New 2017 Land Rover Discovery OFFICIALLY revealed – priced from £43,495

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The new 2017 Land Rover Discovery is finally revealed as Land Rover takes the covers off what they say is the best family SUV in the world.

We have a big soft spot for the current Land Rover Discovery 4, but the arrival this evening of what is effectively the new Land Rover Discovery 5 – even if Land Rover are declining to badge it as such – suddenly makes the Disco 4 look a bit old and slabby.

Looking just as you’d expect – a production take on the two year old Land Rover Vision Concept – the new Discovery is longer (almost 5 metres), but actually a bit narrower and lower. Which is a bit of a surprise. But it still looks like a full size Discovery, just a modern, slicker take – even down to the offset rear number plate.

But the wheelbase grows thanks to the extra length and that means the third row of seats will actually take real adults (if not a rugby forward or two) just like the Volvo XC90. And it’s the Volvo XC90 Land Rover will want to take down with more than just greater off-road chops.

Fold down the third row of seats – dropping from a plane with an App like Bear Grylls if you like – and you have enough room to party, drop both rows and you could hold a ball. Plus there are endless obvious, and not so obvious, stowage areas.

It all looks pretty good in the front too, with Land Rover’s latest InControl Touch Pro Infotainment with 10″ touchscreen, dual view, Sat Nav and seemingly endless connectivity – including 4G WiFi for up to eight devices.

It all looks impressive and well bolted together, although we’ll have to see it in the flesh – and live with it – to see if it really challenges the XC90’s cabin.

But where the new Discovery will win is off road, and here the Discovery’s stats make for unbeatable ability: 283mm ground clearance, 900mm wading depth, 3500kg towing, approach angle of up to 34 degrees, a break-over angle of 27.5 degrees and departure angle of 30 degrees and Terrain Response 2 so even your Granny could tackle anything.

Add to all that the 85 per cent aluminium body which shops almost half a tonne off the Discovery’s weight, clever air suspension with double wishbones at the front and integral mult-link at the back, and you have a recipe for a very convincing family SUV which will excel on and off road.

That impressive weight shedding makes a 2.0 litre Ingenium diesel with 239bhp and 369lb/ft of torque completely viable, with a 3.0 litre 6-pot diesel delivering 256bhp as well as a 338bhp supercharged petrol (petrol once more for the Discovery is great news), all with an eight-speed auto, completing the engine line-up until JLR extend the Ingenium range to six-pots.

Due to go on sale in spring 2017, the 2017 Land Rover Discovery will cost from £43,495 to £68,295 for the all singing, all dancing First Edition.