Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Wonder if since they are dropping the LR2 moniker, if they will use the 'Discovery' once again

ashtray

iTrader: (12)

If anyone knows me, they know I love Land Rover. Ever since my dad purchased the family '88 Range Rover Classic in white with grey interior. But wow do I NOT like the new designing they went with. Sure they are still champ off-roaders but their exterior design is far from what made me fall in love with them.

I'm sure they'll still sell like hotcakes.

Motor

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Beautiful little CUV IMO and very capable. Hope they get the advertising right for this little fella

ashtray

iTrader: (12)

Ugly af in my opinion. Looks like an Isuzu mixed with some Ford explorer. WHY ARE THEY DOING THIS NASTY BUBBLE CAR LOOK!?!?!?!?

How could a designer look at the DI and DII Discovery, P38, 1st gen RRS and say..."These timeless designs are horrible...we must add more bubble"....it's genuinely frustrating to see my favorite automobile brand from child hood turn into this toy looking thing on wheels.

YES...I'm sure they're all still VERY capable...but that does not excuse these horrible looks that are SO far from the rugged exterior of previous models that gave a sense of adventure when you looked at them. I see these and I think hey lets go to the mall....

edit: I guess I'd rather see it on the road over a Ford. Oh well.

Vh_Supra26

iTrader: (1)

http://www.carscoops.com/2015/01/201...port-road.html

Motor

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2015-...drive/#image-1


The SUV category transitioned from glorified agricultural equipment into slick mall trawlers in the blink of an evolutionary eye. But in the genre's speedy civilization process, something was left on the table – the promise of those all-conquering Marlboro Man antics that first tempted so many motorists out of their station wagons and MPVs. Despite utility vehicles being more popular than ever, that sort of do-anything capability is largely the stuff of fiction these days. The only uncharted thresholds modern CUVs cross are new coffee shop parking lots and unfinished McMansion developments.

At first blush, this latest entry from Land Rover would appear to be no different – the 2015 Discovery Sport wears the same rounded features, oversized 19-inch wheels and safety-first backup cameras typical of its peers. Those shovels and rakes and implements of destruction that farmers once bolted to the sides of their Land Rover Series Ones? Long gone, pal.

When it was first revealed, the 2015 Discovery Sport was unsurprisingly and uncharitably labeled a "soft-roader" by much of the automotive media and Autoblog commentariat, a quasi-epithet shared with many premium pavement pounders like the Audi Q5, BMW X3, Mercedes-Benz GLK and Volvo XC60. That descriptor suggested the Disco Sport was yellow of belly, willing to risk the Green Oval's peerless off-road credentials in its chase for the suburban dollar. Perhaps in order to divorce us of that notion, Land Rover invited us to Iceland in the dead of winter to test their new baby's mettle.

On paper, the Discovery Sport is the replacement for the LR2/Freelander, the new entry-level offering in Land Rover showrooms. Thing is, it's a vastly different vehicle in both appearance and execution, and it appears to be all the better for it.


We say "appears" because while we pushed our tester through all manner of off-road gymnastics and foreboding conditions, it will take a full road drive on unfrozen roads, freeways and around-town treks to see if the Disco Sport is as adept at family hauling and commuting as it is at getting dirty. At first blush, though, the new Discovery Sport is a tremendously capable little utility that further blurs the already muddy lines between traditional SUVs and crossovers.

"Little" deserves an asterisk nuzzled up against it. Despite being some two inches shorter than the Audi Q5 (arguably its chief rival), the Discovery Sport is a tremendously efficient bit of packaging. It's not just more accommodating in terms of seating and cargo room for five; it also offers an optional (very) occasional-use third row, a novelty in this class. The second row slides, and with the rear seats folded, the cargo hold can swallow up to 60 cubic feet of stuff, which is more than rivals. It does all this, somehow, while avoiding any unfortunate effect on its off-road abilities or looking like a two-box minivan.

Stylistically, the DS borrows much from Land Rover's Evoque design canon, including the latter's big-chin bumpers, clamshell hood and pinned-back headlamp eyes, along with a conspicuous bone-line along its flanks that rises toward the rear end. It lacks the fashion-forward Evoque's prominent balloon fenders and the same intense rake to its roofline, but the end result is a design that wisely trades away some aesthetic drama and uniqueness in exchange for more pedestrian concerns like outward visibility and headroom.

The Discovery Sport also borrows a great deal from the Evoque under its aluminum skin, including its front suspension and much of its floorpan. Even its engine is the same: a turbocharged, Ford-sourced 2.0-liter four-cylinder that distributes 240 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque (available from a mere 1,750 rpm) through a ZF nine-speed automatic.

We had our concerns about the powertrain package – particularly the transmission. We've found the latter to be both less decisive and less inspiring in other applications, especially our long-term Jeep Cherokee. Yet there was no gear hunting observed during our two days testing the Discovery Sport, though we did notice the transmission was often slow to kick down when booting the throttle, and the paddle shifters didn't help much. Admittedly, we didn't get the chance to try sustained cruising at highway speeds to see if it has a tendency to dither between ratios like our Jeep, but for our purposes on this drive, it was a perfectly agreeable partner.


