2017 Land Rover Discovery Interior Spy Attempt Offers Limited Results

Whatever the case, what we do know is that the spottings of Jaguar Land Rover's most rugged SUV (now that the Defender is no more) have intensified. The car has been seen on the Nurburgring track - weird, yes, but also totally predictable as Land Rover tests all its vehicles there - and now it was intercepted while driving on the nearby public roads.

What makes this video more special than others is that it manages to catch a glimpse of the SUV's interior. After a few laps on the 'Ring, the big car needed some refueling, so our intrepid cameraman followed it to a gas station where he could get closer and peek at the dashboard. Sadly, there's not much we can see as it is covered in the usual black cloth and the side window is full of reflexions (why don't these guys use a polarizing filter, I will never understand), but it does seem to look production-ready. No wires are poking out, we can't see any large testing screens precariously attached to the center console or anything like that. In fact, the whole car seems ready to roll out.

The new, fifth generation of the Discovery is going to be built on the same PLA (Premium Lightweight Architecture) platform underpinning the new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, which means it will no longer use a separate chassis like before. This will drastically drop the car's weight, something it desperately needed if fuel efficiency was ever going to be considered. And since it'll most likely use four-cylinder engines, that was clearly one of the main priorities in the SUV development.

The Discovery remained largely unchanged from the first generation, apart from the inevitable growth dictated by the necessary safety measures. Its design is almost just as boxy as it was in the beginning, something the car's owners appreciate and would hate to see go. The new one comes with a few bold departures from the tradition - more rounded front end and horizontal taillights - but it will still be recognizable as a Discovery. At least the rear roof hump is there.