Fifth-gen Land Rover Discovery incoming!

At Land Rover headquarters, everything is now set for the launch of the fifth-generation Discovery at the Paris Motor Show this October. The SUV should be in dealerships by early 2017 – one year behind the original schedule. From a stylistic point of view – both from the outside as well as the inside – the next-generation Disco banks heavily on the Discovery Vision concept presented at the beginning of 2014. But as far as the mechanicals are concerned, the upcoming Discovery will rely on the experience gained in-house in terms of lightweight materials and the brand new four-cylinder line-up of Ingenium engines – with the 2-litre diesel engine being the mainstay. The design of the new Discovery is also more sophisticated than the square lines of the previous model. And to distinguish it from its smaller Discovery Sport sibling, it still retains a trace of the trademark stair-stepped roof. The Discovery’s much vaunted off-road qualities remain intact, as well as its spirit of being a family car – and, hence, the capability to accommodate up to seven passengers.

THE LAST DEFENDER

The iconic Land Rover Defender has reached the end of the road, overtaken by time, technology and legislation. The last Defender rolled off the production line in January. Its successor won’t be hitting the road until 2017.

•  The Defender was born in 1948, as the Land Rover Series I before being renamed as the Defender in 1990. Two million units were manufactured at the Solihull factory. That achievement was celebrated through the production of a special edition version (see photo), which was put up for auction at a charity in December 2015.

A 7-SEATER SUV FROM SKODA

Using the stretched version of the Tiguan’s MQB platform, Skoda will be launching an unprecedented SUV that will measure approximately 4.70 metres in length and can accommodate up to seven passengers.

•   The Yeti’s bigger brother will be the Superb among sport utility vehicles, which means that it’ll offer space and luxury in equal measure

•  The SUV will come in both two and four-wheel drive versions, when it hits the market by the end of this year. And under the hood will be both petrol and diesel engines of the Volkswagen group, generating between 150 and 220bhp.

GLS, THE FULL SIZE STAR

The GL takes advantage of a mid-cycle refresh to update itself in line with the new Mercedes terminology and reinforce its flagship credentials – therefore enabling it to rightfully carry the GLS acronym.

•  Both the front and the rear ends of the SUV have been updated, and the dashboard has been re-organized with a focus on connectivity

•  333 and 455bhp petrol engines and 258bhp diesel engines will power the GLS family. Putting the power down will be all-wheel drive and a 9-speed automatic transmission, while an optional off-road package will also be available

•   The range topping GLS 63 AMG gets 28bhp more, for a total power of 585bhp. The 7G-Tronic Speedshift Plus gearbox in the AMG has been further tweaked

•   The safety systems and driver assistance equipment has been updated across the board for the GLS family.

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