Land Rover, manufacturer of the world’s most capable all-purpose premium vehicles, celebrated the MENA debut of its hotly anticipated New Discovery Sport last night, introducing the vehicle to an enthusiastic audience during an exclusive event hosted at the Hamdan Sports Complex in Dubai.

Turning heads since its worldwide debut at this year’s Paris Motor Show, the new Discovery Sport has been billed as the world’s most versatile and capable premium compact SUV, unique to its segment and is set to receive an overwhelming response from MENA customers when it goes on sale in the region early next year.

The event welcomed over 500 guests including VIPs, customers and key members of the media who were treated to an exclusive unveiling of the first member of Land Rover’s new Discovery family. Complete with thrilling live acts embodying the unique blend of refinement, performance and unmatched all-terrain capability that epitomises Land Rover vehicles, guests were welcomed with performances by BMX riders, Parkour groups and traditional UAE Arabic drummers.

A fun interactive zone was also set up at the event, giving guests the chance to virtually test their capabilities against the new Discovery Sport in specially created “capability pods”.  Choosing from mountain bike riding or sand boarding, competitors’ skills were pitched against the capabilities of the new Discovery Sport on a variety of challenging terrains, amplifying the spirit of adventure that is integral to the Discovery family DNA.

The Discovery Vision Concept was also on display during the night, offering a further glimpse into the vision of Land Rover’s future family of Discovery vehicles. The concept car, revealed earlier this year at the New York Motor Show, previews a dynamic new design language and an array of innovative versatility and capability features, whilst also showcasing pioneering technologies from Jaguar Land Rover’s advanced research division.

Speaking about the launch, Bruce Robertson, MD of Jaguar Land Rover MENA said: “We are extremely proud to be revealing the new Discovery Sport here in Dubai following the huge amount of attention it has received globally and here in the region since the official unveiling in Paris. This vehicle combines premium dynamic design and versatility which I am confident will resonate on an emotional level with our MENA customers, and we expect this to deliver solid results when sales start early next year.”

Anticipation for the new Discovery Sport launch has been building up over the last few months as car enthusiasts across the MENA region have been closely watching Global Engineers conduct a final series of hot weather tests on the new Discovery Sport prototypes with the Jaguar Land Rover Engineering Centre in Dubai. The prototypes were put through their paces during arduous Middle East hot weather tests which included off-road desert capability, transmission calibration and brake noise temperatures up to a sweltering 50°C.

The exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the hot weather testing captured the new Discovery Sport showing off its exceptional capabilities, making it one of the most accomplished vehicles in its segment. A host of innovations have allowed Discovery Sport to boast a progressive new design approach and introduce the versatility of 5+2 seating into the premium compact SUV class for the first time, in a seating no larger than existing 5-seat premium SUVs.

Coupled with supple long-travel suspension, the innovative rear axle also ensures the Discovery Sport is comfortable, refined and rewarding to drive on-road, while retaining the breadth of the class-leading all-terrain capability for which Land Rover is world-renowned.

As with every new Land Rover, safety has been a key priority in the development of the new Discovery Sport, resulting in a first-in-class pedestrian airbag, autonomous emergency braking, and a state-of-the-art bodyshell featuring both ultra-high-strength steel and lightweight aluminium.

This represents a fraction of the advanced equipment available in Discovery Sport, which also includes Head-Up Display, an all-new 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and tilt-and-slide row-two seating for maximum interior configurability.

The new Discovery Sport range of four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engines will be available across the region from early 2015 with prices starting from AED 159,000*. *Please contact local dealer for market specific pricing

View all images of the event in our FLICKR gallery.