New Disco returns to muddy roots 12 | 05 | 2011

THE NEXT GENERATION of Land Rover Discovery is expected to shift away from the 4x4 much-loved by the school run brigade and return to its core roots as a more rugged, mudplugging offroader.

A leaked report shows the new Discovery will forge a close relationship with to the all-new Defender family. Codenamed L661, the new Discovery will start production in mid-2016, 12 months after the first of the new Defender models — codenamed L660 — start rolling down the line.

Initial suggestions hint that the Disco 5 will be targeted at Toyota’s Land Cruiser, with an emphasis on practicality and towing. It's also believed that Land Rover has yet to decide which platform will form the basis for both the new Defender and Discover.

An option which is known to be being considered is to adopt the T5 platform —as used by today’s Discovery and Range Rover Sport — which can apparently be adapted to underpin future Defender variants such as pick-ups.

But the T5 platform does have a significant disadvantage. In addition to it being heavy — in compete contrast to the more modern chassis — it will also be 11-years-old by the time the new Defender is launched.

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Jim McGill