When picked ours up I inquired about it and if I could have got one of the first ones then i would have happily given them the £500 but they already had 30 plus people in the Que. I will wait while it's been out a few months and reevaluate then by the time it's out and I get round to it now mine will be 2 years old.

piattj wrote:

taztastic wrote:

... I will look at setting up another Halewood trip around May time, we might get some glimpses of bits in production, it was obvious on the last trip that many changes were taking place in readiness for the new vehicles.

Taz, that would be good! :thumbsup:

...

Hello all, firstly thanks for such an informative and friendly forum, I'm on my second Freelander 2 and look in every few days.

This is my first post as I haven't had anything to contribute so far however the Autocar and What Car websites are today showing more detail about the upcoming Discovery Sport 7 seater and I thought I'd flag that up?

Not sure about the closeness of the rearmost seats to the hatch though? I'm sure the design meets safety regulations, but sometimes regulations are minimums rather than optimums?

Kind regards, Dennis

For me, I would be interested in a 5 seater but the 7 seater being pitched is beyond my needs. Am I reading now that there's no 5 seater, only 7 seater? Hope not...

... ...

Be true to yourself. That way happiness lies...

Piattj, the press release states:

"the new compact SUV arrives as standard with 5+2 seating in the UK".

It's not compulsory to use them


DennisV,
Have you seen a Ford Grand CMax 3rd row seats - they're very close to the tailgate, then again have you sat in a smart fortwo? The driver's seat is close to the back! There is an ECE requirement for rear impact (ECE R32) which stipulates the maximum amount the seating point must move post 30 mph crash so it's not going to be that bad.

For me it would depend on the overall size of the car, the current FL2 my ideal size. If the 5+2 is considerably longer than the current FL2 it would probably be more that I need. If they then do a 5 seater version would it be the 5+2 without the extra seats or a shorter car? GONE - '07 TD4 GS manual Zermatt Silver
LONG GONE - '55 Norton Dominator 99 SS cafe racer

Hello Natwest,

Yes, I'm sure we both agree that the design must comply with all current safety legislation and therefore will be 'not too bad'.

And yes, many cars including those you mention as well as small city cars place the rear seat occupants very close to the rear of the vehicle.

However complying with regulations does not necessarily produce the 'optimum' design for safety. I recently read a Forbes article on the subject, here is an extract ...

"Third-row seating structure and position, until recently a minor factor in child safety, has become a bigger issue because almost all cars with third-row seats are minivans and SUVs, and the occupants of these seats are nearly always children. Volvo’s XC90 also has third-row seating, but Volvo knows from its crash-test research that protecting from rear impacts is as important as front-on crash protection, and that third-row seats have to be set far enough forward that they can actually rock a bit both forward and aft (which Volvo seats are designed to do). Also, if third-row seats are positioned too close to the tailgate, they are, in effect, part of the crumple zone and their occupants will be threatened in a high-speed rear ender, so Volvo puts its third row on line with the rear axle, providing both side- and rear-impact structural protection".

Yes of course, like the current Discovery, the Volvo is a bigger vehicle than the Discovery Sport. But in the Freelander sized XC60 there is no attempt to squeeze in a third row of seats. Whether that is a lack of ingenuity or a refusal to compromise on safety I can only speculate?

However, in providing these additional folding seats and as you point out Land Rover is at least giving each owner the option to use them, or not, depending on outlook.

Kind regards,
Dennis

Hello Iliacus,

As I read the Autocar article the new Discovery Sport is a 5+2 only and there will not be a follow on 5 seat model?

But because the row three seats take up all the boot space the wheelbase and overall length has not been stretched by very much.

I guess we have the option of boot space or the extra seats, but not both.

Kind regards,
Dennis

PS: I should have mentioned that the Autocar article suggests the row 3 seats will be removable ...

What Car? says "It will come with a third row of seats as standard, with a 2+3+2 layout. Even with this third row of seats, Land Rover claims that the Discovery Sport will have a smaller on-road footprint than most five-seat rivals. A five-seat version is also expected to be offered."

If it is the same physical car why not have the five seater version out at the same time? GONE - '07 TD4 GS manual Zermatt Silver
LONG GONE - '55 Norton Dominator 99 SS cafe racer

Good point, maybe the base model will have 5 seats and the third row of seats are on the dealer fit option list???

Hmmmm.... it says 5+2 is standard. They usually put as little as possible on as standard to keep the list price down and load it on the options. GONE - '07 TD4 GS manual Zermatt Silver
LONG GONE - '55 Norton Dominator 99 SS cafe racer

So you'd have to pay to have the 2 seats (that you don't want) removed. Like the old days... a cigar lighter was standard. and you specified 'non-smoker' package to remove it.
Now, you specify 'no massive brood' option to have the 2 seats turned into a useful space. As it was. Before...

... ...

Be true to yourself. That way happiness lies...

Here's a bit more, haven't seen it before, looks like it has door handles now.
But the paint work is poor

Is it a rufty-tufty car any more? Or has the Ewok pointed the way to where LR want to be? Where Posh Spice is the 'Off-road Director of Strategy' or summat?

... ...

Be true to yourself. That way happiness lies...