Land Rover Australia has released first images and preliminary details for the revised 2021 Discovery line-up, with a raft of upgrades headed for local showrooms in the new year.
Prices will start at $99,900 plus on-road costs for the entry-level Discovery S D300, raising the price of entry by a massive $27,000 – however, Land Rover claims this is offset by “more than $32,000” in enhanced specification.
As we’ve seen in recent Jaguar and Land Rover launches in Australia, the facelifted Discovery will have a simplified model line-up with more standard equipment and fewer options.
Prices for the MY21 Discovery are as follows:
- 2021 Land Rover Discovery S D300: $99,900
- 2021 Land Rover Discovery R-Dynamic S D300: $105,200
- 2021 Land Rover Discovery R-Dynamic S P360: $105,200
- 2021 Land Rover Discovery SE D300: $106,100
- 2021 Land Rover Discovery R-Dynamic SE D300: $111,400
- 2021 Land Rover Discovery R-Dynamic SE P360: $111,400
- 2021 Land Rover Discovery HSE D300: $113,700
- 2021 Land Rover Discovery R-Dynamic HSE D300: $118,600
- 2021 Land Rover Discovery R-Dynamic HSE P360: $118,600
All prices exclude on-road costs
Despite the price rise, the new Discovery starts around the same $100,000 mark as key rivals like the Audi Q7, BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE, and offers standard six-cylinder power – more on that below.
Full specifications for the Australian range are yet to be announced, though Land Rover’s local division has detailed the extra equipment now included as standard on the entry-level Discovery S.
Additional features include:
- 20-inch alloy wheels
- Fixed front and rear panoramic roofs
- LED headlights with signature DRL
- Active Damping
- Electronic air suspension
- Wade Sensing
- 14-way electric front seats
- Power slide and recline second-row seats
- Leather upholstery
- Third-row seating
- 11.4-inch Pivi Pro infotainment system
- DAB+ radio
- Dual-zone climate control
- Virtual Instrument Cluster (12.3-inch)
- Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
- Metal treadplates
- Ambient interior lighting
- Powered tailgate
- Keyless entry
- Power-folding exterior mirrors
- Auto-dimming driver-side exterior mirror
- Rear Protection Assist
- 360-degree camera system
- Blind Spot Assist
- Clear Exit Monitor
- Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go
- Autonomous emergency braking (high-speed)
- Traffic Sign Recognition
- Rear Traffic Monitor
The above equipment items are either new or previously optional features, equating to a claimed value of over $32,000.
Also new for 2021 is an exclusively electrified (48V) six-cylinder powertrain family for the Discovery, spelling the end of the outgoing model’s twin-turbo four-cylinder diesel.
D300 variants get a 3.0-litre straight six turbo-diesel with 48V mild-hybrid technology, developing 221kW (330PS) and 650Nm, with the latter on tap from 1500 to 2500rpm.
The other available engine is the P360 3.0-litre straight six turbo petrol, also with 48V mild-hybrid assistance. Outputs for the petrol are rated at 265kW and 500Nm, with peak torque on tap from 1750 to 5000rpm.
Externally, you’ll be able to distinguish the new Discovery from the outgoing model through an array of subtle changes.
Highlights include new LED headlights with lower-set daytime-running lights within the clusters for a “more purposeful look”, bolstered by new sweeping indicators.
New bumpers front and rear have been designed to enhance the sense of width to the Discovery’s design, with revised LED tail-light clusters joined through the centre by a gloss black strip incorporating the trademark ‘Discovery’ script.
Also new for MY21 is the sporty looking R-Dynamic equipment line, which gets a unique take on the exterior design for a more road-focused and athletic design accented by Gloss Black and Shadow Atlas elements.
Inside, the Discovery picks up Jaguar Land Rover’s new Pivi Pro infotainment unit, incorporating a high-definition 11.4-inch touchscreen – 48 per cent larger than before.
The display is housed in a redesigned centre console, offering a simplified interface and a back-up battery for quicker load times – navigation is claimed to take “just seconds”.
Dual LTE modems bring net-based connectivity, and the Pivi Pro setup is compatible with over-the-air software updates, which Land Rover says allows owners to update as many as 44 electric modules without heading to the dealer.
The Pivi Pro system also facilitates wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring, bolstered by wireless smartphone charging and a signal booster. Two Bluetooth devices can also be connected at once.
All models in Australia now come as standard with an upgraded 12.3-inch Interactive Driver Display, featuring 3D mapping to free up the central touchscreen for other functions. A full-colour head-up display is an optional extra.
Other new cabin features include air ionisation with PM2.5 technology.
The system “actively scans incoming air, measuring its quality and automatically uses advanced filters to reduce the level of allergens, toxins and harmful particulates in the cabin, enhancing driver wellbeing”, according to Land Rover.
Click and Go tablet holders are incorporated into the front seatbacks, including USB-A charge sockets, while the driver also gets a new four-spoke steering wheel design with touch capacitive controls and metal gearshift paddles similar to that of the all-new Defender.
There’s a new shift-by-wire selector as part of the redesigned centre console, too, and finally the second-row air vents have been relocated from the B-pillars to the rear of the centre console, also incorporating new controls.
All models are rated to to 3500 kilograms, with Advanced Tow Assist helping to “take the stress” out of reversing manoeuvres.
On the topic of capability and practicality, the Discovery retains its huge boot capacity, claiming 258L with the third row in place, increasing to a massive 2485L when in two-seat configuration.
The MY21 Land Rover Discovery range is available to order now, with full specifications to come in the lead-up to its arrival in the new year.
Jaguar Land Rover Australia will no doubt be hoping the refreshed Discovery can reverse its 2020 sales slide, currently sitting at 676 sales year-to-date as of October 31 – a 34.8 per cent reduction on the 1037 units registered during the same period in 2019.
Stay tuned to CarExpert for all the latest, and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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