Land Rover Discovery Sport 2020 facelift revealed

Land Rover has revealed a facelifted version of its Discovery Sport mid-size SUV, with new mild-hybrid powertrains, updated multimedia and tweaked styling, priced from $60,500 locally.

The new-look Discovery Sport scores an updated front fascia with new LED light fittings, updated wheel designs and a re-worked set of rear body panels. The rear light clusters with round inlays have been replaced by more angular LED units.

The styling brings the Discovery Sport more in-line with the styling last-year’s all-new Discovery, and the 5+2 seven-seat layout will be standard in Australia for the updated mid-sizer.

The interior of the facelifted SUV has also undergone a much-needed upgrade, with the inclusion of the brand’s ‘Touch Pro’ multimedia system as part of an all-new dash design featuring more premium surfaces and gloss finishes. The system supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

The seats across all three rows have been updated with new designs for “improved comfort and versatility”. The second row now folds 40:20:40. Boot space can be configured to allow for up to 1794 litres of space. Land Rover claims the new layout increases the overall amount of cabin space available to occupants, and these upgrades have also allowed the Discovery Sport’s fuel tank capacity to be upped to 65 litres (was 54L).

As part of Land Rover’s push toward electrification of its vehicle range, the Discovery Sport will be available with mild-hybrid powertrains alongside its range of ‘Ingenium’ petrol and diesel engines. The mild-hybrid options consist of a 48-volt battery system powering electric motors that will allow the engine to be shut off below 17km/h while still fully powering all auxiliary systems.

The new Discovery Sport will score a much-improved interior treatment.

Land Rover says this new 48V system results in a six per cent reduction in fuel consumption and up to an 8g/km reduction in emissions. A plug-in hybrid variant will join the Australian Discovery Sport range in “early 2020”.

A new addition to the ‘Ingenium’ engine family, a three-cylinder turbo-petrol has been confirmed for a European launch, and will launch exclusively alongside the mild-hybrid system in Australia early next year. The Discovery Sport will be the first Jaguar Land Rover product globally to receive this powertrain.

A price-leading front-wheel drive manual variant will also be available in the Discovery Sport's European lineup, but will not make it to Australia.

Ten variants will arrive initially, with more engine options to follow early next year.

The facelift also includes a new camera suite technology branded ‘ClearSight’ which allows the rear-view mirror to be switched to a camera, and the multimedia screen to provide a 180-degree view beneath the vehicle. The ‘Activity Key’ wristband available on other Jaguar Land Rover products will be standard for Australian-delivered Discovery Sports.

Active safety features include auto emergency braking (AEB), lane keep assist (LKAS), driver attention alert (DAA) and adaptive cruise control.

Land Rover’s signature ‘Terrain Response 2’ all-wheel drive technology with seven rotary-dial controlled modes will of course return to the Discovery Sport, which also carries a 2200kg towing capacity.

Australian cars will come with a higher level of standard spec than entry-level equivalents sold overseas.

At launch the updated Discovery Sport will be available from $60,500 for the P200 S (147kW petrol) and the range will consist of four engines (two petrol, two diesel) and six variants for a total of 10 combinations. More variants will follow in 2020.

Land Rover Discovery Sport 2020 range

Does the much-needed tech overhaul to the Discovery Sport range have you considering one over a Tiguan, GLC or X3? Tell us what you think in the comments below.