2020 Land Rover Discovery spotted testing

KUALA LUMPUR: The first spy images of the 2020 Land Rover Discovery have surfaced online which is referred to as the mid-life refresh for the third-gen model. The auto publication, Autoexpress has put out images of the development mule of the new Land Rover Discovery testing on roads near the company’s Coventry headquarters.

Along with the mid-life update, you can expect an electrified version of the model which seems to have been considered by the brand due 2020 Land Rover Discovery to competitive pressure in Europe. The main rivals to the Discovery, the Audi Q7 and the Volvo XC90, both are now available with electrified powertrains.

While the electrified version is planned to come later this year with a 48-volt tech, the plug-in option might still keep you waiting. Currently, the Discovery is offered with a 2.0-litre twin-turbo petrol engine, which can churn out a max power of about 304 PS and 400 Nm of torque. While on the diesel front, there are engines ranging from 2.0-litre four-cylinder to 3.0-litre six-cylinder.

The only thing lacking ever since its arrival was the hybrid option. We are expecting the mild-hybrid adaptions of the existing bigger displacement engines. The Range Rover and Range Rover Evoque have already been benefitted with hybrid tech and now probably it’s time for the Discovery to make the most of the demand.

The car in the pictures, as stated by Autoexpress, are of hybrid Discovery with a petrol engine underneath. You cannot find a plug-in socket on the camouflaged bodywork of the test mule and the charging flap on the front grille as seen on the plug-in Range Rover has also been masked off.

The plug-in variant would definitely not make to this year-end update but what seems promising is that the mild-hybrid can just make it in time for the mid-life refresh for the Discovery. The regions where it will be released are still unknown. We’ll have to wait and find out what the company has in store for the auto aficionados.

Source: Autoexpress

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