Land Rover Discovery Sport takes aim at BMW, Audi

LAND Rover’s Freelander replacement, the four-wheel-drive Discovery Sport, will debut in Australia in May starting from $53,300, plus on-road costs.

Based on the Range Rover Evoque’s underpinnings but fitted with a longer body, the Discovery Sport will be offered in both diesel and petrol variants, and can also be specced as a seven-seater.

Land Rover’s aggressive lead-out pricing undercuts two of its key competitors, BMW’s X3 and Audi’s Q5. BMW’s auto xDrive20i petrol is listed at $60,765, while the diesel is $64,400. Audi’s Q5, meanwhile, starts at $63,600 for its auto 2.0 TFSI.

It should be noted, however, that the $53,300 SE is only available at that price in one colour (white) and only with a six-speed manual gearbox. Metallic paint is a $1,300 upgrade, premium metallic hues are an extra $2,600, and the nine-speed auto adds $2,500.

The 2.2-litre turbocharged diesel is offered in two states of tune in SD spec it pumps out 110kW, while in HD spec it provides 140kW. Both engines have the same torque output of 420Nm, and both engines return a fuel figure of 6.1 litres per 100 kilometres. This diesel is due to be replaced in 2016 by Land Rover’s upcoming Ingenium engine.

Both diesel powerplants can be optioned with a six-speed manual or a new nine-speed auto transmission.

The single petrol model, the Si4 SE, uses the same 2.0-litre turbo-charged four-cylinder engine that Ford uses for the Falcon EcoBoost, among others. It’s good for 177kW and 340Nm of torque, and is only available with a nine-speed automatic gearbox. Its combined fuel economy figure is listed as 8.1l/100km.

All Discovery Sport variants are full-time 4WD, however a $1620 option called Active Driveline allows the rear axle to be decoupled to reduce fuel consumption. Both drivetrains can be controlled via Land Rover’s Terrain Response System to perform in sand, dirt, snow and gravel.

New to the Discovery Sport is a completely reworked multi-link rear end that combines with more traditional front suspension struts.

As with the Discovery range, the Discovery Sport – built in Halewood in the United Kingdom – will be available in three grades SE, HSE, and HSE Luxury.

The SE grade includes tilt-and-slide rear seats, autonomous emergency braking, satellite navigation, a power tailgate, reversing camera, electric front seats, an eight-inch touchscreen, Bluetooth functionality and streaming, a smart key, leather seats, dual-zone climate control, a ten-speaker stereo system and 18-inch alloys as standard.

There are also two 12v charging ports, five USB ports (with two in the second row), auto wipers and lights, and a full suite of active and passive safety electronics. These include lane departure warning Terrain Response with up to five selectable drive modes, hill start and hill descent modes and trailer stability control. There are also seven airbags (dual front, side, curtain and driver’s knee).

The HSE grade adds 19-inch alloys, Xenon headlights with DRLs, auto high-beam assist, vented front seats, side mirrors with memory function, customisable interior lighting and an 11-speaker stereo system.

Stepping into the single HSE Luxury variant, a set of bespoke 19s, Windsor leather upholstery, hard-disk sat-nav, illuminated alloy sill plates and a 17-speaker Meridian stereo system awaits you.

All variants can be specced with a third row of seats for an extra $1,990, but the full-size spare wheel needs to be replaced with a space-saver spare in the process. As well, the extra row of seats means that options like Wade Sensors, Surround Camera, Adaptive Dynamic dampers, Active Driveline and Blind Spot Monitoring cannot be fitted.

The list of optional extras is comprehensive and includes wheels up to 20 inches in diameter, contrasting-colour roof panels, full-length panoramic sunroof, heated rear seats, iPad holders for front headrests, TV and rear-seat entertainment systems.

The Discovery Sport can tow a braked trailer up to 2,200kg in TD spec, can take 75kg of luggage on the roof, and fit 829 litres (rising to 981 litres with the rear seats slid forward) of gear in the rear.

Land Rover Discovery Sport pricing*

TD4 SE	$53,300
TD4 SE (a)	$55,800
SD4 SE	$56,500
SD4 SE (a)	$59,000
TD4 HSE	$57,900
TD4 HSE (a)	$60,400
SI4 SE (a)	$59,000
SD4 HSE	$61,100
SD4 HSE (a)	$63,600
SD4 HSE Luxury	$66,500
SD4 HSE Luxury (a)	$69,000

*Excludes on-road costs.