Discovery enters its fifth era

Land Rover has already indicated that, while other brands concentrate on "lighter and faster" for each successive model, the new Disco will be a step up in terms of luxury over its predecessor. Gerry McGovern, Land Rover's Chief Design Officer, said, "New Discovery redefines the large SUV. Land Rover's design and engineering teams have revolutionised the Discovery DNA to create a highly desirable, extremely versatile and highly capable premium SUV".

They say it has been "created with absolute versatility, capability and technology, like no other". The limited release says "The new Discovery embodies Land Rover's drive to go Above and Beyond, combining British desirability with an unstoppable spirit of adventure."

The first Disco was shown in 1989; the new model marks the fifth generation of this extremely popular Home Counties mud plugger, which has seven full-size seats.

Despite the Land Rover pledge to chase the models upstream in the premium river, the new Disco is bound to be lighter, using the same monocoque as the Range Rover Sport, which might well mean we'll see the addition of the company's 2.0-litre engine to the units on offer – at the moment it's the 3.0-litre diesel V6 or nothing.

More news of the new Land Rover Discovery, and all the other important unveilings for the second half of 2016, live from the Paris Motor Show, on September 29.