The transmission is also undoubtedly one of the chief reasons the Discovery Sport has nabbed solid fuel economy ratings of 21 miles per gallon city and 28 highway.

Due to the widely varying weather and road conditions inherent to Icelandic life in January, an opportunity for impromptu acceleration testing didn't present itself. A factory-estimated 0-60 time of 7.8 seconds suggests that the LR leaves a few tenths of a second on the table versus its chief four-cylinder rivals, some of which offer even more powerful engine options. However, in our testing, the Land Rover never felt out of breath and was aided by the smartly programmed transmission and the 2.0T's low torque peak.

Having said that, we suspect that Land Rover will shortly replace the EcoBoost-derived powerplant with its own new Ingenium line of engines. We already know that a diesel option is in the near-term cards, but we'd also like to see a more powerful engine option to keep pace with the competition's up-engined models.

When we were informed that our convoy was outfitted with studded tires, some of our colleagues initially groused that such specialized footwear amounted to cheating. But we soon got out on the drive route and discovered that a few steep glacial descents and lava field crossings were so icy that they were impossible to even stand on. Snow tires are legally required in Iceland at this time of year, and even the best unstudded winter rubber could've easily seen at least one or two colleagues slide off into the abyss on our route. As it was, we were pleasantly surprised not only with the faithful grip of our Pirellis, but also with their surprisingly minimal sound intrusion. Even the effort buildup and on-center feel from the electric power steering setup wasn't bad with these tires.

Also figuring solidly in the plus column? The Land Rover's ride. While we've endured some stiff-legged moments and significant head-toss in the Evoque, the longer-wheelbase Discovery Sport rode rather beautifully over some really unpleasant terrain that included frozen roads, jagged two-tracks and rocky, iced-over riverbanks. The front strut and new rear multi-link suspension also seemed well behaved on the largely vacant sections of highway and gravel roads outside of Reykjavik, utterly unperturbed by the occasional livestock grate or large rock hiding beneath the snow. Adaptive Dynamics with MagneRide is an option, and we've enjoyed the magnetorheological dampers in just about every vehicle we've ever driven.

We had our Discovery Sport's Terrain Response switchgear toggled to the snow/grass/gravel setting for most of the rough stuff. It executes starts in second gear to minimize wheelspin on ice while holding sway over the throttle mapping, Haldex center differential, steering and braking systems to optimize responses in the slippery stuff.

Most of the Rover's rivals sport some sort of similar electronic trickery that enables enough off-road ability to tackle basic two tracks and modest ascents (think: Hill Descent Control), but this Discovery Sport goes several steps further by incorporating good ground clearance (8.3 inches), articulation (13.4 inches) and impressive arrival, departure and breakover angles of 25, 31 and 21 degrees, respectively.


Like any self-respecting Land Rover, it's also perfectly happy to go for a swim – we tested the Sport's nearly two-foot fording depth (that's more than a Jeep Grand Cherokee or a Subaru Outback) by crossing a glacier-fed river. We had to take care to avoid the occasional coffee-table-sized chunks of ice that threatened to recontour our ride's aluminum bodywork, but emerged no worse for the wear.

In fact, despite the perilous Game Of Thrones landscapes that played out ahead of our group's electrically heated windshields all day, we were kept high, dry and reasonably coddled in the Discovery Sport's observatory-like cabin. Our top-trim HSE Luxury-spec model featured heated and cooled Windsor leather seats arrayed stadium-style to afford better outward vision for all aboard, and a full complement of creature comforts, including a massive fixed panoramic roof – just the ticket for viewing the tops of the fjords and volcanoes. To be fair, the dashboard looked a bit ordinary and rectilinear, and traditionalists might be put off by the lack of available wood trim, but we think the purposeful design is in-line with the vehicle's ethos.

The Discovery Sport also introduces a replacement for a longstanding Land Rover Achilles heel: infotainment. The new eight-inch touchscreen-based navigation and audio system is a solid leap ahead of the company's (admittedly terrible) last-generation solution, and it includes better graphics to go with its tablet-like gesture controls. It's still far from our favorite setup, but at least it offers smartphone app integration through its new InControl suite and available wifi. It also includes off-road-minded features like breadcrumbing for finding one's way home from the trail and latitude and longitude data in case you're into geocaching.


The Discovery Sport is a vehicle that suggests you don't have to give up your all-conquering off-road fantasies just because you need a kinschlepper to help keep the peace at home. Previously, if you wanted that sort of duality in an SUV, your only similarly priced option came with seven slots in the grille – and the Grand Cherokee isn't available with a third row, nor does it enjoy the same brand cachet.

As noted earlier, we'll need to test the Discovery Sport under more pedestrian circumstances than our Icelandic adventure to see if it's a truly well-rounded package, but we really like what we see so far – so much so that we won't be surprised if it becomes Land Rover's best-selling model in short order.

