Hard-core Land Rover Discovery on the way
JLR’s performance division will create what’s being billed as the ultimate off-road version of next-gen DiscoLand Rover’s all-new, next-generation Discovery 5 is set to be re-engineered by JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations.
Set to arrive sometime in 2017, the extreme version of the new Discovery 5 is expected to be called the SVX instead of being badged an SVR. That’s because it will offer extreme off-road performance rather than the Range Rover Sport SVR’s bias towards on-road agility.
The revelation that JLR’s SVO is secretly working on the Discovery 5, was disclosed by British mag Autocar following an admission by SVO boss John Edwards that a hardcore 4x4 was in development.
The Discovery 5 is expected to take styling cues from the 2014 New York Vision concept that also inspired the recent Discovery Sport.
In what is expected to be a radical departure from previous projects like the Range Rover Sport SVR and Project 7 F-Type, JLR's special ops is said to be creating its version of an ultimate off-roader, according to the SVO boss.
“There is a market for more off-road capability, so of course we’re looking at it.
“We have opportunities to develop everything from ride heights and wheel and tyre combinations to cutting-edge technology solutions”, said Edwards.
The SVX is expected to follow in the tyre tracks of the US-made Ford Raptor by offering a powerful engine combined with a more hard-core, high-lift off-road suspension.
According to Autocar, the Discovery SVX could also offer new tech as well as mechanical hardware for the most serious off-roaders.
Due on sale next year, the new Discovery is expected to be followed by the SVX version some 12 to 18 months later.
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