These are the latest spy shots of Land Rover’s all-new Discovery Sport, the replacement for the LR2. The vehicle was spotted at the Nürburgring and on some of the German race track’s surrounding roads, where it is being extensively tested ahead of its reveal later this year, most likely at the 2014 Paris Auto Show in October. We've already been given a preview, however, in the form of the Land Rover Discovery Vision concept from the 2014 New York Auto Show (pictured below).

The Discovery Sport will hit showrooms sometime in 2015, most likely as a 2016 model, and will initially offer seating for five. Further down the track expect to see a seven-seat variant launched. There will be other Discovery-badged models, too. A whole family is planned, with the LR4's replacement to also be included the Discovery family and perhaps a smaller model to compete against new subcompact and compact crossovers coming onto the market.This leaves the Range Rover family, which currently consists of the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Evoque, to cater to luxury buyers and a future Defender to cater to those needing pure utility.

The Discovery Sport, meanwhile, will share its platform with the Range Rover Evoque. In fact, previous test mules used Evoque bodies to hide their mechanicals. Dubbed LR-MS, the platform underpinning the Evoque and this new Discovery Sport is loosely based on Ford’s old EUCD design but has been thoroughly updated. Land Rover boasts that 90 percent of LR-MS components are new. Most of it is steel though aluminum is used in some areas to help shed weight. The Discovery Sport is expected to be bigger than the Evoque but its proportions and styling appear similar.

Power in the base model will most likely come from a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder found in Jaguar Land Rover’s Ingenium engine family. A 3.0-liter V-6, which in supercharged form has been added to the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models, may also be offered, perhaps in a high-performance SVR model. A nine-speed automatic should be standard across the range.

Look for the debut of the new Land Rover Discovery Sport later this year, with sales to commence sometime in 2015. In the meantime, you can watch a video of an earlier prototype by clicking here.

Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept - 2014 New York Auto Show

Land Rover Discovery Vision Concept - 2014 New York Auto Show