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/01/27/2...-drive-review/

spwolf

interior design looks like something from 10-15 years ago.. like a design that Ford did back in the day.

Exterior looks great. I am surprised by the interior.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I agree exterior is sharp. Interior looks very uniform, nothing special. I too suspect the Ford EcoBoost 2.0 will be replaced with the Jaguar 2.0 come MY16/17

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

My bud just bought one today, for 52k OTD :/

To my surprise it comes with third row seats!

Fizzboy7

Not a bad as-tested price for something that says LAND ROVER on it. Just can't warm up to the disconnected roof styling and c-pillar. It reminds me of some 90's/00's Suzuki, Isuzu, or Saab SUV that flopped.

Motor

Vh_Supra26

iTrader: (1)

Click here to view more photos

http://www.worldcarfans.com/11502168...ition-unveiled

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2015-...-sport-review/


The letters LR are two-thirds of the acronym JLR, but Land Rover sales comprise 80 percent of Jaguar-Land Rover's US numbers this year. Of the 40,148 JLR vehicles sold through the end of June, 32,312 have been Land Rovers. That's part of the bottom-line sense behind the marque's decision to produce "leisure vehicles" that will form a new Discovery range. Boosting the profit engine and taking advantage of the crossover craze by expanding on core strengths? The question isn't "if," but "how?"

The Discovery Sport is the first answer. Land Rover made a positive impression with the handsome Discovery Vision Concept that presaged the Discovery Sport, and it has maintained enough of that character in the translation to production. The flat-sided, ominous bearing of the concept gives way to a curved, elegant shape on the retail model accented with touches of ornate jewelry, like the layered headlights and textured taillights. It is good-looking from every angle.


Luxury perceptions and touchpoints continue inside. This is the nicest Land Rover we've ever been in – the two-tone interior is a pleasure to the eye. Thick, stitched leather gives the impression of High Street shops. The steering wheel is a natural fit for our hands. Even the plastic atop the instrument panel is well done. The seats are welcoming, the back bench leaves plenty of room for taller types, and the cabin is awash in light from the glass roof. Plus, there are USB and 12-volt plugs all over, you can pair two phones via Bluetooth, and the vehicle provides a WiFi hotspot. If we were going to request a Range Rover Evoque for the Land Rover set, this would be it.

It shouldn't surprise you to know that you'll pay for that appeal, though. Our tester had $14,055 in options, a number that equates to 37 percent of the $38,065 base price (including $995 for destination). Most of that comes from the $8,500 HSE Luxury Package that bestows baubles like the panoramic roof, 10-way power seats with Windsor leather, the 19-inch alloy wheels, power tailgate, fog lights, and xenon headlights with signature lighting, among others. The toothsome ivory headliner isn't included in that, however; it's another $275.

The excellent vibrations continue on the move because the Discovery Sport is suave at speed. Engine isolation is excellent – you can barely hear it. There's a touch of whoosh from wind noise around the A-pillars and mirrors, heard only because the NVH is otherwise terrifically muted through details like the acoustically laminated windshield and aerodynamic elements. For any who wonder how 240 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque will propel a 3,957-pound crossover, the answer is, in this application, gracefully.

Note, however, that our observations concern traveling at speed. The tuning of the ZF nine-speed transmission makes any other kind of motoring a nuisance, which is a terrible comedown in such a graceful package. The most pressing problem is that the automatic gearbox hates to downshift. You've got to stomp on the throttle and hold the pedal down before the transmission will switch gears, leading to one of two unwanted scenarios when you want to pass someone. By the time the gearbox downshifts your opportunity will have passed before you could. Further, when it finally does grab a lower gear, the revs will bounce so high that the whole vehicle is thrown forward, sending your right foot onto the brake as forcefully as it was just applied to the accelerator.


The transmission hunts through gears at low speeds as if it's determined to use all of its gears just because it has them. We rotated the gear **** to Sport and tooled up our favorite canyon road, hoping that dedicated setting would lessen the cog chasing, but that wasn't the case. We were almost never in the right gear coming out of a corner; the transmission waited for throttle input after the corner to figure out which gear it needed, then sample a few, then pick one. During this exercise we learned that the seat bolsters weren't solid enough to keep our legs in place, a moot point since we never had any desire to try sporty driving again. Our findings echo those we suspected on our First Drive.

After a week with it our left-handed compliment is that it's bland and vanilla, but it's some of the best vanilla you can buy, even with that exasperating transmission. Its treatment of the basics is superb, and we doubt its intended audience will bring our reviewer's sensitivities to the gearbox foibles. Our biggest reservation about it is sentimental: as old and literally square as the proper LR4/Discovery is, we really like it. Twenty years from now that LR4 will still express a certain kind of esoteric English cool, and we could get in one today and drive to Buenos Aires after a few hours of prep. As our First Drive in Iceland showed, the Discovery Sport can do the family proud on the roads less traveled. Still, if it's going to use that name and, as the brand informs us, "[set] the tone for the new generation of Land Rover Discovery premium SUVs," we wish it had more Discovery in it, and more sport.

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/07/23/2...-sport-review/