Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division is said to be working on a new Discovery variant that places an extreme emphasis on off-road capability.
Not much is known about the upcoming off-roader, with SVO Boss John Edwards remaining fairly tight-lipped when he mentioned the model to . He said he imagines the car “will be in between Paris Dakar and Camel Trophy,” which are two world famous off-road races (the latter being defunct) that frequently feature Land Rover vehicles.
As with other off-road focused SUVs, it’s likely that heightened suspension, knobby off-road tires, tough body cladding and an off-road ready chassis will all be in store for the extra capable Discovery. The model may be based off of the 254 horsepower 3.0-liter diesel engine in Europe and abroad, but if it makes it to North America, the presence of the 340 horsepower 3.0-liter supercharged V6 is much more likely. Ideally, both engines will be offered in the off-road friendly variant.
ALSO SEE: 2017 Land Rover Discovery Review
Land Rover says it plans on introducing an all-new halo model every three or four years, which means the off-road Discovery may arrive late this year in time for an early 2018 launch or sometime next year. The last production Land Rover to leave the automaker’s ‘Special Vehicle’ center was the Range Rover Sport SVR – a sport focused model that makes 550 horsepower from Jaguar Land Rover’s supercharger 5.0-liter V8 engine. It was first shown in 2015, meaning a new halo car from Land Rover should be just around the corner.
[Source: AutoExpress]
