UNVEILING THE NEW 2014 LAND ROVER

Despite being one of Land Rover's biggest volume models, the LR4/Discovery has had to sit idly by while its brethren received all manner of attention, including all-new generations and major updates. Well, Land Rover is finally lavishing some attention on its three-row breadwinner, which is making its debut at here at the Frankfurt Motor Show. As is the way with such things, the most noticeable updates are cosmetic, with a new front end – headlamps, grille and fascia – bringing the model more in-line with the rest of today's Land Rover lineup. Inside, the cabin has been freshened with a new Meridian audio system along with new safety technologies like blind spot monitoring, reverse traffic detection and Wade Sensing for all your fording needs. 

While we don't yet have word on what engines will power the North American LR4, in Europe, the 5.0-liter V8 has given way to the company's 3.0-liter supercharged V6 with start-stop paired with ZF's ubiquitous eight-speed automatic. So-equipped, the 335-horsepower, 332-pound-feet engine hits 60 mph in 7.7 seconds en-route to a top speed of 121 mph. A pair of diesels will also continue to be available in certain markets, but no such engine has been confirmed for North America.

Interestingly, for 2014, Land Rover will also offer the model with a second four-wheel drive system. The capable two-speed transfer case system carries over, and there's a new single-speed box that "acknowledges that some customers do not need to fully exploit the Discovery's off-road capabilities." The single-speed box relies on a Torsen limited-slip unit and has a default 42/58-percent front-to-rear torque split. It weighs about 40 pounds less than the two-speed box.

Reference: Chris Paukert