What's the news?
The all-new Land Rover Discovery Sport has officially gone on sale in Ireland, with a starting price of €37,100. Serving as a replacement for the Freelander model, the Discovery Sport will come as a five-seater as standard with the option of specifying two additional seats in a third row, making it the only seven-seater in the competitive premium compact SUV segment.
Buyers will have a choice of two diesel engines, a 150hp TD4 and a more powerful 190hp SD4. Both have a capacity of 2.2 litres and are available to order with either the standard six-speed manual or nine-speed automatic transmissions. In its most economical guise of a five-seat configuration with the 2.2-litre TD4 with manual transmission, emissions are 149g/km, which places it in motor tax band C (€390 per annum). Most models, which include the 5+2 seater models, have emissions that place them in band D (€570 per annum).
There will be four trim levels to choose from starting with the entry-level 'S' specification. A price walk of €6,460 covers the move up to 'SE', which includes a reversing camera, two-zone climate control, satellite navigation and 18-inch alloy wheels amongst other features. A higher 'HSE' specification starts at €49,795 while those looking for a Discovery Sport loaded with equipment can opt for the range-topping 'HS Luxury' trim level. Land Rover Ireland is expecting most buyers to go for the 'SE' specification.
All models will feature a new 8-inch colour touchscreen infotainment-system, which now runs much more up-to-date software. Land Rover is also planning to roll out its 'InControl' suite of apps, which enables the car to interface with smartphones more seamlessly.
Anything else?
Land Rover is calling this a 5+2, rather than a full-time seven-seater SUV, but those additional rear seats are fine for kids and teenagers. In order to give those in the rear-most seats improved legroom the middle row can slide forward quite easily. It will be possible to keep everyone's smartphone and tablet topped up with juice thanks to the provision of seven different USB charging ports.
You can read out first drive of the Land Rover Discovery Sport here: Land Rover Discovery Sport review