The updated Land Rover Discovery has arrived in India with prices starting from Rs 88.06 lakh (ex-showroom). This is the fifth launch by the British car marque after the Velar, Range Rover Sport SVR, three-door Defender 90 and Evoque. Land Rover has recently upgraded its popular SUV lineup with a couple of new engines, an infotainment system and features. What exactly is new in this Discovery then? Let us discover.
Design
The new generation of the Discovery was announced in 2017 and now it has received a significant mid-life facelift. Land Rover has not made any major changes to this vehicle's exterior. Having said that, the Discovery gets remade bumpers, fresh headlights and taillights and new 20-inch alloy wheels.
The Discovery is a long SUV - 4,956mm in length with a 2,923mm wheelbase. Besides, there are new LED headlights with signature daytime running lights. However, higher-spec variants come with premium and Matrix LED headlights. And speaking of the variants, Land Rover offers six distinctive trim levels of the refreshed luxury SUV - S, SE, HSE, R-Dynamic S, R-Dynamic SE and R-Dynamic HSE.
Interior
The most certain change in this plush interior is the latest Pivi Pro 11.4-inch infotainment system and a 12.3-inch digital driver display. It can pair two devices at the same time and also supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Moreover, the entry-level model has fabric upholstered manually adjustable front seats whereas some top of the line trims get electronically adjustable front seats with memory function and full leather upholstery.
Meanwhile, Land Rover has provided a redesigned steering wheel and gear selector similar to other Jaguar Land Rover vehicles. With the new Pivi Pro infotainment system, all seats can be folded and moved forward or backwards, including the third-row seats. Besides, the carmaker has also upgraded the second-row seats with more cushioning.
Features
Land Rover offers many safety and convenience features such as roll stability control, cornering brake control, hill launch and descent control, emergency brake assist, adaptive air suspension and dynamics, heated rear windows, a fixed panoramic sunroof, heated side-view mirrors, electric/hands-free boot opening, headlights washer, auto high beam assist, two-zone temperature control, Meridian sound system/surround sound system (only SE, HSE and R-Dynamic SE and HSE), 3D surround camera, adaptive cruise control (only HSE and R-Dynamic HSE), wade sensing and driver condition monitoring.
Engine and Transmission
The Discovery is offered with three updated engines. There is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol motor that makes 296bhp and 400Nm of torque. Apart from that, it gets a 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol that generates 355bhp and 500Nm of torque and a 3.0-litre straight-six turbocharged diesel that is capable of producing 296bhp and 650Nm of torque. All the engines are paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Meanwhile, the 3.0-litre diesel engine is coupled with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system with an integrated starter generator that provides electric assist to the start/stop system.
This luxurious SUV takes on the Volvo XC90, BMW X7, Mercedes-Benz GLS, Porsche Cayenne, Lexus RX and upcoming new Audi Q7.