It looks a little bit like a Ford Explorer with suicide doors, but the Land Rover Discovery Vision is both harbinger of the company’s upcoming range of Discovery badged SUVs, but also a rolling tech showcase.
Externally the Land Rover Discovery Vision features laser headlights (don’t worry, they won’t blind you), and gesture operated doors and tailgate. Gesture controls are also present for the car’s lighting controls (both interior and exterior), indicators and can be used to activate the Discovery Vision’s pop-up transmission controller.
On a prosaic level, the Discovery Vision seats seven people in a 2-3-2 layout. All of the car’s seats are covered in oil and water repellent Foglizzo leather seats, which, in theory, makes them easy to look after, especially if you’re carrying a young family on board.
As with any luxury vehicle, the Discovery Vision features a high-res screen instead of an instrument cluster, and another high-res screen for the entertainment and nav system; 10-inch screens are mounted to the back of the front seats too. There’s also two OLED touchscreens mounted in the steering wheel spokes. All of the cars windows, including the panoramic sunroof, are made of smart glass, and can display anything that car’s on-board computers desire, including information overlays and camera output. This also allows windows and the panoramic SkyLight to be dimmed on command.
The bonnet can be made transparent to the driver via a head-up display and under-car cameras.
Naturally the car has built-in internet connectivity and Wi-Fi hotspot functionality. At low speeds the Discovery Vision can be remote controlled. Land Rover suggests that this is useful for off-roading, trailer hitching and tight inner city spots as an external driver is able to see things an in-car driver wouldn’t be able to.
Oh, and if that’s not enough for you, the Discovery Vision is said to be capable off-road. Of course there’s latest version of Land Rover’s Terrain Response system, but this is augmented by laser terrain scanning. Hidden in the car’s fog lamps, these lasers scan the terrain and display the results for the driver’s benefit. The Discovery Vision is also capable of projecting warning signs or reference markers onto the road.
