Land Rover has unveiled the 2017 Discovery in India. The all-new Discovery is the latest entrant in the iconic Discovery lineup, and carries styling cues from both the older Discovery and the new generation and more upmarket Range Rover Velar. Alongside, it improves its all-terrain bearings, gets new technology inside and new petrol and diesel engines. Here's what the latest generation Land Rover Discovery features.
Straight off the bat, the 2017 Land Rover Discovery feels much more upmarket than before. It gets the new steering wheel from the Range Rover lineup, with bolder buttons for steering-mounted audio, telephony and cruising control. The steering wheel feels bolder and chunkier than before, and alongside the new steering wheel unit, the Discovery also gets the InControl Touch Pro 10-inch infotainment system from upscale Range Rovers. The Touch Pro Duo infotainment system, however, is skipped here.
The all-new Range Rover comes with a re-tuned Terrain Response 2 unit, along with Lane Keeping assistance, surround camera driver assistance system, adaptive cruise control with parking and queuing assistance, and driver condition monitoring. The wide touchscreen system does away with all physical buttons, and uses only touchscreen buttons for operation. This is the same system that is present in the Jaguar F-Pace. Also present are the standard dual-zone automatic climate control system.
The Land Rover Discovery also retains a multi-information display to access phonebook, audio, navigation and driving settings. However, the pattern has remained the same as the older Discovery and the Discovery Sport. The overall interior quality has been further improved, with softer plastic and better textured faux plastic in place of veneer.
The 2017 Land Rover Discovery comes with a 380W Meridian-powered speakers. Although we have not tested these particular speakers, the older units in Jaguar and Land Rover's cars sound fairly competent.
The central control panel gets more controls. Alongside the 'handshake' gear shift dial, the Land Rover Discovery now gets a circular dial with drive modes, terrain control and hill hold control. Also included are traction control, electronic stability control, speed limiter, suspension height adjustment and auto start/stop control.
The electronically-operable glove box is also lit and cooled, and other elements include a light inside. On overall terms, the new Land Rover Discovery gives an air of being better equipped and more upmarket than before.
The seats are better bolstered for support. The middle row is supremely comfortable for two, and can comfortably seat three, without much discomfort for the middle passenger. You also get electronically foldable seats for maximising luggage space. The overall ride quality is tuned to be all-terrain, and smaller bumps do not seem to majorly affect the SUV. Large undulations are dealt in an easier way thanks to the improved approach, ramp and departure angles, and the Land Rover Discovery can now wade through 900mm of water.
The 2017 Land Rover Discovery comes with two engine trims – 3.0-litre diesel producing 255bhp, and 3.0-litre petrol producing 335bhp. Prices for the new Discovery start at Rs. 71.38 lac (ex-showroom, Mumbai). While the Discovery has retained its own characteristics, it gets more Range Rover-like underpinnings, making it feel more premium inside, get more assistive technologies, and drive even better, at least on our first ride in a simulated obstacle course.