The current Land Rover Discovery 4 has always been an excellent vehicle, but it is starting to get a bit long in the tooth both in design and also in the level of technology on offer. Land Rover knows this, and are busily working away on the new 2017 model which promises to change all that.
The Discovery Vision concept car (above) which Land Rover showed us back in 2014 tells us that the exterior design of the new Discovery will be very similar to the current Discovery Sport, albeit bigger and slightly more elegant looking. Some fans of the existing model might be upset about the less rugged appearance of the new Discovery, but it will definitely be a better car in every other aspect – and that’s a hard thing to argue against. At least the designers appear to have kept the iconic stepped-up roof that the Discovery has always had, though it looks even more subtle than before.
Land Rover’s proprietary Terrain Response system will no doubt receive some enhancing features, that will change the vehicle’s parameters depending on the type of surface it’s on. There’s talk of a new laser-based system that scans the terrain ahead and sets up the suspension accordingly for best performance or comfort. The car will use the same bonded and riveted aluminium monocoque as the new Range Rover models, which should help bring down the car’s kerb weight.
Land Rover’s new line of Ingenium engines will also make their way under the new Disco’s hood, helping to lower the kerb weight further and improve fuel economy. We’ve also seen the Range Rover Sport being driven remotely via a smart phone app, and the new Discovery 5 promises to be able to do that as well. It’s a system very similar to what the BMW 7 Series is offering, and even though the video showed the car being driven off-road, it will probably be used for parking the Disco in tight spaces.
The new Land Rover Discovery 5 will be launched next year as a 2017 model, but a clear date hasn’t been set yet.
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Has there been a date given for an Australian release????