Land Rover's new Discovery hasbeen considered to be of the most awaited cars of 2016 - and it didn't disappoint when it was revealed at the Paris Motor Show.
The fifth generation is a marked departure from its predecessors. It no longer has the Discovery's trademark boxy body shape and is a much more fluid design, pitched closer to the Range Rover. It's all part of a plan to push the car further upmarket and together with the improved interior and lower running costs, it should have much broader appeal.
The Discovery should remain extremely competent off-road, too, and will be tougher than rivals such as the Volvo XC-90 and Audi Q7 when the going gets tough. There are diesel and petrol engine options and a wide amount of choice for trim level and equipment.
Land Rover has released full prices and specs and the Discovery will go on sale in the UK next year. Here are all the details.
Design
After the utilitarian form of its predecessors, the new Discovery has a curvier shape heavily influenced by its Range Rover stablemates, as well as the smaller Discovery Sport.
The design stays true to the principles outlined in the Discovery Vision Concept unveiled at the 2014 New York Auto Show, with a softer, more sophisticated looking car than the fourth generation.
The front features a more slender-looking light and grille arrangement, with a rounded nose and bumper, while blacked-out window surrounds create the "floating roof" effect seen on some of Land Rover's other new additions.
The roof itself appears to slope backwards, making the car look sportier, and above the boot sits a new spoiler, while a slight hump above the rear doors creates a stepped roof as on some older models.
Black plastic-cladding runs around the bottom sides and wheel arches and there's an eye-catching line cutting upwards from the air vent on the front wings, going through the door-handles and feeding on to the back of the car.
Go around the back and you'll find a silver skid plate attached underneath the bumper. There's also a subtle nod to previous models – the number plate is mounted off-centre.
It's a significantly more aerodynamic design, but more impressive are the weight savings Land Rover has managed. The car now uses aluminium in its construction and is a massive 1058lbs (480kg) lighter. In terms of size, it's a little longer than the outgoing car and sits slightly lower.
Interior
Higher quality materials, more technology and a less-cluttered cabin and dashboard point towards this being the most luxurious Discovery yet, CarBuyer says.
The fascia is dominated by a large infotainment screen dominates the fascia, Auto Express says. Spec the InControl Touch Pro system and you get a ten-inch display laid into the wide centre console. Most of the car's settings are controlled by the display and its surround buttons, with just a small line of chunky switchgear underneath it for the climate control.
Smartphone apps can be synced to be used through this main touchscreen display while a 4G wi-fi hotspot can connect to up to eight devices.
The Discovery has enough space to carry seven adults, with the rear rows sat a little lower in order to boost headroom. With all the seats in place, boot space comes in at 258 litres. Dropping the rear two and using the Disco as a five-seater opens up a cavernous 1,137 litres, but with all the passenger seats down, there's a huge 2,406-litre cargo area. Each passenger seat can fold independently too, so there's a great amount of flexibility.
Storage cubbies are dotted around the cabin too, for an extra 44-litres of space. Engines
There will be a choice of three engines at launch, two diesel and one petrol.
Kicking things off, the smallest diesel is a 2.0-litre Ingenium unit with 237bhp and 369lb-ft of torque. Badged as an SD4, Land Rover claims it'll be able to propel the lighter and more aerodynamic Discovery from 0-62mph in 8secs. It's the cleanest and cheapest to run in the range, with a claimed 43.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 171g/km.
The second diesel is a slightly more powerful option, but you'll trade off a little efficiency. The TD6 is a V6 diesel engine with 255bhp and 443lb-ft torque. The 7.7sec 0-62mph dash makes it a little sprightlier and it has efficiency figures of 39.2mpg and 189g/km CO2.
The petrol option won't be popular with many, but it's the quickest of the bunch. The Discovery Si6 gets a supercharged V6 petrol with 355bhp, making it capable of 0-62mph in just 6.9secs, but with much larger running costs – fuel economy is quoted at 26mpg and the CO2 figure of 256g/km means a high tax bill.
All models come with an eight-speed automatic gearbox, powering all four wheels.
Prices and release
The Discovery is set to launch in spring 2017, with prices starting from £43,495 for the SD4 engine in basic S trim, although you'll also get air suspension, a power-assisted tailgate, heated windscreen and cruise control as standard.
Stepping things up, SE trim starts from £49,495 and adds sat nave, front and rear parking sensors, leather upholstery with heated front seats, automatic LED headlights and interior mood lighting.
The two high end trims kick off with HSE, which costs £56,995 and introduces the InControl Touch Pro infotainment system, as well as 20ins alloy wheels, higher-grade leather, a panoramic roof and heated rear seats alongside a gesture-controlled tailgate.
Going for HSE Luxury nets you 21ins alloys, an electric sunroof and rear panoramic roof, plus rear-seat infotainment screens. Prices start from £62,695.
SE, HSE and HSE Luxury cars can be specced with any engine, while entry-level S versions only get the SD4 power unit.
A limited-run First Edition for £68,295 will be available at launch. It'll come with the TD6 engine and is based on HSE Luxury trim, with unique styling details. Only 600 will be made.
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