New 2017 Land Rover Discovery: prices, specs and everything you need to know
All of the prices, specs and everything else you need to know about the Land Rover Discovery.
The 2017 Land Rover Discovery is one of the most anticipated new cars of the year, and Land Rover has slightly altered the recipe for the Range Rover’s more rugged sibling. With a fluid new shape and a posher cabin, it’s pitched a little further upmarket and closer to the Range Rover, though purists shouldn’t be too concerned – it’ll keep its fabled off-road capability and workhorse reputation.
The fifth-generation Discovery was revealed last year at the Paris Motor Show, with Land Rover keen to draw attention to two big mechanical updates – the fresh Discovery sits on a new platform and gets a revised engine line-up, which Land Rover says should usher in a new level of efficiency, refinement and comfort.
• Read our first drive review of the new Land Rover Discovery
The new Discovery is on sale now and is appearing in Land Rover dealers across the UK, and we’ve also had our first taste of the new SUV off-road and on tarmac.
With full UK prices and specs revealed, the entry level model is available for an opening price of £43,495. The new car will be British-built at JLR’s facility at Solihull in the West Midlands.
It also looks like the Discovery is shaping up to be a sound purchase down the line, as experts at industry body CAP are predicting the SUV to retain more of its purchase value than anything else in the class.
The new Discovery is expected to retain 59% of its initial purchase price after three years and 36,000 miles. That's a mild improvement on the previous model, which even towards the end of its life would retain over 56% of its value. Crucially, though, it outstrips the competition by quite some margin - an Audi Q7, for example, would only retain about 46.6% of its initial purchase price after three years. Even the desirable Volvo XC90 only retains 54.9%.
Low depreciation is good news for car buyers, as it leads to improved rates on finance deals - particularly PCP agreements.
New Land Rover Discovery design and dimensions
Gerry McGovern’s design team at Land Rover has given the new edition of the 26-year-old model a more sophisticated, softer-edged look that moves it away from the blunt styling that’s gone before and brings it into line with the Discovery Sport. This risks alienating existing long-term Discovery enthusiasts, who may consider the new car too upmarket for daily abuse like towing horseboxes and caravans.
However, the latest Disco leaves room in the Land Rover range for a more rugged seven-seat model that’s likely to form part of the reborn Defender family, due to start arriving before the end of the decade. And in any case, Land Rover points out that the new car’s towing capacity is still a hefty 3,500kg.
The Mk5 Discovery is 4,970mm long - or around 14 centimetres longer than the fourth generation car - but sits slightly lower, with a roofline of 1,846mm, compared with the outgoing model’s 1,912mm.
• Bear Grylls and the world's biggest LEGO set welcome the new Land Rover Discovery
Land Rover Discovery weight saving, engines and performance
The Discovery’s switch to Land Rover’s aluminium construction slashes around 480kg from the car’s weight. This, in turn, has allowed Land Rover to plumb in additional safety kit, plusher materials and greater soundproofing - as well as introducing Jaguar Land Rover’s Ingenium 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel to the line-up.
The four-pot Discovery will be the cleanest model in the line-up at launch - although it seems inconceivable that the car won’t benefit from some of JLR’s extensive work on plug-in hybrid technology during its lifetime. Badged SD4 and paired with a ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox, the 2.0-litre model will have 237bhp and 500Nm of torque - enough for a 0-60mph time of 8.0 seconds - but return 43.5mpg and 171g/km of CO2 emissions.
That’s considerably cleaner than any previous Discovery, but some way north of the likes of Audi’s V6 TDI Q7 and D5 versions of the Volvo XC90.
The other two engines in the UK market will be a pair of 3.0-litre V6s - a diesel called TD6, with 255bhp/600Nm, and a supercharged Si6 petrol with 335bhp and 450Nm. The more potent diesel beats its smaller brother to 60mph (7.7 seconds) and gets close on efficiency, with fuel consumption of 39.2mpg and 189g/km of CO2 emissions.
The petrol, meanwhile, is likely to be a tiny seller in the UK; it’s the fastest model in the range, with a 0-60mph time of 6.9 seconds, but its combined fuel economy of 26.0mpg and 256g/km of CO2 emissions will make it an expensive option.
Land Rover Discovery off-road tech
The Discovery has a strong reputation for off-roading ability and Land Rover claims the new edition is even more capable in poor conditions. The combination of double-wishbone front suspension, an integral link at the rear and air suspension (standard across the range) means ground clearance can be extended where required, to up to 283mm. The approach angle is up to 34 degrees, the departure angle is 30 degrees and the car can cope with a wading depth of up to 900mm.
