Commonly referred to as “Disco” the Land Rover Discovery is a series of medium to large premium SUVs, which are produced by the British car maker Land Rover, and later Jaguar Land Rover. The series is currently running in its fifth generation, of which the first was introduced in 1989, the first new model series since the 1970 Range Rover – which inspired it. Some call it influential, since it was the first to market a true off-road capable family car.
At the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show Land Rover first presented the Discovery as an off-road family car, inspired by the 1970 Range Rover, which ended up becoming a luxury icon. The Discovery was based on the more opulent Range Rover, featuring the same chassis, suspension and a four-wheel drive system, a body design which offered a 3- and 4-door versions, packed with a four-cylinder diesel and V8 gasoline power under the hood. The next year in 1990, the 5-door version followed, but there was hardly any difference between the 5-door and the 3-door versions. The number of seats were the same, except for an extra row in the 5-door in the boot. The larger version was launched in order to capture a wider segment of the market. The 3-door version was only launched so that they could avoid the Discovery taking over the market for the more expensive Range Rover.
The current running third generation Discovery was launched at Packington Hall near Meriden, UK on 28th September 2016, the eve of the 2016 Paris Motor Show and it went on sale in the UK in February 2017. Sharing the platform with the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, the current Discovery leaves behind many design traditions of the former generations for a more modern, though a less candidly practical design.
The 2017 model featured a smaller grille than the previous models, the idea was to make the car more aerodynamic than its predecessors. This posed to be a challenge, to make the car more aerodynamic but keep its superior SUV appearance with its true off-road capabilities. Therefore, unlike most cars in the market, the 2017 Discovery has a small grille and a very big bumper.
A silver shield features on the lower part on both sides containing air-vents for brake cooling. The roofline had a small ascending slope over the C-Pillar to improve the headroom for the rear passengers. The standard 19” wheels enhanced its already dynamic look, however, in order to make it more aggressive, light-alloy wheels of up to 22” in size were available optionally.
On the inside, the Discovery took inspirations from its Jaguar siblings, most eye-catching being the infotainment unit featuring a dual-screen view. Similar to the generations before it, the 2017 Discovery had options of up to 7 seats, and thanks to its size, the last row was suitable for adults as well, not only for toddlers. The off-roading capabilities meets the Land Rover standards, with a wading depth of nearly 850mm and ground clearance of up to 220mm, making it capable to drive on untraced paths.
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This is so apt for that 'How it started' and 'How its going' trend. Amazing journey.