Land Rover’s much anticipated fifth-generation Discovery was officially launched with some fanfare on Wednesday September 28.
The new ‘Disco’ is a full-sized, three-row, seven-seat SUV featuring lightweight aluminium construction, a range of the company’s latest diesel and petrol four and six cylinder engines paired with an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission and a flexible interior instantly configurable from your smartphone using the world-first remote Intelligent Seat Fold technology with up to 2,500 litres of luggage space.
Towing capacity is a best-in-class 3,500kg towing capacity with semi-autonomous Advanced Tow Assist to take the stress out of difficult reversing manoeuvres, and the interior features no fewer than nine USB ports, six 12-volt charging points and an in-car 3G WiFi hotspot for up to eight devices
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 meaning the new model can accommodate seven full-sized adults in an SUV body measuring less than five metres in length.
New Discovery retains renowned Land Rover all-terrain capability. Ground clearance is rated at 283mm (up 43mm) an wading depth is now a whopping 900mm (an increase of 200mm).
Land Rover’s multi-mode Terrain Response 2 system optimises a range of settings, from throttle sensitivity to gearchange 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.
The New Discovery is expected to be launched in New Zealand in mid-2017, with pricing yet to be announced.
