Double Scottish delight for Land Rover 30 | 11 | 2015
LAND ROVER CELEBRATED two honours at the Scottish Car of the Year Awards, with Discovery Sport named Best Diesel of 2015 and Land Rover’s evergreen Defender model claiming the award for Best Used Car.
Announcing the Land Rover Discovery Sport 2.0 Litre TD4 as Best Diesel, Alisdair Suttie said: “With its launch powertrain, our winner demonstrated a huge breadth of ability and the arrival of an all-new diesel engine in September has really put this vehicle on a pedestal. Hushed, frugal and low on emissions, our diesel champion’s engine is also British-built.
“Scotland’s challenging terrain means we always look forward to the launch of a new SUV and the Discovery Sport is one of the best in the business. No other seven-seater can deliver a blend of ability, refinement and efficiency like this one.”
Discovery Sport’s new 2.0-litre four-cylinder Ingenium diesel engine is designed to deliver class-leading torque and power outputs, combined with excellent refinement, reduced CO2 emissions and lower fuel consumption thanks to its lightweight construction, stiff cylinder blocks and decoupled injectors, which ensure low levels of vibration and noise intrusion.
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Built at Land Rover’s new state-of-the-art £500m Engine Manufacturing Centre in the West Midlands, the EU6 compliant Ingenium engine is available in 150PS and 180PS variants, the former offering up to 57.7mpg and CO2 emissions from 129g/km.
Discovery Sport is equipped with a range of class-leading safety features, such as a pedestrian airbag, Autonomous Emergency Braking and a suite of driver assistance features, all of which have helped it earn a Five Star Euro NCAP rating.
Prices start at £30,695 for the manual gearbox model with five-seat SE specification. With range service intervals extended from 16,000 to 21,000 miles, the new Discovery Sport offers significantly lower whole-life running costs in addition to lower taxation and reduced fuel costs.
As a salute to the Land Rover Defender, which celebrated 67 years of production earlier this year with the minting of its 2,000,000th example, the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers declared it Best Used Car.
“Our top used choice is a vehicle that has kept countries mobile during times of disaster,” said ASMW Secretary Stephen Park. “No other vehicle in history has managed to withstand the test of time like the Land Rover Defender.
"The current model’s family resemblance to the 1948 original is immediately obvious yet one of the oldest automotive designs is one of the best at retaining its value. Buy almost any Defender, from a 1990 example to a nearly new model, keep it in top condition, and there’s every chance you will enjoy depreciation-free motoring.
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“Moreover, such a lengthy production run means there’s a huge choice available to suit every budget. Project cars start from a couple of grand, a solid and presentable runner with the famed 300 TDI engine is a sound investment at £5k while upwards of £20,000 buys the very best available.”
Next month in London, Defender 2,000,000 will go under the hammer at Bonhams. Featuring a bespoke design and built with the help of an all-star cast of lifelong Defender fans led by adventurer Bear Grylls, the unique Defender is expected to raise many thousands of pounds for Land Rover’s humanitarian and conservation partners, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Born Free Foundation.
The Scottish Car of the Year Awards were accepted by Jaguar Land Rover’s UK Managing Director, Jeremy Hicks.
“There is probably not another car manufacturer in the world whose oldest and newest models can win awards in the same contest," he said, "and such a feat underlines Land Rover’s unique position in the motoring world.
"It is particularly pleasing for our products to be recognised in this way in Scotland, where Land Rover has always enjoyed a special relationship with buyers seeking the ultimate in all-wheel-drive capability.”
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Jim McGill