The new Land Rover Discovery Sport a premium compact, seven seat, SUV that effectively replaces the old, tired, worn out, trampled on, rickety Freelander.

Land Rover are saying the new Discovery Sport is the first compact SUV to feature seven seats, its due in part to the adoption of a multilink rear suspension which has freed up space behind the second row seats.

The Discovery Sport will feature Land Rovers off-road Terrain Response system, just in case the streets of Chelsea are too gridlocked and you have to divert to Bond Street instead.

The interior, says Land Rover, will feature high-quality materials and the center console will be consumed by an 8 inch touchscreen infotainment system.

The Discovery Sport has been engineered to have a lighter and stronger bodyshell than the out going Freelander, the engine range will be limited at first to the 2.2-litre, 188bhp, SD4. Stop-start functionality and a choice between a 6 speed manual or a 9 speed automatic will be offered.

Later in 2015 the eD4 turbo diesel will be added to the spec sheet, this more efficient version will have a C02 reading of 119g/km.

The new Discovery Sport will be available fro January 2015 prices start at under £30k for the eD4 and from £32k for the SD4.

We’ll leave the last word to Land Rover Design Director, Gerry McGovern.

“Our challenge has been to combine premium design with exceptional versatility; the two attributes must work in harmony. I’m proud to say we’ve achieved that; Discovery Sport’s dynamic design will resonate on an emotional level with consumers, and this vehicle is more versatile than any other premium compact SUV on the market.”