Discovery Sport starts at £32,395 03 | 09 | 2014
LAND ROVER HAS revealed full details of its new seven-seater Discovery Sport, the replacement for the entry-level Freelander. Available to order from January and with first deliveries expected in Spring, prices will start from £32,395 (click here to see more photos of the new Land Rover Disvovery Sport).
The new model is identical under the skin to the hugely- successful Evoque which, since it was launched in 2011, has trebled the company’s sales expectations.
Compared with the Freelander, the Disco Sport has been comprehensively redesigned and lengthened; plus it gets new rear suspension and a ‘five-plus-two’ seating layout.
The new Sport — a four-level range which starts at £32,395 and expands into the lower £40,000s — is the first member of an emerging new-generation Discovery family. It sits neatly between the company’s two other emerging model pillars: the rugged Defender family and luxurious Range Rover line-up.
“Our challenge has been to combine premium design with exceptional versatility; the two attributes must work in harmony,” Gerry McGovern, Land Rover design director and chief creative officer, said. “I’m proud to say we’ve achieved that; Discovery Sport’s dynamic design will resonate on an emotional level with consumers, and this vehicle is more versatile than any other premium compact SUV on the market.”
The Sport is 4590mm long – 91mm longer overall and 80mm longer in the wheelbase than the Freelander. That seems relatively little growth in bulk given the impressive space increases in both the boot and rear compartments.
The second row of seating moves backwards or forwards by 160mm: the result is, at maximum, as much second-row legroom as a Range Rover.
Sensibly, Land Rover engineers have emphasised the third row best suits children of 13 or younger. At a pinch, adults can squeeze in, but it's probably only suited to short journey times.
Load space is cavernous when the third-row of seats is folded into the boot floor. But even with the third row in place, luggage space is surprisingly spacious. And Land Rover has also managed to ensure every Disco Sport has space for a compact spare wheel.
Aerodynamically, the Sport shape has been optimised for efficiency: it's frontal area sits 15mm lower overall than the Freelander and the drag factor, decent for an SUV at 0.36.
Inside the Disco Sport there's a sumptuous cabin which boasts a traditional instrument layout of two analogue dials separated by a five-inch info screen. Noticeably, the quality of materials is high and top models have double-stitched leather trim to further boost the premium feel.
Related: Stealth Pack for Range Rover Sport
There's a new eight-inch screen — positioned n the centre of the dashboard — which governs an all-new infotainment system is expected to gradually flow through the entire new range. With its in-car 3G hotspot — and in addition to handling the usual audio and navigation functions — it provides a hub for a new set of InControl apps that, for now, can provide vehicle tracking and access to emergency services.
The new Sport also gets a new kind of exterior pedestrian airbag on the bonnet.
Four trim levels — SE, SE Tech, HSE and HSE Luxury — will be available when the Discovery Sport goes on sale on January 22.
At launch, only one engine, the 188bhp 2.2 SD4 diesel, will be available, and with four-wheel drive only. There will, however, be the option of either a nine-speed ZF automatic and a six-speed manual gearbox.
But it'll be worth waiting for Jaguar Land Rover's all-new Wolverhampton-built ED4 diesel, designed first for the new Jaguar XE: expect it to deliver around 150bhp in its most basic form, and the most frugal version will emit just 119g/km.
Coinciding with the arrival of the ED4 will be the first two-wheel drive Discovery Sport:ED4 versions are expected to start below £30,000.
Related: New sporty 281bhp Evoque revealed
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Jim McGill