Land Rover Launches Discovery Sport

Land Rover has today revealed the pictures and details about their latest product - the Discovery Sport. Claimed to be the most versatile and capable premium compact SUV, the Discovery is the first member of the new Discovery family, which is rumored to include two more models in the lineup.

Keeping in mind the new family and positioning of Discovery badged vehicles, the new Discovery Sport features a brand new design that is in stark difference to its predecessor. So, gone is the boxy, square shape and is replaced by a design very inspired by the successful Evoque and lends the car a far sharper, more aggressive presence. Visually, at least from the initial images, it also lends the car with a shorter footprint. But, the design cues make it very much a part of the modern Land Rover family - with the front cues being similar to the Evoque, whereas the rear gets cues from the Range Rover Sport.

Of course, keeping the Discovery badge in mind, the Discovery Sport gets 5+2 seating to provide customers with a versatile and usable interior. And the interiors too have been upgraded with regards to design, quality and equipment levels. The new features on the Discovery Sport include a Head-Up display, an all-new 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and tilt-and-slide row-two seating for maximum interior configurability. Additionally, the car can be configured with four 12V charging points, as well as six-USB ports to ensure that multiple devices in the car can be charged at the same time.

As far as the engines options are concerned, at the time of launch, the Discovery Sport will be offered with two engines - the 2.0-litre petrol and the 2.2-litre turbodiesel with an option of both 9-speed automatic and 6-speed manual transmissions along with a choice of both two and four-wheel drive versions.

And despite being focused more towards on-road use, the Discovery Sport also offers spectacular all-road capability as one would expect from a Land Rover. So, the new car boasts of a wading depth of 600mm along with Adaptive Terrain technology to deal with tricky road surfaces. Additionally, the approach, departure and breakover angles are 25, 31 and 21 degrees respectively, offering the SUV exceptional capability in all kinds of conditions.

Built at Land Rover's Halewood facility, the Discovery Sport will go on sale in early-2015 and promises to offer consumers a heady mix of on and off-road ability, along with versatility and capable performance.