New Land Rover Discovery Sport – First impression

Coventry Motors recently announced the all-new Discovery Sport. Rather than a full-fledged upgrade, the luxury SUV is getting several updates for 2020. It has been five years since the first Discovery Sport arrived in the Philippines. Are these updates enough to keep its title as the top-selling Land Rover? Let’s find out in our first impression of the new Land Rover Discovery Sport.

How does the new 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport look?

Discovery Sport is that friend who just got a new haircut. You know they look different, but you can’t quite put a finger on it.
With that said, Land Rover retains its classic design cues on the refreshed model. It still has that familiar clamshell hood, tapering roof, rising beltline, and two-tone paint option we’ve come to love. However, the carmaker also made some changes on its front and rear.

Below are the exterior specs of Discovery Sport:

• More angular headlights with pointed edges
• LED running lights on headlamps add a futuristic touch
• Front grill now has a muted black finish instead of chrome
• Sleeker vertical inlets replace the large inlets up front
• Box-shaped taillights with pointed edges to match the front
• Discovery badge on the rear is bolder and more visible
• 20-inch alloy wheels with silver finish

If you opt for the more expensive R-Dynamic S variant, you will also get these additional exterior features:

• More aggressive-looking bumpers
• Shadow Atlas scripts on the hood and tailgate
• 20-inch alloy wheels with diamond-turned finish

Taken apart, these updates barely make any difference, especially on the basic S variant. But as a whole, they give it a completely new look. Overall, the 2020 Discovery Sport loses its rough edges for a more sophisticated, seamless design that befits a luxury crossover.

What’s new inside the 2020 Discovery Sport?

Its cabin receives more noticeable upgrades as well, although the vision remains the same. And that is to elevate the luxurious experience for both the driver and passengers.

Some of the interior specs on the all-new Discovery Sport include:

• A new 10-inch Touch Pro infotainment system
• Multi-function leather steering wheel with audio remote control
• High definition digital instrument cluster
• Interactive Driver Display (for R-Dynamic S variant only)

The infotainment system is compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It’s hooked to a six-speaker setup and upgradeable with WiFi connectivity. The audio display also doubles as a digital on-screen remote for climate control and terrain response. But what makes it truly unique is not the tech but its ergonomic design.

The center display has a wide layout which allows for wider viewing angles. Its lower placement enables front passengers to easily reach the touchscreen and manipulate it single-handedly. Meanwhile, rear passengers have the added convenience of new cup holders, larger cubbyholes, and more charging ports.

Car seats have been redesigned for improved comfort, style, and function. Seats are covered in perforated grain leather with contrasting stitching on the range-topper. Speaking of comfort, the vehicle provides better noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) insulation than the previous model thanks to its new platform.

The second-row seats which fold and slide are of course, still there. But the third-row seats are somehow gone. This essentially downgrades the new Discovery Sport from a seven-seater to a five-seater with larger cargo space. Now if you liked the 5+2 seating as it was on the older model, you can order it by request.

Are there any changes under the hood?

Land Rover replaces the old engine with a 2.0-liter turbo-diesel powerplant. The four-cylinder Ingenium-series engine produces less power at 148 to 150 hp. However, it does churn out more torque at 380 Nm, which makes it a better fit for an all-terrain, all-weather capable SUV such as Discovery Sport.

The new engine will be mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission and runs on all-wheel drive, same as before. But the addition of Driveline Disconnect makes it more fuel-efficient than its predecessor.

Are there any changes in the Discovery Sport safety features?

All Philippine variants of Discovery Sports will come with seven airbags, seatbelt reminders, front and rear ISOFIX mounts, and perimetric protection as a standard. They will also be equipped with the full suite of driver-assist features found in Land Rover vehicles.
Based on the Discovery Sport spec sheet, these safety features include:

• Anti-lock braking system
• Electronic brake force distribution
• Brake hold and emergency brake assist
• All-terrain progress control
• Cruise control
• Dynamic stability control
• Electronic traction control
• Hill launch assist and hill descent control
• Roll stability control
• Lane keep assist
• Terrain response 2
• Front and rear parking aids
• Rear view parking camera

2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport colors

The new Land Rover Discovery Sport specs sheet tells it will be available in either Solids or Metallics. Solid color options include Fuji White, Firenze Red, and Narvik Black. Metallic paint choices are Byron Blue, Eiger Grey, Indus Silver, Portofino Blue, Rosello Red, Santorini Black, and Yulong White.

2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport price list

Coventry Motors Corporation (CMC) is offering two trim levels for the Philippine market – Discovery Sport S and Discovery Sport R-Dynamic S.

Below is the pricing spec sheet:

Model Variants	Pricing
2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport S 2.0L Diesel	Starts at Php 4,490,00
2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport R-Dynamic S 2.0L Diesel	Starts at Php 4,790,000

You can now buy the Land Rover Discovery Sport at the All British Cars’ Jaguar Land Rover Showroom along EDSA, Greenhills.

Also Read: 2020 Land Rover Defender coming to PH, price starts at Php 6.09 million