Seven seats for new 2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport

The new 2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport – the car that will replace the British firm’s Freelander small SUV – will feature third-row seating.

As a result, the Disovery Sport will be more practical than the car it replaces, offering room for seven people in a “5+2” seating arrangement.
 

Land Rover has confirmed the third row of seats will be fitted as standard in the UK, as highlighted by the new prototype vehicle’s clever camouflage wrap.

The Discovery Sport should offer plenty of prestige and style while not compromising off-road ability

Part of the wrap depicts the interior of the car in "X-ray" style, showing the third-row seats in place. Sister company Jaguar used a similar technique when it revealed the tech secrets of the new XE baby saloon.

According to the company, the exterior wrap is like “peeling back” the outer layer of the vehicle to reveal the forthcoming Discovery Sport’s “enhanced versatility and appeal as a compact SUV.”

Gerry McGovern, Land Rover design director and chief creative officer, said: “As you would expect from a Discovery, the versatile Discovery Sport will feature 5+2 seating in the UK, offering spacious load space and configurable seating, while still retaining a more compact footprint than traditional 5-seat SUVs.”

Land Rover

The latest photos reveal more of the new Discovery Sport’s styling than previously seen, featuring design details similar to the Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept shown at the 2014 New York Motor Show and an overall look similar to the closely related Range Rover Evoque.

Expect the car to be powered by Land Rover’s existing range of 2.2-litre turbodiesels when it goes on sale next year.

Jaguar’s new range of 2.0-litre Ingenium petrol and turbodiesel motors may be used in time. However, Jaguar has confirmed the first chance we’ll get to try the efficient new units will be in the XE, will will be launched after the Discovery Sport.

Following its debut at the 2014 Paris Motor Show later this year, the Discovery Sport will go into production at Land Rover’s Halewood plant ijn Liverpool.

An exact launch date in 2015 is yet to be outlined. Expect the Freelander replacement to be priced from around £25,000.

On Bing: see pictures of the Land Rover Discovery Sport
Find out how much a used Land Rover Freelander costs on Auto Trader
Read a Land Rover Freelander new car review
Read another Land Rover new car review
Tech Secrets of the Land Rover Discovery Vision concept

By Sean Carson, Motoring Research