Land Rover today announced that the first new member of the Discovery family, the new Discovery Sport will be launched in India on September 2nd 2015 and that Land Rover retailers are now formally accepting bookings for the premium SUV. The new Land Rover Discovery Sport will be locally assembled in India (CKD), and fight it out against the likes of Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Volvo XC60.
The new Discovery Sport is available in five and seven seat layouts, reflecting the desire for Discovery models to appeal to family buyers. But being a Land Rover, a wading depth of 600mm and a ground clearance of 212mm ensure that this is still a proper SUV – not a crossover. It also comes with Land Rover’s trademark Terrain Response System, which scans the road surface and adjusts the character of the car (ride height, suspension & stability/traction control settings, throttle inputs etc) accordingly.
The Discovery Sport is powered by 2.2 litre, 4-cylinder, TD4 and SD4 diesel engines, both available with six-speed manual and nine-speed automatic transmission (ZF) options respectively. While the TD4 units produce 150 PS of maximum power and 400 Nm of maximum torque, the SD4 units are rated at 190 PS of maximum power and 420 Nm of maximum torque. All versions offer Four Wheel Drive as standard. Engine options for India haven’t been announced yet.
RohitSuri, President, Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd (JLRIL), said: “The new Discovery sport is a premium SUV especially designed to invoke the adventure gene in our customers and help them enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle with family and friends, reassured by Land Rover’s unparalleled four wheel drive technology. It is a perfect vehicle for people with an unstoppable spirit and passion to explore and discover.The launch of new Discovery Sport in September will mark another significant milestone in the expansion of Land Rover’s product offeringin India.”
