The Land Rover Discovery is reaching
middle age, so the company is preparing a facelift for the SUV. Caught
undergoing testing near the Nürburgring, this prototype looks fairly
unremarkable as the body panels appear to carryover from the current model. The
same can also be said for the wheels and lighting units.
That will likely change for
production as we’re expecting a minor facelift that will likely include new
bumpers. There could also be a revised grille as well as updated head- and
taillights. Bigger changes could occur in the cabin as Discovery might adopt
the Touch Pro Duo system used in the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Range
Rover Velar. It features a touchscreen infotainment system as well as a
secondary touchscreen display for climate controls and vehicle settings.
There could also be a digital instrument
cluster, an ambient lighting system and new switchgear. Unfortunately, it’s
hard to know for certain until we get a better look inside. Land Rover has been
tight-lipped about the upcoming model, but previous reports have suggested it
could adopt a 48 volt mild-hybrid system and possibly even a plug-in hybrid
variant. In regards to the mild-hybrid, the Discovery could use the same
powertrain as the Range Rover Sport.
It features a supercharged and
turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine as well as an enhanced start/stop
system which can keep the engine shut off for longer periods of time. In the
US-spec model, the powertrain has outputs of 355 hp and 495 Nm of torque as well as 395 hp and 550
Nm of torque. It remains unclear when the facelifted Discovery will be
introduced, but it could be a while as this appears to be an early prototype.
