New Discovery Moves Further From Utilitarian Roots

WHITELY, U.K. – Land Rover distributes the first photos of its new Discovery mid-range SUV, which will make its global debut at this month’s Paris auto show.

The 7-seater is the fifth generation of the fullsize SUV that originally was launched in 1989. It moves even further from its utilitarian roots, with body styling drawing heavily from the upmarket Range Rover models.

Expected to be much lighter than the current Discovery, which has drawn criticism for being heavier than some of its bigger siblings, the new vehicle uses the same unibody structure as the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport.

“(The) new Discovery redefines the large SUV,” says Gerry McGovern, chief design officer. “Land Rover’s design and engineering teams have revolutionized the Discovery DNA to create a highly desirable, extremely versatile and hugely capable premium SUV.”