The All-New Land Rover Discovery features the most striking and modern design yet seen on a Discovery. But, despite its more-planted, dynamic appearance, the fifth-generation Discovery is also Land Rover’s most capable and versatile three-row, seven-seat SUV to date, Land Rover said.
Brian Joss – At the front, the Discovery’s sculpted surfaces, jewel-like headlamps and a faster windscreen angle break with tradition, while the state-of-the-art daytime running lamps deliver a modern appearance with a distinctive new light signature. At the back, the LED rear lamps have a horizontal emphasis, giving the Discovery a more-sporty appearance.
Sophisticated surfaces and optimised proportions combine with beautiful detailing and enhanced precision to create a highly capable and versatile SUV with a more dynamic design than ever before.
In looks, it remains unmistakably a Discovery. And under the skin, it retains its status as the “most capable premium SUV in off-road situations”, combining advanced technologies with outstanding off-road geometry.
“The Discovery provides unrivalled practicality and versatility alongside supreme breadth of capability,” said Nick Rogers, executive director of product engineering at Land Rover. “Our continued drive of pioneering technologies, industry-leading lightweight aluminium architectures and new advanced engines ensure the new-look Discovery family appeals to consumers on multiple levels.”
For the ultimate all-terrain capability, the Discovery is available with a two-speed transfer box, providing selectable high and low range gears for optimum on-road and off-road performance. The intelligent system provides a standard 50/50 torque split between front and rear wheels, but uses a range of sensors to distribute torque between the wheels depending on the conditions. Through Land Rover’s award-winning Terrain Response 2 technology, the low-range gears are automatically selected when drives engage off-road driving programmes for rock crawling or mud ruts.
Exceptional ground clearance of 283mm, combined with an approach angle of up to 34 degrees, a breakover angle of 27.5 degrees and departure angle of 30 degrees ensure that the SUV is able to climb up, over and down the most extreme obstacles. Its maximum wading depth of 900mm “puts the SUV in a class of its own, providing unrivalled confidence when tackling both waterlogged tracks and flooded roads”.
Along with Land Rover’s customary, best-in-class all-terrain capability, the SUV also has enhanced on-road dynamics, with heightened levels of refinement and comfort. This is realised through Land Rover’s proven lightweight and durable aluminium monocoque construction, which contributes to a 480kg weight-saving compared to steel ladder construction. The Discovery also makes use of advanced integral link rear suspension to deliver superior handling characteristics without compromising the superb ride comfort – all while retaining a class-leading maximum towing capacity of 3 500kg.
The Land Rover Discovery will be launched here in July. Prices start at R980 000. Visit: www.landrover.co.za to build your own
