Fifth-gen Land Rover Discovery in Action

EARLIER this month Jaguar Land Rover released the first official photos of its fifth-generation Discovery, due for a mid-2017 local launch.

This has been followed up with a teaser video, which provides the best footage so far of the new Discovery in action.

The drip-feed strategy seems to be working, with anticipation building for the less-boxy-shaped Discovery’s Paris Motor Show reveal next month.

JLR claimed the gruelling development process of the fifth-gen Discovery involved 35,000 individual component tests, 294 development vehicles and 20 countries.

According to the press release that accompanied the video, “Land Rover’s global engineering team subjected the vehicle to extreme climates and terrains in over 20 countries.

“Sand driving in plus-40°C heat in the dunes of Dubai, altitude testing in the Colorado mountains, and ice-driving in the sub-zero temperatures of Arjeplog, Sweden, were all part of the 28-month schedule.”

It continued: “The new model is the first Land Rover to undergo a full programme of virtual testing prior to the physical testing process, delivering robust quality and durability before any prototypes are built.”

The fifth-gen Disco, replacing 2009-2016 versions, will retain the petrol- and diesel-powered drivetrains. However, the new Discovery will also adopt the four-cylinder diesel from JLR’s new Ingenium range.

A petrol-powered drivetrain is yet to be confirmed for Australia.

Pricing is yet to be released, but expect the new Discovery to start from around $70K.