Land Rover Discovery Sport US spec revealed at LA Show

The new Land Rover Discovery Sport, replacement for the Freelander and the first of a new family of Discovery models, has been revealed at the LA Auto Show.

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The new Land Rover Discovery Sport was revealed ahead of the Paris Motor Show in September as the first Land Rover in a new family of Discovery models, ready to supplant the Freelander in the LR line-up.

Now it’s the turn of North America to get the reveal of the Discovery Sport at the Los Angeles Auto Show and, although it is almost the same car, there are differences.

Just like the Discovery Sport we’ll get in 2015, the US version has to make do with Land Rover’s current engine options rather than the new Ingenium engines the Jaguar XE is getting, but rather than Land Rover’s quite ancient 2.2 litre diesel lump this side of the Pond the Americans get the 2.0 litre petrol from the Evoque.

That engine is still not the cutting edge of engine technology, but it’s a fairly zippy lump – with a useful 240bhp and decent performance – and much more suited to the Sport than the old diesel; if only UK and European buyers weren’t so brainwashed in to believing diesel engines are the only sensible option perhaps we’d get the petrol option too; it’d make much more sense.

Just about the only other change for the US spec Discovery Sport is that Americans will have to pay extra for the two kiddie seats in the boot.

The Discovery Sport in the US will cost from $37,995 (£24,250), but that’s plus destination charge, taxes and other bits and pieces.