First official pictures: Land Rover Discovery Sport

THESE are the first official pictures of Land Rover’s new Discovery Sport, which broke cover on Wednesday and will go on sale soon. Prices will start at just over £32,000 and first deliveries are expected next January.

The Discovery Sport boasts a 186bhp, 2.2-litre diesel engine

The Discovery Sport is longer but not as tall as the Freelander it replaces, as Land Rover divides its product range into three distinct families. The Discovery and Discovery Sport take care of the “leisure” side of things, the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Evoque occupy the “luxury” market, and the iconic Defender is handed a “dual-purpose” brief.

At just under 4.6m long, the Discovery Sport is 24cm shorter than the full-size Discovery but, like its big brother, it also seats seven, albeit in a reduced “5+2” format. (Land Rover deems the third row of seats “occasional”).

Four trim levels will be available and, although part-leather upholstery is standard on even the cheapest Discovery Sport, Land Rover says cabin materials are designed to be “premium, not precious”. So, soggy dogs and muddy boots ahoy, then?

Dual-zone air-conditioning is standard in all models, 
while the posher Sports will 
showcase the manufacturer’s eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with smartphone app connectivity.

The Discovery Sport is set to launch with a 186bhp,
2.2-litre, four-cylinder diesel
engine under the bonnet, paired to either a six-speed manual transmission, or a nine-speed automatic gearbox. Land Rover claims fuel efficiency figures of up to 46mpg for the manual car.

A new, more compact rear suspension not only frees up space for the extra seats in the boot, but is said to do wonders for the car’s on and off-road abilities. Land Rover’s Terrain Response system, which adjusts steering, throttle response, braking and stability systems to suit driving conditions, is standard across the range.

There’s also a full suite of off-road driver aids, including Hill Descent Control and Roll Stability Control, and the Discovery Sport can wade through water two feet deep.

Prices open at £32,395 for a Discovery Sport SE manual, and rise to £42,995 for an HSE Lux with the auto gearbox. A sub-£30,000, two-wheel drive Discovery Sport will debut later in 2015, featuring a detuned version of the 2.2-litre engine with CO2 emissions of just 119g/km.