features include the stepped roofline, which has identified each of the four previous generations of Discovery and provides an elegant solution to a practical need. The stepped profile optimises headroom for passengers travelling in the third row of seats. It also accommodates Discovery’s customary stadium seating configuration, which sees each row of seats positioned higher than the one in front, ensuring every seat is the best seat in the house.
Land Rover’s design and engineering integrity ensures New Discovery is able to accommodate seven full-sized adults in an SUV body measuring less than five metres in length (4,970mm). Most similar-sized competitors provide 5+2 seating but New Discovery is designed for 95th percentile adults to sit comfortably in its rearmost seats, providing complete interior flexibility. Both third-row seats incorporate ISOFIX mounting points (five in total in SE models and above), so families have the freedom to put child seats in the most appropriate seat for any journey.
The interior of New Discovery continues the design revolution started by the Discovery Sport, where customers can specify a range of premium materials including luxurious Windsor leather upholstery and natural oak veneers.
The limited-run ‘First Edition’ model showcases the very best of New Discovery. Only 600 examples will be available in the UK with exclusive features including unique etched map detailing on the aluminium trim for the doors and facia, unique badges, bold colour choices and a comprehensive list of standard equipment.
The optional Dynamic Design Pack gives New Discovery a more purposeful, stealth-like appearance both inside and out, with features including a contrast roof, athletic front and rear bumper designs, luxurious leather upholstery and a sports-inspired steering wheel and pedals setting it apart.
Connecting every generation of the family
New Discovery provides world-first Intelligent Seat Fold technology, allowing customers to reconfigure the second- and third-row seats with minimal effort using controls at the rear of the vehicle, the central touchscreen and even remotely via a smartphone app as part of the InControl Touch Pro Services.
Apparently, the innovative feature allows owners to rearrange the seats from inside a shop while they queue to pay for large or bulky items, ensuring the vehicle is perfectly configured to accommodate their purchases.
All three rows are available with heated seats – heated and cooled in rows one and two – while massage seats are available for the driver and front passenger to optimise comfort on long journeys.
Enjoying the spacious interior of New Discovery is made easier by another thoughtful Land Rover innovation. Auto Access Height technology reduces the ride-height by up to 40mm as passengers prepare to enter or exit the vehicle.
Alongside the spacious and flexible seating layout, the other key to New Discovery’s superior versatility is Jaguar Land Rover’s InControl Touch Pro infotainment system. The intuitive set-up features a large 10-inch touchscreen positioned high on the centre console, enabling Land Rover’s designers to reduce the number of switches on the centre console by a third, delivering a clean and uncluttered appearance.
Crisp graphics and easy-to-navigate menus incorporate the latest navigation and entertainment technologies including door-to-door navigation, which can share directions to a paired smartphone to help customers complete journeys on foot. Seamless iOS and Android connectivity combine with a 14-speaker Meridian digital surround system, with an additional subwoofer, and 3G WiFi to provide the ultimate listening experience, whether streaming songs online or playing music directly from a connected device.
Up to four 12V charging points ensure New Discovery is perfectly equipped to cope with the demands of the most connected families, while as many as nine USB sockets (on HSE Luxury models or when Rear Seat Entertainment is fitted) allow passengers in each row to power their smartphones or tablets simultaneously.
Another technology feature for active families is Land Rover’s state-of-the-art Activity Key wristband, which allows customers to enjoy sports and active hobbies without carrying the standard key fob. Holding the waterproof Activity Key up to the ‘D’ in the Discovery badge on the tailgate simultaneously locks the vehicle and disables the ordinary key, which can be left safely inside. This leaves customers free to run, swim, ride or play sports without worrying about the security of their vehicle.
Stowage addiction
At every stage of its development Land Rover has designed New Discovery around the needs of its customers. This is evident when you look around the cabin. Land Rover’s design and engineering teams have an addiction to stowage, which has resulted in a host of convenient interior storage solutions for modern families, including:
- 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 footwell capable of securing carrier bags
The effort put into developing New Discovery’s first-rate cabin stowage has been matched by the thought put into its luggage space. The premium SUV provides up to 2,406 litres of load capacity, or up to 1,137 litres behind row two, and the new dual-purpose Powered Inner Tailgate provides all the versatility expected from a vehicle wearing the Discovery badge.
When raised, the fold-down panel at the leading edge of the load area operates as a practical load restraint, but when lowered the 285mm overhanging section doubles as a bench for event seating or changing muddy footwear, all under the shelter provided by the new one-piece tailgate. This simple device replicates, and enhances the functionality of the horizontally split tailgate fitted to previous generations of Discovery.
Comfort and capability
New Discovery retains renowned Land Rover all-terrain capability thanks to its combination of excellent off-road geometry and advanced technology, while improving its everyday usability.
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, providing unrivalled confidence when tackling both waterlogged tracks and flooded roads.
A comprehensive suite of off-road driving technologies ensures New Discovery’s supreme all-terrain capability is easy to access for even inexperienced drivers. Land Rover’s multi-mode Terrain Response 2 system optimises a range of settings, from throttle sensitivity to gear change characteristics, to suit the driving conditions at the turn of a rotary controller – and can even select the optimum setting automatically if drivers are unsure of the best choice.
When tackling particularly challenging terrain, All-Terrain Progress Control (ATPC) 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.
On-road performance is enhanced by Land Rover’s proven lightweight and durable aluminium monocoque architecture, which contributes to a 480kg weight saving compared to steel ladder construction. Land Rover’s advanced integral link rear suspension delivers superior handling characteristics without compromising the superb ride comfort that has defined successive generations of the Discovery family.
Land Rover’s trademark Command Driving Position also allows customers to enjoy New Discovery’s enhanced breadth of capability in complete confidence, irrespective of the road and weather conditions, by providing excellent visibility.
This confidence extends to towing capability, which has been a hallmark of every generation of Discovery since it was used to tow a train at its original launch in 1989. With a maximum towing capacity at a class-leading 3,500kg, Land Rover has developed clever technology to make the Discovery’s towing ability more accessible than ever.
Advanced Tow Assist is an ingenious development, which allows drivers to complete potentially difficult reversing manoeuvres when towing trailers, caravans and horseboxes with ease.
Even absolute novices will be able to park using the clever system as it takes care of the tricky counter-steering required to position trailers accurately when reversing. The driver can simply guide the trailer into the desired space using the rotary controller for the Terrain Response 2 system. To make the job even easier, responsive guidance lines overlaid on the feed from the rear-facing camera are displayed on the central touchscreen, taking the stress out of an otherwise tricky task.
Effortless efficiency
New Discovery is powered by Jaguar Land Rover’s efficient range of four and six cylinder petrol and diesel engines, all paired with a smooth and responsive ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox. They include:
- The award-winning twin-turbo Sd4 Ingenium four-cylinder diesel produces 240PS with an impressive 500Nm of torque and fuel economy of 43.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 171g/km.
- Six-cylinder diesel power comes from the 258PS Td6, which delivers 600Nm of torque for strong performance, pulling power and efficiency.
- For petrol customers, Land Rover’s advanced 340PS supercharged petrol 3.0-litre V6, the Si6, provides 450Nm of torque to deliver relaxed performance and capability.