2021 Land Rover Discovery spied looking the same, likely hiding updates under its skin

The Land Rover Discovery was rebooted a little over three years ago. We drove it in 2017 for the first time, and it hasn’t changed a whole lot since. Some new spy shots have entered the picture today, though, indicating that we’re likely to see the Disco go through a mid-cycle refresh soon.

Visually, this Discovery is just like the current model. At least, the parts of it that we can see are exactly the same as the 2020 SUV. A camouflage covering is plastered over the small front grille, so we’re unable to see anything that’s potentially new there. As for the rest of the front fascia, it’s unchanged, right down to the side air intakes and sculpting in the lower sections. Maybe there’s a new bumper coming and Land Rover hasn’t stuck it on this test car, or maybe this mid-cycle refresh won’t be about styling.

Engine-wise, the current Discovery is offered with a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 and a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6. The latest reports suggest Land Rover's 48-volt mild-hybrid technology find its way into the Discovery for a boost of efficiency. Assuming that's true, the 3.0-liter inline-six available in the Range Rover could very well find its way under the hood of the Discovery. In the Range Rover, it’s available in two states of tune — one version is packing 355 horsepower, while the other gets 396 horsepower. The latter would make for a sizable upgrade in power over the old supercharged V6 that makes 340 horsepower, but even the milder configuration would be a boost. This also comes with the fuel economy and efficiency benefits of a mild hybrid system. The diesel engine will likely carry over to the refreshed Disco without many (or any) changes at all. The report also cites the possibility of the Discovery latching onto the plug-in hybrid tech already found within Land Rover's lineup, too. If it does, that'd mean the Disco would be offered with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder teamed up with an electric motor. We may not see the PHEV show up right away, though.

We also expect the Discovery to receive a refreshed interior, likely featuring the stacked screen setup that’s making its way into every new Land Rover and Jaguar product these days. The lack of visual changes doesn’t worry us, because the Discovery still looks fresh, rugged and unique in its space. More tech and better powertrain tech will definitely make for some hearty new reasons to consider a Disco when SUV shopping soon. We expect the refreshed Discovery to launch before the year is out and go on sale as a 2021 model year.

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