3-Row 2018 Land Rover Discovery Makes Debut With Busy Families in Mind

The redesigned 2018 Land Rover Discovery made its debut at the Paris Motor Show with a lot of features designed for busy families.

The fifth-generation Discovery will replace the LR4 and its design does away with the boxy look Land Rovers are famous for in favor of an entirely new look that’s more streamlined. The new Discovery is also a staggering 1,000 pounds lighter than the outgoing LR4, thanks to extensive use of aluminum.

The new Discovery is powered by either a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 with 340 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque or a turbocharged 3.0L diesel V6 with 254 hp and a generous 443 lb-ft of torque, online from as low as 1,750 rpm. Both engines are paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

ALSO SEE: Full Paris Motor Show Coverage

With its three rows of seating, Land Rover promises that each seat is “the best seat in the house,” even in the typically cramped third row, which the British automaker says will have enough headroom and legroom to make it suitable for most adults.

One of the stand-out interior features is an industry-first new seat folding system that allows people to reconfigure the second and third row of seats safely and electronically using controls at the rear of the SUV, via the central touchscreen, or remotely using a smartphone app. All three rows are also available with heated seats, while the first two rows can also be cooled. Massaging seats are available for the driver and front passenger.

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The Discovery also has more storage cubbies throughout the cabin, and a massive 82.7 cubic feet of cargo capacity with all the seats folded flat and 45 cu-ft behind the second row. With all three rows in use, 9.1 cu-ft of space remains behind the third row. A one-piece tailgate also breaks Discovery tradition, replacing the split-tailgate design.

The Discovery comes equipped with up to nine USB ports, six 12-volt charging ports, and 3G wifi that can host up to eight devices. It also gets the same waterproof Activity Key wristband like the Jaguar F-Pace that allows drivers to use it to lock the SUV and disable the regular key, which can then be safely left inside so they don’t have to worry about damaging it.

The full-time four-wheel-drive Disco has a 8,201-lb towing capacity, and, of course, it wouldn’t be a Land Rover if it couldn’t off-road. Ground clearance is rated at 11.1 inches and the SUV and wade in water up to 35.4 inches deep, both figures that beat the outgoing LR4. All the latest off-road driving assistants are also available and a two-speed transfer box can be used to swap between high and low ratios while the SUV is still in motion.

The 2018 Land Rover Discovery is available with all the latest driver assistance technology like adaptive cruise control, pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, parking assist, blind spot monitoring and more, and will arrive at dealerships in mid-2017. Pricing starts at $49,990 in the U.S.

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