The Land Rover Discovery 4 (known in North America as the LR4) and Range Rover Sport receive a new eight-speed automatic transmission and a modestly uprated 3.0-liter SDV6 diesel engine for the new model year.
These two models based on the same platform now receive a 256 horsepower version of Land Rover’s Ford-derived 3.0-liter turbodiesel. To make the most of the power bump, Land Rover has selected a new ZF-developed 8HP70 eight-speed automatic transmission.
Shifted through a Drive Select gear knob cribbed from Land Rover partner Jaguar, the eight-speed also features paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel. Emissions are down from 243 g/km of CO2 to 230 g/km and combined fuel economy is up from 30.7 mpg to 32.1 mpg Imperial on the European cycle (which is not to be compared to the U.S. system of measurement).
The Range Rover Sport also receives a handful of minor interior and exterior updates and a new, more sophisticated navigation system. The Discovery 4 gains new alloy wheels and the same navigation update.
Neither the diesel engine nor the eight-speed automatic is slated for V8-powered North American-specification LR4s and Range Rover Sports, although we wouldn’t be surprised to see the two additional cogs show up here in the near future.
