2020 Discovery Sport Spied at the Nurburgring With New Architecture and Design

2020 Discovery Sport Spied at the Nurburgring With New Architecture and Design
Land Rover is currently in a bad spot, so much so that owners Tata are rumored to be selling the brand to the French conglomerate that already gobbled up Opel/Vauxhall.

2020 Discovery Sport Spied at the Nurburgring With New Architecture and Design

But in the meantime, the company has three big projects meant to rejuvenate sales, the Evoque, new Defender and this, the heavily revised Discovery Sport. Wearing the usual camo wrap, a test prototype rolled up to the legendary Nurburgring track and is looking for a couple more months of testing before the debut.

The Discovery Sport replaced the Freelander in 2014 and became the most successful Land Rover model. But despite robust demand, it's still lagging behind rivals such as the Volvo XC60, partly due to lack of updates.

This facelift is supposed to last until the next generation in 2023, which is why the changes are quite comprehensive. The company is probably going to go as far as to claim a new platform is being used, the Premium Transverse Architecture instead of the D8.

The way we see it, it's more like an in-between stage, mixing old body parts with fresh outer skins and the engine technology from the Evoque II. Highlights will include a new 1.5-liter, 3-cylinder turbo engine powering the green new PHEV version with up to 50 miles of electric range, but that won't be available until next year.

In Europe, most engines should use the new 48-volt electrical architecture on a 2-liter turbo format that produces between 150 and 300 HP. Major cosmetic changes are inbound as well, mirroring the posh Velar and Evoque. So you can say goodbye to the round headlights and any other retro vibes.

Inside, we should see double infotainment screens, the Evoque's smart rear-view mirror, and new connectivity features. Expect to see a full reveal this summer before the new Disco Sport enters production in October.

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