Land Rover Discovery

Fifth generation cuts family ties to please the SUV herd, if not Disco devotees

- Matt Raudonikis

WE’RE NOT certain whether it’s the work of fashion or unbridled population growth, but it seems many of today’s buyers feel the desire to have seven seats in their family wagon. Car makers, of course, are only too happy to feed the masses with increasingly larger, heavier and more comprehensively equipped SUVs, a style of vehicle that’s long left the station wagon in its dust.

Land Rover was ahead of the curve when it introduced its first seven-seat Discovery back in 1989, and the Disco has since grown through four generations.

A seven-seater option contines in the fifth-generation Disco, but the new model marks a shift in priorities, from a family-friendly off-roader to an (optionally) off road capable high-rise wagon for the suburbs.

Creating a slick-looking vehicle with such capacity and ability isn’t a new challenge, however rising buyer expectations mean designers and engineers must now work harder.

With the Discovery 3 and 4 generations, Land Rover delivered a mix of ability and accommodation few brands could match, while the boxy exterior and signatures such as the asymmetric rear window and tailgate resulted in a design icon with enduring popularity.

If creating a cult from a pair of rectangles had been easy, designing a Disco that would sit stylishly alongside the Evoque in showrooms presented a challenge. “When you’re doing a vehicle this size, designed to seat seven adults, that is a big vehicle, and to package that successfully and still make it look dramatic is a difficult task,” said Gerry McGovern, Land Rover’s chief of design.