Land Rover Discovery Sport petrol launched at Rs 56.5 lakh

Land Rover has added a petrol variant of the Discovery Sport to their line-up, priced at Rs 56.5 lakh (ex-showroom New Delhi). This will be offered in the HSE variant only.

Since September 2015, only the 2.2-litre TD4 and SD4 diesel trims of the Land Rover Discovery Sport were on sale in India. Now the new petrol version has joined this range, which comes powered by a 2.0-litre petrol mill that churns out 237bhp of power and 340Nm of torque. This mill also comes mated to the company's tried and tested nine-speed automatic transmission as seen in the diesel versions. This nine-speed automatic gearbox had made its Indian debut with the 2015 Range Rover Evoque. Cosmetically and features-wise there are no changes to this petrol trim and it is similar to the diesel derivatives.

Rohit Suri, President, Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd., said, 'We are excited to introduce the petrol derivative of the Land Rover Discovery Sport. This will help us broaden the appeal of this fabulous premium versatile SUV for customers who are more inclined towards driving a vehicle with a powerful petrol engine at its heart along with Land Rover’s legendary off-road capability and reliability – a perfect combination of performance, capability and composure.'

The Discovery Sport was introduced in India last year as a replacement to the ageing Freelander 2. It is the carmaker's most affordable product here and does not look like the typical old-school Land Rover models. It is underpinned by a lighter platform, sports the company's latest design philosophy and comes loaded with many features. Another highlight is that with the incorporation of a foldable third row, five adults and two children can be seated comfortably. It boasts of Land Rover’s pedigree and with a ground clearance of 211mm, it has respectable off-roading capabilities. All of this make it a good proposition and thus the good demand for the vehicle. Let's hope this new petrol variant replicates the success for the manufacturer in the Indian market.

Click here to read our First Drive of the Land Rover Discovery Sport.