The all-new 2017 Land Rover We've driven an early prototype of the 2017 Discovery is faster, lighter, more economical and cleaner-running than the model it replaces, even though it is bigger inside and out.
Land Rover Discovery - check it out here
Its sleek and curvaceous lines deliberately ditch the square-jawed toughness of the outgoing Discovery 4 to make way for the first of the new Defender family, promised for 2018-2019.
Chassis
The new Discovery’s 20% weight saving is the result of Land Rover’s decision to ditch the tough but heavy steel ladder chassis of previous models in favour of a riveted and bonded aluminium monocoque shell, widely adopted across the rest of the Jaguar and Land Rover ranges.
The change means the Discovery can now be made alongside the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, beginning life in JLR’s vast aluminium bodyshop in Solihull.
Practicality
Land Rover says it has designed the new Discovery from the inside out to provide adult-size seating for seven and adhere to the established Discovery tradition of ‘stadium’ seating, whereby the second and third rows of seats are positioned higher than the one in front. The seats are power-operated and can be remotely configured in a variety of positions, either via the fascia’s 10.0in touchscreen, by controls inside the tailgate aperture, or, uniquely, with a smartphone app.
The emphasis on interior space has encouraged the designers to stick with the Discovery’s traditional stepped roofline, which provides enough head room for all but the tallest 5% of adults in the third row of seats.
Luggage space is more generous than ever, and the Discovery returns to a one-piece tailgate, albeit a top-hinged design rather than the side-opening model of the first and second Discovery models. There’s now a powered loading platform that slides out to provide the comfortable table-cum-seat the previous model’s lower-half tailgate offered. When the tailgate is closed, the same panel can stand vertically as a load divider.
The push for improved cabin space drives the new Discovery’s 140mm increase in overall length (to 4970mm) and the 40mm increase in wheelbase (to 2923mm), but the move away from a twin-rail chassis allows a lower floor and therefore a 40mm reduction in roof height, even though the ground clearance actually increases by 43mm and the wading height improves by 200mm to a class-best 900mm.
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Yuck
A Mess
Disco, very.