A two-speed transfer box is standard on all editions, allowing low-range gears for tricky off-road manoeuvres. Land Rover’s All-Terrain Progress Control tech is also standard; first seen on the Evoque, it allows the driver to set a crawl speed of up to 19mph and focus on steering while the vehicle controls braking and throttle functions.
Land Rover is keen to keep the Discovery’s appeal as a towing vehicle, and it gets a couple of new tech features to help in this area.
Advanced Tow Assist is a new feature Land Rover is banking on making the new Discovery one of the best tow cars on sale, and it uses semi-autonomous technology to split the task of manoeuvring trailers, horseboxes and caravans between car and driver.
Activating the system means that the car will steer itself, automatically calculating where to go and how much steering lock is needed while the driver focuses solely on what’s hitched to the back, guiding the trailer directly through the dial on the centre console.
There's also Trailer Light Test, which ‘pulses’ trailer lights from within the vehicle, allowing the driver to check they’re working without help from another person.
Land Rover Discovery cabin and practicality
In the UK, the Discovery will be sold as a seven-seat model only. Its boot capacity with the third row in place is 258 litres, but with only two rows in place there’s a useful 1,137 litres of storage. Folding down the third, fourth and fifth seats increases the Discovery’s load bay to an impressive 2,406 litres.
Land Rover has tried to build on the Discovery’s reputation for practicality by improving seating configurations and cabin storage space. The new generation gets ISOfix child seat mounting points in the second and third rows (from SE trim upwards), and all but the front seats can be lowered and raised electrically using either the main touchscreen in the dashboard or a smartphone app. The Conventional buttons are also present, on the outside shoulder of the seats.
In a controversial move, the existing Discovery’s split tailgate has been dropped and replaced by a conventional one-piece hatchback. However, Land Rover hopes to satisfy the needs of buyers who like to sit on the bootlid with the Powered Inner Tailgate, a 285mm section that flips out from under the floor and is capable of supporting up to 300kg.
The fascia is dominated by the new infotainment screen - which can be as large as 10 inches, if the InControl Touch Pro system is specified. It links up smartphone apps so they can be used through the main display, and incorporates a 4G WiFi hotspot for up to eight devices. There are up to nine USB ports on board, along with four 12V charging points. Interior storage includes a hidden cubby behind the air-con controls, a centre console bin that can accommodate four iPads and a flush-fitting ‘curry hook’ in the front passenger footwell, designed to keep shopping bags upright and secure.
New Land Rover Discovery prices and specs
The Discovery’s pricing will remain roughly the same. Entry-level S trim, which is available with the SD4 engine only, brings cruise control, air suspension, heated windscreen and door mirrors, and a powered tailgate, and costs £43,495. SE adds leather seats, heated front seats, auto headlights, satellite navigation, front and rear parking sensors, LED headlights and interior mood lighting - and it costs from £49,495.
The two higher-end trims are HSE and HSE Luxury. HSE costs from £56,995 and brings further features including 20in alloys, higher-grade leather, JLR’s InControl Touch Pro infotainment system, a panoramic roof, heated rear seats and a gesture-controlled tailgate. HSE Luxury gets even more leather in the cabin, 21in alloys, electric sunroof and rear panoramic roof, and rear-seat entertainment; it costs from £62,695. SE, HSE and HSE Luxury are all available with either the SD4, TD6 or Si6 engines.
The options list will include cooling for the first two rows of seats, heating for the third row and Auto Access Height, which lowers the car by up to 40mm to make it easier to climb in or out. There’s also a Dynamic Design Pack, which brings a contrast roof, more aggressive front and rear bumpers, leather seats and a sport-influenced steering wheel and pedals.
Land Rover is introducing the car with a ‘First Edition’, priced at £68,295 and limited to 600 TD6-powered examples in the UK. It’s based on HSE Luxury but adds etched map detailing on the aluminium door and dashboard trim, unique badging, different exterior colour choices and a more generous list of standard kit.
New Land Rover Discovery vs rivals
Land Rover Discovery SE SD4
Price £49,495Power/torque 237bhp/500NmCombined mpg 43.5mpgCO2/BIK 171g/km/34%
Residual value after 3 years: 59%
Volvo XC90 D5 Inscription
Price £51,585Power/torque 235PS/480NmCombined mpg 48.7mpgCO2/BIK 152g/km/30%
Residual value after 3 years: 54.9%
Audi Q7 3.0 TDI 218PS quattro SE
Price £48,455Power/torque 218PS/500NmCombined mpg 48.7mpgCO2/BIK 150g/km/30%
Residual value after 3 years: 46.6%
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