What's the news?
The 2017 Land Rover Discovery teasing is over, but not the theatrics. Today, Land Rover revealed the new Discovery SUV in full with the help of over 5.8 million bricks of Lego. The Tower Bridge replica created on the grounds of Packington Hall in the UK (by Duncan Titmarsh, a LEGO Certified Professional no less), took five months to construct, is 13 metres high and breaks the previous Guinness World Record for a Lego creation by a massive 470,646 pieces. But back to the Discovery...
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Exterior
Some will dismiss the 217 Discovery as a super-sized Discovery Sport, and it certainly shares that car's curvaceous exterior design theme, but it has more presence and plenty of Discovery design hallmarks, such as the stepped roof and distinctive tailgate shape. The offset rear number plate is an unusual touch and if you look closer you'll see plenty more design flourishes. In terms of the structure, the new Discovery is nearly 500kg lighter than its predecessor thanks to an aluminium construction.
Gerry McGovern, Land Rover's Chief Design Officer told us: "Design creates an emotional connection between our customers and our vehicles. Our clear design strategy means our vehicles are instantly recognisable and communicate the values of Land Rover that our customers love. New Discovery's flawless volume and proportions, sophisticated surfaces and precise detailing beautifully combine with engineering integrity to create a premium SUV that will resonate with today's customers."
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Interior
Justifiably, Land Rover spends more time talking about the interior of the new Discovery than any other aspect of the new SUV. It's touted as a full-size seven-seat car, with space in all seven seats for adults. We've sat in it and can confirm that it is indeed spacious, with loads of headroom even in the third row, though legroom is acceptable rather than amazing back there. The layout can be configured remotely by smartphone through the Intelligent Seat Fold system (as previewed by Bear Grylls) and all seats can be specified with heating - with cooling available on the front two rows. The boot holds 1,137 litres of luggage with five seats occupied, 258 litres with all seats in place and a massive 2,406 litres if you fold all five rear seats down. There's a new section within that restrains luggage and doubles up as somewhere to sit with the tailgate open as well, which has allowed Land Rover to change the hatch to a one-piece (composite) design.
There's lots more to see inside, too, including up to five ISOFIX mountings for child seats, massive covered in-cabin storage areas (several hidden), up to four 12-volt charging points, up to nine (yes, NINE) USB ports, a 17-speaker Meridian sound system, a Wi-Fi hotspot and Land Rover's latest InControl Touch Pro infotainment system with a 10-inch touchscreen. It should be noted that some of the remote access functions using the smartphone app won't be available at launch in Ireland.
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Mechanicals
While a supercharged V6 petrol engine will be offered, it's likely every Irish buyer of the 2017 Discovery will go for one of the diesel engines and the good news here is that there's a new four-cylinder option with emissions as low as 159g/km. That's the Td4 model with the 2.0-litre Ingenium engine we know from the Jaguar XE, producing 180hp and 430Nm of torque. Land Rover quotes 47.1mpg on the combined cycle and 0-100km/h in 10.5 seconds. There's a new twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre unit powering the Discovery Sd4 with 240hp and 500Nm of torque, plus emissions of 165g/km and economy of 44.8mpg - it does 0-100km/h in 8.3 seconds. There will also be a Td6 six-cylinder diesel option, producing 258hp and 600Nm of torque. All engines are paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The Land Rover Discovery has been one of the company's most accomplished vehicles for some time now, mixing on-road comfort with genuinely gobsmacking off-road prowess - and the 2017 model builds on that reputation. To that end, ground clearance has increased 43mm to 283mm and the wading depth has increased a massive 200mm to 900mm, though those headline figures are for Discoverys fitted with the optional air suspension; the standard steel coil set-up has a fixed ground clearance of 220mm with a still-impressive wading depth of 850mm. Terrain Response 2 makes it easy for all drivers to choose a suitable mode for the conditions. A highlight of this is All-Terrain Progress Control, which is best described as an advanced cruise control for tricky off-road situations, allowing the driver to focus on steering.
Anything else?
The 2017 Discovery has a maximum towing rating of 3,500kg and Land Rover's Advanced Tow Assist system should make it very easy to manoeuvre into parking spots with a horsebox, caravan or other trailer hooked up. This is a semi-autonomous function where the driver guides the trailer into a space using the rotary controller of the Terrain Response system and doesn't have to worry about counter-steering, etc.
Following its world debut at the Paris Motor Show, the Land Rover Discovery will go on sale in Ireland around March 2017 with a starting price of 'over €60,000'. All will have four-wheel drive and seven seats and its main rivals are the Audi Q7, BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLS and Volvo XC90.