Land Rover has taken the veil off the much-awaited Discovery Sport. This SUV will be a replacement for the Freelander. The Discovery Sport is expected to come to India sometime in 2016.

The Discovery Sport has been comprehensively redesigned and lengthened compared to the Freelander, with a new rear suspension and a seven-seat format. It will be packed with technology, including a new infotainment system that will be used across the range and a new kind of exterior pedestrian airbag on the bonnet. Land Rover believes that it will attract both the Freelander faithful and a new generation of buyers who wouldn’t have considered a Discovery before.

DESIGN

The Discovery Sport draws plenty of design influence from the Discovery Vision concept, which was shown in New York in April and is sure to also influence the forthcoming Discovery 4 replacement. Although it is 80mm longer than the Freelander and a little lower, the Sport still looks compact but less upright and boxy, and its body sections are fuller.

The clamshell bonnet works with well raked screens front and rear, a rising beltline, a gently descending roofline (although not enough to compromise interior headroom) and a carefully developed rear spoiler that cuts drag and is also able to keep the rear screen clean in murky weather.

On the inside, the Discovery Sport gets a prominent centre console, a versatile seating system, instrument cluster with two analogue dials separated by a five-inch info screen and high-quality materials. In the centre of the dashboard, a new eight-inch screen governs an all-new infotainment system. As well as handling the usual audio and navigation functions, it provides a hub for a new set of apps that can provide vehicle tracking, access to emergency services and an in-car 3G hotspot. The second row of seats moves backwards or forwards by 160mm. With the third-row seats folded into the boot floor, load space is cavernous. Even with the third row erect, it is surprisingly spacious, yet every Sport has space for a compact spare wheel.