2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport facelift gets cosmetic updates and interior revisions along with new equipment onboard
Land Rover has introduced the facelifted version of the Discovery Sport today in the domestic market and is priced at Rs. 57.06 lakh for S variant and Rs. 60.89 lakh for R-Dynamic SE trim (ex-showroom, pan India). Towards the end of last month, the new-gen Range Rover Evoque made its way into India and now it’s the new Discovery Sport’s turn as the British manufacturer is committed to bringing latest versions of vehicles sold globally.
It comes on the back of Jaguar Land Rover breaching the top three position for the first time in volume sales last year as it beat Audi. The Discovery Sport entered the Indian market back in 2014 to stand in place of the Freelander. The 2020 version is underpinned by the same platform as the Evoque as the modular architecture should help in adapting electrification for propulsion.
Moreover, the structural changes meant that it is a lot rigid and stiffer while having better NVH levels. Land Rover has concentrated on upping the premium appeal of the Discovery Sport both on the inside and out, as the facelift adorns new bits and pieces. It is grafted with redesigned front grille, and new LED headlamps with integrated LED Daytime Running Lights.
The newly designed front bumper has C-shaped housing and the rear gets updated tail lamps and revised bumper. However, the overall signature silhouette of the Discovery Sport is carried forward with a large greenhouse comprising of blackened pillars, rakish windshield, and new set of alloy wheels. On the inside, the new Discovery Sport features a revised dashobard and new centre console.
In the middle, a large 10.4-inch Touch Pro infotainment system forms the major portion of the in-car activities with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, 4G Wi-Fi, and the multi-spoke steering wheel has capacitive switches. Driver assistive technologies such as driver condition monitor, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control with steering assist and autonomous emergency braking will be part of the package.
As for the performance, the 2.0-litre diesel and petrol Ingenium series engines are updated to meet BSVI compliance. The petrol turbocharged motor with a 48 V mild hybrid system delivers 245 hp and 356 Nm while the diesel kicks out 177 hp and 430 Nm and they will be connected to a nine-speed automatic transmission as standard sending power to all the four wheels.
The mild-hybrid system helps in brake energy recuperation and the powertrain will be turned off when the driver applies the brakes at speeds below 18 kmph. At higher speeds while accelerating, the energy is used to assist the engine. Deliveries of the diesel powered new Discovery Sport has commenced and that of petrol will begin soon and will be announced separately.
