Land Rover unveils the Discovery Sport
Land Rover has unveiled their first installment of their new Discovery family of vehicles, the Discovery Sport, which will replace the Freelander in their current portfolio and sits below the Discovery 4. The world’s most versatile and capable premium compact SUV, as Land Rover introduces it, will feature a 5+2 seating configuration and follows the design philosophy of the Discovery Vision concept, which was shown in New York in April 2014.
Land Rover digitally revealed the new Discovery Sport at Spaceport America in New Mexico, USA today, following leaked images which ran around the net like wildfire, yesterday. The vehicle has shed the boxy design which was the trademark for most of the last generation Land Rover’s and has a lot of visual similarities with the Evoque. Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Design Director and Chief Creative Officer explains, “Our challenge has been to combine premium design with exceptional versatility; the two attributes must work in harmony.” The images tell us that McGovern’s team has succeeded in their task. The styling similarities are a bit of a let-down though with a plethora of exterior changes such as the LED fog lights, stylish C-pillar, front fender vents, and front and rear skid plates, the Discovery Sport has its own identity. Higher end variants will also come with xenon headlights with integrated LED daytime running lights.
The pictures suggest that the design of the interior is typical to the current generation of Land Rover models with a vertical centre console. The interior is draped in a combination of black and beige. There are up to four 12V power outlets and six USB charging sockets scattered over the cabin for all three rows of seating, allowing multiple electronic devices to be charged simultaneously. There are also analogue gauges and an infotainment system with an 8-inch display.
Land Rover’s website says the Discovery Sport will have a range of four-cylinder turbocharged petrol and diesel engines featuring stop-start technology. The Si4 2.0-litre petrol engine develops 237bhp and 340Nm of torque. The diesel engines are the TD4 2.2-litre and a SD4 2.2-litre which will develop 147bhp and 189bhp, respectively. Later in 2015, a highly efficient ED4 turbo-diesel engine will join the range, likely coming from JLR’s Ingelium engine family that has been reserved for the new Jaguar XE as of now. The engines will be available with a 9-speed automatic and a 6-speed manual transmission, along with a choice of two- or four-wheel-drive.
According to Land Rover, the Discovery Sport has an all-new multi-link rear axle that not only provides engaging driving dynamics, but also provides ample and flexible cabin space behind the second row of seats. The vehicle is, quite obviously, a capable off-roader with approach, departure and break over angles of 25, 31 and 21 degrees respectively, Terrain Response technology, and the ability to wade to 600mm. The vehicle also features a segment first pedestrian airbag, autonomous emergency braking, and a body shell featuring both high-strength steel, and light-weight aluminium.
The Discovery Sport is the next big thing for Land Rover and the campaign competition explains the same. The manufacturer has come-up with a never-before heard campaign christened as the Land Rover Galactic Discovery competition. Four friends are set to win a once-in-a-lifetime trip to space with Land Rover’s global partner, Virgin Galactic, as part of an innovative digital competition at www.landrover.com/gotospace.
