The new Land Rover Discovery Sport replaces the Freelander 2 in the company’s lineup and is likely to be priced more aggressively than the outgoing model.
Having made its official public debut at the ongoing Paris Motor Show, Land Rover will be bringing its newest SUV the Discovery Sport to India by late 2015 as the most affordable model to come from the British brand. Replacing the Freelander 2 globally, the 2015 Discovery Sport brings forth a new urban, modern and sporty design language that takes references from the Evoque and Range Rover Sport in the company’s portfolio; while also being significantly lighter than the outgoing model courtesy of the extensive use of aluminium in the construction. The SUV competes against the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Mercedes M-Class in the segment.
True to its roots, the 2015 Discovery Sport comes with a ground clearance of 212 mm, while the approach, departure and breakover angles of 25, 31 and 21 degrees respectively make sure that the SUV stays true to its roots with the go anywhere capability. Land Rover says that the new SUV is capable of restarting in waterlogged areas even after the cabin is soaked in water for over 30 minutes. Despite being larger than the outgoing Freelander 2 measuring 4590 mm in length with a wheelbase of 2741 mm; the Discovery Sport looks relatively compact on the outside.
On the inside, the Land Rover Discovery Sport is available in a 5+2 seating layout, with 91 mm more headroom and 80 mm more legroom over the Freelander. The iconic British manufacturer had also added the reclining feature for rear seats to further increase legroom. The SUV also comes packed with all modern day creature comforts including an 8-inch infotainment system with integrated voice-controlled satellite navigation, Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity and an all-terrain mode as standard.
Engine options will include the same 2.2-litre 4-cylinder diesel engine from the current Freelander, now tuned to produce 190 PS of power and will be the mainstay engine here. The other option will be the 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged petro engine capable of producing 240 HP of power and 338 Nm of torque. Both the engines will come paired to the new 9-speed ZF automatic transmission and the Haldex All-Wheel Drive system as standard. The Discovery Sport will be locally assembled at the JLR plant in Pune and will also be priced more aggressively than the outgoing Freelander at around Rs. 42 lakhs (ex-showroom) for the base variant.
