Underpinned by the LR-MS platform, the all-new compact sport utility vehicle from Land Rover is what the Freelander / LR2 should’ve been from the beginning. Before the first model of the Discovery sub-brand will go on sale in Europe, the Euro NCAP crash tested the SUV like there’s no tomorrow.
It may not come as a surprise considering its size, but out of those 12 nameplates, the all-new 2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport was the most protective in most crash situations. Naturally, it got the very coveted 5-star rating.
It was shown in European specification at the 2014 Paris Motor Show (live photos can be found here)
The model that was crash tested by Euro NCAP was a 1,901-kilogram (4,191 lbs), right-hand drive 2.2-liter turbo diesel SE. As with any recent LR and RR product, the 2015 Discovery Sport boasts with a plethora of safety bits and bobs, chief among which is a pedestrian airbag thrown in as standard.
In addition to that, lane departure warning and autonomous emergency braking for city and inter-urban driving is also a standard feature. Though it fared well in terms of adult occupants protection, rear passengers may suffer from “marginal” whiplash protection.
Child protection was good at 83 percent, but the kiddie dummy that sat in a forward-facing restraint sustained marginally high neck forces during frontal impact. As for pedestrian safety, the windscreen and pillars, as well as bonnet surface offered good protection levels. Not bad, Land Rover, not bad at all.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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