68 » OpenRoad Driver
2016 Land Rover Discovery Sport
»
Land Rover promises that their new Discovery Sport, the first
member of the new Discovery vehicle family, will appeal to a whole
new group of people who may have never considered the brand
before.
The launch marks another significant milestone in the product
for Land Rover, which will see the company deliver 50 significant
product actions over the next five years.
Land Rover sales continue to go from strength to strength year
after year. The Halewood plant in Liverpool, England, home to
the company’s fastest-selling model of all time - the Range Rover
Evoque - has seen investment in the site more than double. This has
allowed for the workforce to more than triple in size over the last
four years with 4,750 people now employed at the site. Designed
and engineered at the Land Rover Development Centre in England,
the Discovery Sport will also be produced at the company’s awardwinning manufacturing facility.
Land Rover’s engineers specifically designed the vehicle to provide
seating for more than five, with a footprint no larger than existing
5-seat compact premium SUVs. The Discovery Sport’s dynamic
design offers a more compact footprint that provides sevenpassenger seating in a “5+2” configuration.
The Discovery Sport also delivers a highly refined combination of
performance, safety and efficiency, thanks to a body shell of highstrength steel and lightweight aluminium, a 240-hp turbocharged
2.0-litre engine, nine-speed automatic transmission and standard
all-wheel drive.
Interior packaging and safety innovations also make the new model
an ideal family vehicle, as extensive use of intelligent lightweight
materials and the efficient powertrain reduce fuel costs and
environmental impact.
The hallmark of every Land Rover is its outstanding off-road
capability, and the Discovery Sport doesn’t disappoint. As it has done
with other models, Land Rover has instilled the Discovery Sport
with a compelling combination of off-road capabilities and on-road
dynamics.
Depending on the demands of the terrain, the driver-selectable
Terrain Response system maximizes the capability of the vehicle in
challenging conditions. This is done by precisely tailoring the vehicle’s
steering, throttle response, gearbox, centre differential and braking
and stability systems. Terrain Response features four settings: General,
Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud and Ruts, and Sand, as well as an optional
Dynamic Mode.