Land Rover has officially revealed the all-new Discovery Sport, the first member of the new Discovery family – goes on-sale in May 2015 with 5+2 seating.
THE NEW DISCOVERY SPORT was revealed today at Spaceport America in New Mexico, USA which also saw the launch of the Land Rover Galactic Discovery competition, which will see four friends win a trip to space with Land Rover’s global partner, Virgin Galactic. Impressive.
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“Our challenge has been to combine premium design with exceptional versatility; the two attributes must work in harmony,” said Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Design Director and Chief Creative Officer. “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.”
According to Land Rover, the new Discovery Sport’s 5+2 seating is a first in the compact SUV segment and says an all-new multi-link rear axle will endow the Discovery Sport with ” engaging driving dynamics”.
“Coupled with supple long-travel suspension, the innovative rear axle also ensures the Discovery Sport is comfortable, refined and rewarding to drive on-road, while retaining the breadth of all-terrain capability for which Land Rover is world-renowned. In fact, with approach, departure and breakover angles of 25, 31 and 21 degrees respectively, Terrain Response, and the ability to wade to 600mm, Discovery Sport offers class-leading capability in all conditions,” a statement read.
When the Discovery Sport hits the market in May 2015 it will be sold in more than 170 markets around the world. Land Rover has announced the two engines available from launch will be an all-alloy Si4 2.0-litre petrol engine (140kW/420Nm) and a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder (110kW/420Nm), both will feature stop-start technology. In terms of transmissions, buyers will be able to choose from either a nine-speed automatic or six-speed manual in the diesel-powered Discovery Sport, while the petrol model will only be offered with the nine-speed automatic transmission – all Discovery Sports will be four-wheel drive.
“Not only does Discovery Sport mark the introduction of the first new member of our expanding Discovery family, it also brings the versatility of 5+2 seating to the compact premium SUV market,” said Phil Popham, Jaguar Land Rover Group Marketing Director. “Discovery Sport’s versatility is a key differentiator. It is quite simply the most accomplished vehicle in its segment.”
While off-road ability was vitally important to Land Rover, it hasn’t neglected safety with the Discovery Sport the first vehicle in its segment to offer a pedestrian airbag as well as autonomous emergency braking, and extensive use of ultra-high-strength steel and lightweight aluminium to ensure the body and chassis is both light and strong. Other stand-out features include Head-Up Display, an all-new 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, tilt-and-slide row-two seating for maximum interior configurability, and four 12V outlets amd six USB charging sockets to allow for the simultaneous charging of multiple electronic devices.
Pricing and final specification for Australia will be announced closer to the launch in 2015.
