27 March 2002: The latest Land Rover Discovery, unveiled at this week's New York Motor Show, features a new look echoing the new Range Rover, a revised interior with new trim colours and a number of significant technical enhancements.

It has a new Land Rover ‘family face’ inspired by the new Range Rover, revised rear light clusters, new equipment including rear Park Distance Control and styled roof bars, improved braking and suspension systems, and a centre differential lock.

The new 2003 Discovery is powered by either the 4.0-litre 184 bhp V8 petrol engine or the 2.5-litre 138bhp Td5 five-cylinder turbodiesel engine. The Td5 engine now produces up to 340 Nm of torque at under 2,000 rpm for on-road driveability and off-road prowess. For North America only, the latest Discovery gets a 217bhp 4.6-litre V8 power unit in place of the 4.0 V8.

A new grille and a new front bumper with round foglamps complement the new headlamp arrangement. There are also visual changes at the rear with improved rear lights, the turn indicators having been relocated to the upper vertical light cluster to provide better visibility to following traffic. A new design of roof bars will be available for the new 2003 Discovery and a selection of new alloy wheel designs.

Among other improvements, changes to noise insulation and body mountings improve the refinement of the latest 2003 Discovery.

The availability of a locking centre differential option further enhances the vehicle's capability in extreme off-road conditions. The latest models retain four-wheel Electronic Traction Control (ETC) and the Hill Descent Control (HDC) system.

The front and rear disc brakes have been fitted with revised pads and callipers while the suspension has revised locations.

The new 2003 Discovery will be on sale in June 2002.

©2002irishcar.com