The Land Rover Discovery Sport is to come in for several improvements as part for the 2021 model year in a bid to keep the popular SUV at the sharp end of the sales charts. Having already announced a plug-in hybrid version, called the P300e, Land Rover is adding more new engines to the range.
These latest generation four-cylinder diesel engines will include mild-hybrid technology to optimise efficiency and lower fuel consumption and emissions. The D165 will have a power output of 161bhp, while the D200 gets 201bhp. Both engines will use a belt-driven starter motor to help recover energy otherwise lost during deceleration, feeding it back into a separate 48-volt battery. This electrical power can be redeployed to the engine to give it a modest power boost under acceleration and enables for a smoother engine stop-start sequence. A new engine design reduces weight by 2kg and the internal friction — the bit that contributes to fuel consumption — is now lower by 17 per cent.
Buyers will be able to choose from manual or automatic gearboxes with the D165. A 380Nm torque output will make for a decent balance of performance and fuel consumption, but if the former is of more interest, then the D200 with its 201bhp and 430Nm may appeal more. Land Rover will continue to offer the P200 (197bhp) and P250 (246bhp) versions and is adding a P290 version with 286bhp and 400Nm of torque. Topping these is the P300e, with its 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine and electric motor, which combine to produce 305bhp and 540Nm of torque.
To mark the introduction of that new P290 engine is a Discovery Sport Black, providing styling to matches the heightened performance available. This version builds on the R-Dynamic S specification, and despite the name, is available in a choice of five exterior colours: Namib Orange, Carpathian Grey, Firenze Red, Yulong White and Hakuba Silver. Yep, that’s right; the Discover Sport Black doesn’t come in black. However, it does get the Black Pack that adds a contrasting roof in black (or grey) and 20-inch Gloss Black alloy wheels with red brake calipers. It also gets a host of other equipment including LED headlights, keyless entry, an electrically operated tailgate and a panoramic roof. Inside, buyers can choose between grained leather or Luxtec Suedecloth to go with the titanium mesh finishers.
The cabin’s infotainment system is also getting a performance bump for 2021 with the availability of Land Rover’s Pivi and Pivi Pro, which first appeared on the new Land Rover Defender. These utilise a new electrical vehicle architecture that includes a total of 85 ECUs to run everything. Two Qualcomm LTE modems enable better connectivity including over-the-air updates for the car’s software, so you won’t need to visit a dealer as often. Owners can even schedule these to run up to two weeks in advance and during the night while you’re asleep. A second modem can take care of the various streaming and real-time navigation stuff to mitigate any potential lags in the process. The Pivi Pro system also runs off a rechargeable power source so that it goes to sleep when the car is off, thus saving boot-up time when you get in the next time.
Owners will be able to breath easy in these pandemic-ridden times thanks to Land Rover’s new Advanced Cabin Air Filtration system. Building upon what was already available through its Cabin Air ionisation technology, this advanced system can trap allergens and fine particles as small as 2.5 microns in size. A Purify mode can also be activated when the car detects a decrease in the cabin air quality. Occupants can see this in operation though the display that uses a colour grading system to show the air cleanliness inside versus outside.
Both the infotainment and air cabin quality technology is also going to transfer across to the Range Rover Evoque, including the improvements to the intelligent ADAS driver assistance systems. The Evoque will benefit from the new D165 and D200 diesel engines too, which respectively replace the D150 and D180 engines.
A new 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine will start going into the Evoque, badged as the P160. It produces 158bhp and 260Nm, delivering a 0-62mph time of 10.3 seconds and CO2 emissions of 180g/km. It is essentially the same engine as what powers the P300e plug-in hybrid only without the electric motor and battery attached. Weighing a substantial 37kg less than the four-cylinder engine, it should make the Evoque a little sweeter to drive with less weight in its nose.
Not to let the Discovery Sport Black have all the attention, the Range Rover Evoque is getting a distinctive Lafayette Edition, which draws inspiration from Lafayette Street in the North of Little Italy (NoLiTa) area of New York. Available in Yulong White, Seoul Pearl Silver and Carpathian Grey, it gets a contrasting roof in Nolita Grey and is based on the Evoque S model. The Lafayette Edition gets 20-inch five split-spoke Gloss Dark Grey wheels with a Diamond Turned finish, panoramic roof, premium carpets, illuminated treadplates and LED headlights with sweeping indicators. Buyers can choose any of the engine lineup for this model, including the P300e plug-in hybrid.
Keyword: New updates for MY21 Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque.