MELBOURNE: Land Rover has revealed Australian pricing and details for its Discovery Sport five- and seven-seat SUV range, due in local showrooms from May.
Unveiled in September, the small Discovery Sport arrives as a stylish new replacement for the Freelander, while also signalling a new look for the wider Land Rover range.
The new Discovery Sport is a larger unit than its Freelander predecessor. With a 4590mm overall length it is 91mm longer, riding on an wheelbase that has been stretched 80mm.
In Australia, the Discovery Sport will kick off from $53,300 for the manual-equipped TD4 SE, topping out at $69,000 for the automatic SD4 HSE Luxury.
Powertrains
A trio of 2.0 litre four-cylinder powertrains will be offered across the local ‘Disco’ Sport range, including the 110kW/420Nm TD4 and 140kW/420Nm SD4 diesels, along with a 177kW/340Nm Si4 petrol option.
A six-speed manual is standard with the diesels, while a nine-speed auto will be offered as an option. The petrol engine will get only the nine-speed auto.
Land Rover says the Si4 is the quickest model with a 0-100km/h time of 8.8 seconds, followed by the SD4 models at 10.3 seconds each. The TD4 models list 11.7 second runs.
Fuel consumption figures:
Combined l/100km TD4 man TD4 auto SD4 man SD4 auto Si4 auto 5-seat / 7-seat: 6.1 / 6.1 6.1 / 6.3 6.1 / 6.1 6.1 / 6.3 8.0 / 8.3
Suspension is by MacPherson struts at the front and a new multi-link arrangement with aluminium knuckles and links at the rear – a design which also improves rear space compared to the suspension towers of the previous arrangement.
The new design promises greater on-road comfort and agility, but Land Rover says its new Terrain Response system also promises off-road capabilities not far off those of its larger siblings.
Features & Capacities
Depending on the powertrain, three trim grades will be available: entry-level SE, mid-range HSE and the top-shelf HSE Luxury.
The Si4 petrol engine is only available in the SE, the TD4 is only available in the SE and HSE, while the SD4 is available across the range.
All models in the Discovery Sport range are equipped with leather upholstery, electric front seats, Bluetooth, seven airbags, lane departure warning, the Terrain Response off-road driving system and autonomous emergency braking.
The entry SE model packs an eight-inch touchscreen, rear-view camera, a powered tailgate, 18-inch alloy wheels, five USB ports and a 10-speaker audio system.
Moving up to HSE adds an extra speaker to its 250 watt audio system along with rear LED lights, 19-inch alloys, an air-quality sensor, auto high-beam headlamps and silver highlights to the grille, fender vents and valances.
The range-topping HSE Luxury adds illuminated aluminium tread-plates, premium Windsor leather seats and a 17-speaker audio system with DAB digital radio.
Optional extras, again depending on the model, will include 20-inch alloys, Surround Camera System with a 360-degree view from the roof, wade sensing technology and a number of ‘packs’ including Black Design, Comfort and Entertainment.
There’s also an optional seven-seat layout, but without that third row, there’s 541 litres of rear storage. Fold the second row flat however, and the rear cargo area is now “as long as a Range Rover”.
Unbraked towing capacity is listed at 750kg across the range. Braked towing capacity increases to 1800kg and 2000kg for manual TD4 and SD4 models, while the auto-equipped TD4 and SD4 offer 2200kg. The auto-only Si4 lists braked towing capacity at 2000kg.
