Discovery Sport has been engineered with the latest active and passive safety advances. A comprehensive occupant safety package including driver and passenger airbags, knee airbags, and side curtain and thorax airbags has naturally been a priority. Innovations include a unique-in-segment pedestrian airbag, and Autonomous Emergency Braking to help avoid or mitigate the consequences of collisions below 80km/h (50mph).
State-of-the-art pedestrian-protection system
A pedestrian airbag is triggered by advanced pressure-tube sensors mounted between the bumper cover and the bumper beam, which are designed to detect impacts with adult pedestrians. Should any impacts be detected between 24-48km/h (15-30mph), an airbag concealed by a small scuttle panel at the base of the windscreen deploys in no more than 60 milliseconds, drastically reducing the risk of serious pedestrian injury.
The scuttle cover is attached to the airbag using two tethers, and forms part of the airbag system in helping to spread the load evenly across the airbag; thus the driver’s vision is not obscured during deployment and the airbag volume can be reduced to 110 litres. Rigorous testing ensured the airbag does not deploy in extreme off-road situations.
“The innovative pedestrian protection system is not only unique in the SUV class, it’s also yet to debut in most other segments,” said Paul Cleaver, Discovery Sport Vehicle Programme Director. “It ensures Discovery Sport is one of the safest cars on the road not only for occupants, but for pedestrians too. Most impressively, our engineering and design teams have been able to accommodate this life-saving technology while maintaining Discovery Sport’s streamlined design.”
Complementing the pedestrian-protection system, Discovery Sport’s front end, bumpers, bonnet and cowl are optimised to minimise potential injuries.
Innovative Autonomous Emergency Braking avoids or minimises the impact of collisions
Discovery Sport is the world’s first vehicle to offer an autonomous emergency braking system using an innovative stereo digital camera system. Operational between speeds of 5 and 80km/h (3-50mph), the system helps to avoid collisions below 50km/h (32mph), and reduces the severity of an impact at speeds below 80km/h (50mph).
The system uses stereo cameras mounted next to the rear-view mirror to detect objects that could pose the risk of a collision, such as queuing traffic. If the system deems a collision likely, it will alert the driver with a visual and audible warning. If no action is taken and a collision is judged unavoidable, a further driver warning is triggered while the system applies full braking pressure to bring the vehicle to a stop.
Other driver-assistance systems include:
• Park Assist identifies suitable parallel and perpendicular parking spaces, allowing the driver to operate the accelerator, brake and gears while the vehicle autonomously steers on both entry to and – in the case of parallel parking spaces – exit from the space. Parking sensors offer further assistance
• Automatic High-Beam Assist automatically monitors other vehicles’ head lamps and tail lights, along with ambient lighting in built-up areas. It then controls the vehicle’s high-beam function as conditions dictate
• Lane Departure Warning gently vibrates the steering wheel to warn a driver who may be unintentionally drifting out of a lane
• Traffic Sign Recognition monitors road signs and displays a reminder of the speed limit or overtaking regulations on the satellite-navigation screen
• Trailer Stability Assist detects trailer instability and brakes individual wheels to help the driver correct a potentially hazardous situation
• Tow Assist and Tow Hitch Assist utilise a camera system to help the driver both hitch a trailer and predict its trajectory while reversing
• Blind-Spot Monitor & Closing Vehicle Sensing detect vehicles that are either in the driver’s blind spot or are approaching quickly and could pose a danger during a lane-change. An orange warning light appears in the relevant side mirror to warn the driver
• Automatic headlamps and rain-sensitive wipers activate autonomously according to conditions
