Land Rover has handed its Discovery a brawny new diesel engine as well as added fresh driver assistance safety technologies to the range.
The seven-seater SUV gains a new twin-turbocharged 3,0-litre V6 diesel engine (although it earlier debuted in the updated Range Rover Sport line-up), badged “SDV6” and producing a healthy 225 kW and 700 N.m. The Whitley-based automaker says the result is a 0-100km/h time of 7,5 seconds and a towing capacity of 3 500 kg.
The SDV6 variant features a revised intake system with twin intercoolers and an eight-nozzle injector design for what Land Rover describes as “optimised performance and efficiency”. In addition, the brand says all Discovery powertrains will now also come equipped with particulate filters neatly integrated into the after-treatment system.
In terms of fresh technology, Land Rover says the Discovery gains “Clear Exit Detection”, which alerts exiting drivers and passengers if vehicles, cyclists or “other hazards” are approaching from behind. If an obstacle is detected, then a warning light will flash on the door, alerting the vehicle’s occupants.
Meanwhile, the adaptive cruise control system now includes a “stop-and-go” function that maintains the driver’s selected speed, but also automatically adjusts it to maintain a predetermined distance from the vehicle in front. Land Rover says the technology will “smoothly stop the vehicle in heavy traffic and, if the traffic moves again within three seconds of stopping, automatically resume and follow the car in front”.
Interestingly, Land Rover recently confirmed plans to move production of its Discovery from the United Kingdom to Slovakia.
No word yet on when these updates will be rolled out to the South African range…
