Land Rover Discovery Tempest is the most luxurious to-date

On sale Now | Price £83,720 (Discovery Tempest)

A lot happened in 1990: Germany was reunified, the Hubble Space Telescope was launched, and Land Rover launched one of its most iconic models – the Discovery.

And to celebrate the Land Rover Discovery’s 35th birthday next year, the large SUV is being pushed farther upmarket than ever before with the launch of the Discovery Tempest. Like the Velar – a name given to prototype versions of the original Range Rover – the Tempest takes its name from the second-generation Discovery during its top-secret codename development programme.

The Land Rover Discovery Tempest is identifiable by a matte finish provided by protective paint film. The car comes as standard with a copper-coloured roof, or in gloss black as an option. The wing vents, Discovery badging and lower bumper inserts are also finished in copper, and the same hue is used on the 22in alloy wheels.

It also features bespoke badges, treadplates and puddle lamps, and the interior has aluminium detailing and sumptuous leather upholstery.

The Discovery Gemini takes its name from the codename of the original model’s diesel engine, and like the Tempest features new colours and a contrasting roof, although here it’s gloss black only. There’s additional gloss black detailing in the body cladding, grille and badging.

It also features similar trim elements as the Tempest, plus 21in alloy wheels. The bigger difference is inside, where there are a range of family-friendly features, including a cooler positioned between the front seats, media holders on the front seat backs and three-zone climate control.

Both models come with Land Rover’s D350 diesel engine – the only diesel engine in the Discovery range. Its performance is on par with the Audi Q7 50 TDI and BMW X7 xDrive40d, and provides a towing capacity of 3500kg. The D350 uses mild hybrid technology; such systems typically generate fuel savings of around 15%. And it retains the Discovery’s excellent off-road ability.

Outside of these new variants, there are a number of new features across the range, including new alloy wheel choices.

The large SUV is also available with a number of what Land Rover describes as ‘curated option packs’. Beach Days features a collapsible organiser, a bespoke sunshade for the rear windows, a roof rack and rubber mats with deep sides to protect the interior from sand.

The Road Trip pack bundles a pair of seat organisers, a cooler in the centre armrest plus an electric cool bag, roof bars, a roof box, and wind deflectors. Snow Days brings roof cross-bars, a rubber boot mat and mudflaps.

These are in addition to the previously-announced For Dogs and Biking Adventures packs.

Read more: Best large SUVs

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