ON FRONT PAG E N O R T H E AST V I C TO R I A , A L P S A N D H I G H CO U N T RY
JANUARY 22, 2016
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2015 Rover Discovery Sport SD4 HSE
DISCOVERY: It is better than Freelander in every way.
WHAT to get if you like the Range Rover Evoque but need more space; like the Discovery but don’t have the readies; want a bit of Range Rover style and capability? Oddly enough, you buy a Land Rover Discovery Sport. The Freelander replacement has been with us for just over a year now and is finding plenty of homes with its pretty looks and the promise of mud-plugging shenanigans should the need arise. The Discovery Sport HSE SD4 is the midspec trim level, starting at $61,100 for the manual and $63,600 for the nine-speed automatic. HSE means 10-way adjustable electric seats which are also heated and cooled,
By PETER ANDERSON powered tailgate, leather trim, autonomous emergency braking, front and rear parking sensors and reversing camera, dual-zone climate control, eleven-speaker stereo with USB and Bluetooth, sat-nav, headlamp washers, auto headlights and wipers, keyless entry and start, graphical park assist and cruise control. Our test car had the $2100 cosmetic Black Pack which adds black wheels, black trim and black grille to mean things up a bit. It looks good but the outlay is significant. Added to this was a panoramic glass roof ($1800), dark glass for the rear windows
($600), DAB ($540), InControl Apps for linking your smartphone to the car’s systems ($530) and ebony headlining ($460) for a grand total of $69,640. Both Freelanders were, sadly, a bit gawky. The first one was a forgettable mess and the second little better so this larger, more confident design could only have really worked with a new name. It’s more Evoque than Discovery, more Range Rover Sport than Defender, meaning sleek bi-xenon headlights, cool details and practical shape that falls in between the Evoque and Discovery. The Sport HSE rides on 19 inch wheels and with the black pack against the Fuji White of the test car, looks very sharp and
modern and hides its 4.6m length well. Inside is well-built with a good mix of materials and few dodgy ones. The middle row slides and each of the seats recline for a bit of extra comfort. Leg and headroom is excellent in the rear, that higher roofline paying dividends even with the high-set seats. The powered-tailgate reveals a 981-litre boot that almost doubles with the seats down. So you can get a hell of a lot into the Sport. The significantly larger Discovery, for reference, has 1260 and 2558 litres respectively. Seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking, ABS, stability and traction
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53 2015 AVAILA BLE
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(03) 5721 5677 ‘One Mile Motors has been serving the community for over 60 years’
10 Templeton Street, Wangaratta www.onemilemotors.com.au LMCT1060