Land Rover Announces New Seven-Seater Discovery Sport

Land Rover unveiled the new Discovery Sport recently, ahead of its early 2015 European market launch. The brand new SUV is the first in the Discovery series that can accommodate up to seven passengers.

The new Land Rover Discovery Sport is the first model in the second phase of Land Rover’s three-pillared regeneration plan. It goes on sale soon with the deliveries starting during early in 2015. Land Rover Discovery Sport, a compact SUV, is inspired by the Discovery Vision concept. It will be a highly capable off-roader with departure and breakover angles of 25, 31 and 21 degrees.

According to Land Rover, the new Discovery Sport will have an all-new multi-link rear axle to provide engaging driving dynamics. Land Rover attributes interior packaging set up to the addition of a new multi-link rear axle – with no increase in overall dimensions. The cabin also offers a flexible seating arrangement and according to the maker, plenty of luggage space as well. In addition, the SUV also will be equipped with Land Rover’s Terrain Response System and will have the ability to wade a depth of 600 mm.

Commenting on the design, Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Design Director and Chief Creative Officer said, “Our challenge has been to combine premium design with exceptional versatility; the two attributes must work in harmony.”

The Discovery Sport comes with many four-cylinder turbocharged petrol and diesel engines options. While the Si4 2-litre petrol engine is capable of developing 237 bhp power and 340 Nm of torque, the 2.2-litre diesel, available as TD4 and SD4, develops 147 bhp and 189 bhp, respectively. Engines will be mated to either a 9-speed automatic or a 6-speed manual gearbox, along with a choice of two or four-wheel-drive.

In terms of safety equipment, the baby SUV features a segment -first pedestrian airbag, autonomous emergency braking, Antilock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and the highly advanced Terrain Response System.

The production of the new SUV will be carried out at Land Rover’s Liverpool plant in U.K. The company said that, once ready, it will go on sale in 170 markets worldwide including India. In the U.S., the Discovery Sport will be priced from 37,995 USD (INR 23.02 lakh) onwards.