Land Rover could be in the early stages of developing a new, performance-oriented version of its Discovery Sport.
A version of the compact crossover SUV wearing a new front bumper has been spotted undergoing cold-weather tests.
A close inspection of the bumper reveals a more aggressive look with some larger openings and a couple of additional intakes compared to the bumper on the current Discovery Sport. Such elements normally hint at a more potent powertrain.
Based on license plate information, we know this tester is packing a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder. However, we’re not talking about the older 240-horsepower unit currently fitted to the Discovery Sport. It’s believed the engineers are testing Jaguar Land Rover’s new Ingenium-branded 4-cylinder engine.
We know this engine, also a turbocharged 2.0-liter mill, will deliver 240 hp in the Jaguar XE, but this is just the baseline figure. Look for a higher-spec unit to be fitted to the performance-oriented Discovery Sport, which may end up being called a Discovery Sport R. Something close to 300 hp is expected.
It’s currently thought the performance-oriented Discovery Sport will debut late next year. This will be Land Rover’s rival to vehicles like the Mercedes-AMG GLC43 and an expected BMW X3 M40i. Further down the track we may still see a dedicated performance model badged an SVR.
For more on the Land Rover Discovery Sport, be sure to read our first drive review.
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