2017 Land Rover Discovery unveiled, claims to be the best family SUV in the world



The Defender and Range Rover models aside, the other quintessential Land Rover model is the Discovery. Four iterations later, the new Land Rover Discovery finally made its world debut at the Paris Motor Show.

Land Rover boldly describes the fifth-generation Discovery as the best SUV in the world. The predecessor’s boxy shape has been replaced by curvier design cues lifted from the Discovery Sport. It also adopts the aluminium-intensive D7 architecture which helps shed over 480kg of mass over the previous model!2017-land-rover-discovery-21

Step inside and it seats seven full-size adults comfortably. Land Rover also says the third row seats could fit individuals up to 6’2” tall. The Discovery’s flexible seating positions can be configured through your mobile phone (Intelligent Seat Fold) technology. When all rear seats are folded, it frees up an astonishing 2,500 litres of luggage space. The interior is draped in premium Windsor leather, while other surfaces are finished with fine oak veneers and other optional extras.

The new Discovery is powered by a four-cylinder and two six-cylinder engines. This includes the all-new Ingenium four-cylinder diesel engine that’s available in two tunes: the TD4’s 180 hp/430 Nm and SD4’s 238 hp/500 Nm. The TDV6 is the most powerful oil burner of the lot, with a V6 lump churning 254 hp and 600 Nm of torque.2017-land-rover-discovery-25

The Si6 petrol unit is a 3.0-litre supercharged V6 mill that belts 335 hp and 450 Nm of torque. All engines are paired with a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic. Key performance figures are a 6.9-second century sprint for the TDV6, whereas the SD4 gets there in 7.7 seconds.

Land Rover also claims the new Discovery is the company’s most capable off-roader yet. They updated the All-Terrain Progress Control (ATPC) in the new Discovery. This system assists the driver to select the appropriate crawling speed when it comes to traversing challenging surfaces. The Terrain Response 2 system chooses the best possible settings via a turn of the rotary controller while off-road. Even when on normal surfaces, the Discovery brags superior road handling made possible by its advanced integral link rear suspension.2017-land-rover-discovery-12

Available in four trims – S, SE, HSE and HSE Luxury, the new Discovery begins from £43,495 (approximately RM233k after conversion) to £65,695 (RM352k) before options. Expect a Malaysian debut of the new Discovery sometime in 2017.


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