AN incredible stunt involving the creation of the world's largest Lego structure in the shape of Tower Bridge in London has been staged by Land Rover to mark the launch of the fifth generation Discovery.

The event, at Packington Hall in Warwickshire, once used by Land Rover as a proving ground and only a few miles from the Solihull factory where the Discovery is built, attracted a host of VIPs including adventurer Bear Grylls, yachtsman Sir Ben Ainslee and equestrian star Zara Phillips - all of whom are Land Rover customers.

They witnessed the reveal of the new Discovery in front of the giant Lego structure nearly 50 feet tall and made from 5,805,846 bricks, beating the previous record creation - a full-sized model of the Star Wars X-Wing Fighter - which was made in 2013 out of 5.3 million Lego bricks.

Laid end to end the bricks would stretch some 200 miles, the distance from the real Tower Bridge to Paris where the new Discovery will make its public debut at the French capital's motor show this weekend.

The new Discovery is the latest take on the legendary 4x4 which transformed the SUV market when it was launched back in 1989. Since then more than 1.2 million Discovery sales have been notched up across the globe.

Looking every inch an ultra-modern SUV, the new Discovery has all the traits of the latest Land Rovers - stylish yet purposeful.

At 4.97 metres long its 141mm longer than the current model but narrower and lower. The wheelbase is longer too and it is now a full-blown seven seater capable of seating adults in the third row of seats.

Classic Discovery design cues such as the stepped rear roof section are retained while luggage capacity is huge ranging from 1,137 litres to van-like proportions of 2,406 litres with all the rear seats folded.

The middle row seats can slide fore and aft by up to 160mm allowing for flexibility in the amount of leg room and cargo space.

Even as a seven seater there is as much luggage space as you get in a supermini at 258 litres whle onboard storage features range from a ‘curry hook' in the passenger footwell to iPad compartments in the consoles.

Out goes the split tailgate, replaced by a large hatchback which incorporates a powered inner load panel that slides out almost a foot from the cargo bay.

Technology abounds and includes a world first smartphone app that can be used to alter the seating configuration by folding down the seats by remote control.

As well as Land Rover's In Control touchscreen and connectivity system the new Discovery includes no less than nine USB ports and four 12-volt sockets throughout the cabin. There's also in-car wi-fi and top range HSE Luxury models have rear seat entertainment systems as standard.

Despite the lower roof height the new Discovery has more ground clearance than before at 283mm, up 43mm and its wading depth has been increased to 900mm from 700mm.

Off road performance features retain high and low ratio gears as well as Land Rover's computerised Terrain Response system and its All Terrain Progress Control Technology which ensures maximum traction under all conditions.

Towing capacity is class leading at 3.5 tonnes and it can be fitted with Land Rover's Tow Assist devices which use cameras and other technology to make hitching and manoeuvering easier.

All versions of the new Discovery have an eight-speed auto box and the line up includes a new iteration of Jaguar Land Rover's 2.0-litre Ingenium diesel engine, now boosted to deliver 240ps.

It is the most powerful derivative of the new engine to date and gives the latest Discovery even more performance than the Jaguar F-PACE SUV.

Acceleration time from 0 to 60 is eight seconds and fuel economy is now rated at 45.3mpg with emissions of 171g/km - the most fuel efficient Disco ever.

Much of that is down to the car's new construction which is 80 per cent aluminium reducing body weight by almost half a tonne to 2.115 tonnes.

The Ingenium engine will be used in the entry-level version of the new model which at £43,495 is more than £3,000 cheaper than before.

Other engines in the range are an upgraded 3.0-litre Td6 diesel now developing 258ps which produces a 0 to 60 time of 7.7 seconds and a fuel return of 39.2mpg.

A V6 petrol is also included in the new range with 340ps on tap. Although the quickest at 6.9 seconds 0 to 60 it is also the thirstiest at 26mpg with a CO2 figure of 254g/km.

The new Discovery is slated to arrive in the spring with prices topping out at £68,295 for a high specification First Edition model which has a restricted run in the UK of only 600.

It's powered by the 3.0-litre diesel engine, sits on 22-inch alloy wheels and is available only in orange, black or silver finishes.

The First Edition costs £5,600 more than the mainstream range topping HSE Luxury version but comes fully loaded including a 360 degree camera system, high end leather trim and a Meridian sound system as well JLR's new Activity Key - a wristband which unlocks the car and first seen on the F-PACE as a feature for adventure-types to protect their car keys while out in the wild.