Fifth-Generation Land Rover Discovery Unveiled

Land Rover has finally unveiled the 2017 Discovery (fifth generation) at the 2016 Paris Motor Show. The SUV is now made up of 85 per cent aluminium, built on the company’s Premium Lightweight Architecture (PLA), making the car nearly 500kg lighter than its predecessor. The fifth-gen Discovery will be out in the international market for sale from mid-2017.

On the outside, the Discovery borrows its design language from its recently launched siblings such as the Evoque, Discovery Sport and the Range Rover. The SUV has discarded the squarish lines that were seen on the previous model in favour of a smoother contour. The front gets new headlights along with the brand’s signature LEDs and twin-slat radiator grille. The bumper has been tweaked to give it a muscular look with vertically positioned air vents. At the rear, the car features horizontal LED taillights and pronounced wheel arches. It also gets inclined shoulder, window-line, and a thick C-pillar.

Speaking about the interiors, the fifth-generation Land Rover Discovery features beige, black and brown colours on its interior trims. The steering wheel, dashboard and the central panel look similar to the ones seen on the larger sibling, the Range Rover. The SUV also gets both the five- and seven-seat configurations. Not only that, the seats can be controlled and configured with the help of a smartphone application (it also gets the Intelligent Seat Fold function), which is part of the InControl touch pro services. The list also includes a 10-inch infotainment system with Android and iOS connectivity, and comes equipped with a 14-speaker Meridian digital surround system.

To help manoeuvre through the toughest routes, Land Rover's Terrain Response 2 System gets six preset modes which include General driving, Grass, Gravel and Snow, Mud and Ruts, Sand, and Rock Crawl. You also get 283mm of ground clearance with the air-suspension set to its highest setting – and that's a lot!

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Mechanically, the fifth-gen Discovery will be powered by the new twin-turbo 2.0-litre Ingenium motor which is likely to make its way to Indian shores. The engine produces 240PS of power and churns out 500Nm of peak torque. The car will be offered with a larger 3.0-litre diesel engine that will churn out 258PSof power and 600Nm of torque. On the other hand, the V6 petrol engine is capable of producing 340PS of power and 450Nm of torque. However, the petrol motor is unlikely to make its way to India. All three engines will be coupled with a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic, which will transmit the power to all the four wheels.

The SUV is expected to enter the Indian market by the second half of 2017 with a price tag that starts from the Rs 1.3 crore mark.