Two Carscoops readers have spotted Land Rover testing the Freelander’s replacement, to be known as the Discovery Sport, on two separate occasions: Noel Bellen nabbed a pair of prototypes in Belgium a couple of weeks ago, while Erik Jacobsen had a close encounter with the SUV outside London this past Thursday.
At least two of the specimens were powered by Jaguar-Land Rover’s (JLR) 2.2-liter four-cylinder turbo diesel, which should prove to be one of the more popular options in Western Europe.
A new family of efficient four-cylinder engines, currently being developed by JLR and dubbed ‘Ingenium’, will eventually find their way under the hood of the Discovery Sport, with more details to be announced over the coming months.
Following the trends in the industry, the baby Disco will be available in both front- and four-wheel drive versions.
Structurally, the Freelander’s successor is heavily based around the steel architecture that underpins the Range Rover Evoque.
Land Rover gave us a glimpse of the styling it will apply to the new compact SUV with the Discovery Vision Concept unveiled at the 2014 New York Auto Show in April where the brand’s Design Director and Chief Creative Officer, Gerry McGovern, stated that the Disco Sport will be “the most versatile and capable SUV in its segment”.
The new Discovery Sport will be introduced later this year as a five-seat model and go on sale early next year, with a seven-seat version to follow later on.
Land Rover has promised an entire family of Discovery-branded models that will have the same relationship between them as the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Evoque, sharing common treats but differing in size, capabilities and of course, pricing.
By John Halas
Thanks to Erik and Noel for the scoops!
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