Replacement Killers

Fresh metal is often described using a standard cringe-worthy cliché: “It’s an evolution, not a revolution.” The implication is simple: “We haven't reinvented the wheel here, because our previous model was already bloody brilliant, thank you!” Don’t get defensive, all you Porsche 911 and Golf GTI enthusiasts.

But please note, this advance by increments is not good enough for the reinvigorated Jaguar Land Rover. Not for the likes of Ian Callum and Jerry McGovern and their respective design teams. I was at the metal reveal of the Land Rover Discovery Sport (long name) and the Jaguar XE (that’s better) ahead of the recent Paris Motor Show, watching the engineers and designers stifle agitation at the mention of their respective marques’ previous cars that contended in these segments.

“They’re not replacements rather, they’re brand new models,” they opined as one. It’s easy to see why upper management would want to dissociate themselves from the old cars, having eliminated the final remnants of the less than desirable period of Ford ownership that preceded the current period of reform under a benevolent Tata Motors. Since the Indian firm acquired both brands from an ailing Ford, and mashed them together into one company in 2013, the Gaydon-based firm has cultivated a burgeoning supply of fresh mojo. The XE and Disco Sport are merely its latest firebrands.

ALUMINIUM EVERYTHING
Both the XE and Disco Sport enjoy great modularity and ruthless efficiency thanks to extensive use of aluminium in everything from the chassis to hollow-cast suspension components and ultimately the new range of Ingenium engines that will be shared across both vehicles. Think of a 2.0-litre diesel capable of 3.8l/100km and under 100g/km of noxious CO2 and you have some idea of the weird science involved.

Naturally, the cars themselves are stunning. The Disco Sport inherits much of its aesthetic from the swanky Range Rover Evoque half-sibling, except here it’s rendered as a sporty seven-seater with a footprint more compact than its Audi Q5 rival. Yet it’s a proper Tardis inside, thanks to a combination of transversely mounted engine, stadium seating, panoramic sunroof and use of a multi-link rear suspension to replace the previous invasive McPherson strut towers.

The Jaguar, on the other hand, is a far more svelte creation, rendered in archetypal three-box profile with the cab placed as far back as physics will allow. Like its larger XF sibling, it has much F-Type in its DNA courtesy of a double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension layout. The result is a compact sports saloon with the armoury necessary to take on the might of the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Merc C-Class. Dynamic, clever and very much switched on to the 21st century, it’s easy
to see why JLR are happy to leave past skeletons firmly locked away in their closets.