As Land Rover is preparing for the launch of the Discovery Sport, the successor to the Freelander, the automaker released new pieces of information, this time from the development phase.



The new compact SUV is entering the final development phase, with Land Rover prototype fleets testing all over the world.

“Discovery Sport prototypes have covered approximately 750,000 miles (1.2 million kilometers) during the testing phase, in some of the world’s harshest and most challenging terrains and climatesm” said Murray Dietsch, Land Rover Programme Director.

“A total of 181 prototype vehicles were built, completing over 11,000 tests over their lifetimes around the globe, ensuring total confidence in the robustness of build and design of the vehicles,” he added.

The vehicle underwent 11,720 tests, in temperatures ranging from -36 to 42 degrees Celsius, to water depths of up to 600mm (23.6in) and to inclines of 40 degrees and declines of 45 degrees. Obviously, that says a lot about the Discovery Sport’s off-road capabilities and will be music to the ears of those who were afraid the Freelander’s successor would be a softer SUV designed just for tarmac use.

Land Rover says testing of the Discovery Sport benefits from the collaboration with Virgin Galactic, the automaker’s “global partner in adventure, innovation and exploration.”

The two companies “have used their partnership to share values and experiences that have steered each brand to develop cutting edge technologies for both land and space,” Land Rover says in the press release.

Find out how that influenced the development of the Discovery Sport from the videos posted below.

By Dan Mihalascu

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