Installing a tow kit

Towing equipment can be retro-fitted to a Discovery Sport. Dave Barker shows what’s involved

A tow hitch can be easily retrofitted to a Discovery Sport – here’s how

ADDING a retro-fit tow hitch to the Discovery Sport requires the rear body structural impact beam armature (crossmember) to be replaced by a new towbar impact beam armature which supports the tow hitch mountings and uses the same body mounting points. The centre section of the rear valance is replaced with a new section supplied with the kit we’re using, which covers the fixed bolt-on tow bar mounting. A small section of the rear bumper needs to be cut to allow for the towbar, and the cut lines are pre-marked on the inside of the bumper.

Then it’s a matter of installing your chosen electrics – usually the now standard 13-pin socket shown here. Land Rover and some aftermarket electrical kits have a multi-plug that connects directly to the vehicle’s wiring loom. Always check you are buying the correct kit because there are several versions, depending on the configuration of your vehicle: 5 seats, 7 seats, with or without spare wheel, etc. Our vehicle is a 2015 model year Discovery Sport, 7 seater with spare wheel.

The hardest job on this bolt-on installation is removing the rear bumper, especially if you are not sure about unclipping body fixings. The instructions (accessed on Land Rover’s accessories website) are not great on detail, so study them carefully. They suggest the original impact beam armature, mountings and bumper centre can be discarded. However, if you plan to sell the Discovery Sport in the future and wish to keep the tow bar for another car, you will want to keep all the parts for refitting.