Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept

Goodbye LR2, Hello Baby Discovery
Imthishan Giado

Discovery Vision Concept 

Land Rover’s plans for world domination of the luxury SUV market have kicked up a notch with the reveal of this Discovery Vision Concept, ahead of the 2014 New York Auto Show.

Discovery Vision Concept

Don’t be fooled by the ‘Concept’ tag – this is more or less what the next LR4 will look like, minus the showcar 23-inch wheels. Except that it won’t be called LR4; instead the Discovery will form its own branded range of ‘leisure vehicles’ built on the Rangey’s lightweight aluminium platform.

Discovery Vision Concept

Gone are the boxy 70s space ship look of the original LR3 and in its place, a modern lithe SUV with hints of TrailBlazer in the rear C-pillar (which is not hidden unlike bigger Rangeys) and clear Evoque/Sport influence in the wraparound front headlamps. Short front and rear overhangs herald good things for offroading prowess: this is a car that’ll need to overcome every obstacle if it is to wear the fabled green oval badge.

Discovery Vision Concept

Speaking of obstacles, the concept has some neat tricks up its sleeve. One is the ‘Transparent Bonnet’ combining a grille-mounted camera and a HUD to overlay an image in front of you – making the bonnet invisible! Tres Cool. Then there’s Remote Control Drive. As the name suggests, you’ll be able to grab a tablet or smartphone and control the Disco from outside the vehicle in tricky terrain. Can’t see the lawyers allowing that to make it to production….

At present there are no details available on engines though you can expect the usual LR-mix of supercharged V6s and V8s. The actual model range is yet to be announced; we predict a 7-seat range topper akin to the current LR4 and a smaller Evoque-style model powered by a turbocharged four cylinder. The latter is actually running around Dubai doing its hot weather testing – see if you can snap it!

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