Land Rover Discovery Sport
Premium model trades on the brand’s off-road heritage, but mixes this with genuine seven-seater practicality
MODEL TESTED: Land Rover Discovery Sport TD4 SE Tech Auto PRICE: £36.350 ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbodiesel, 178bhp
WITH its blend of upmarket appeal, practicality, composed driving dynamics and unrivalled offroad ability, the Land Rover Discovery Sport is hugely appealing. A mild refresh has helped keep the British off-roader competitive, while the Ingenium diesel promises low running costs and decent performance. However, the premium image doesn’t come cheap, with our SE Tech test model costing £36,350 – although the car in our pictures is an HSE.
DESIGN & ENGINEERING
YOU only have to glance at the Discovery Sport to confirm it’s a Land Rover. All of the brand’s design language is present and correct, from the raised edges of the clamshell bonnet to the colour-coordinated floating roof.
Under the skin, it’s closely related to the Range Rover Evoque; the cars share the same platform and strut front suspension. However, the Disco gets a compact multi-link rear axle that helps make room for the third row seating. Power is from the Ingenium 2.0-litre diesel, which drives through a six-speed manual or nine-speed auto. The Haldex-controlled all-wheel drive features a locking centre differential and the brand’s Terrain Response off-road modes.
Inside, the Land Rover family theme continues. The climate controls, dash and switchgear are all taken from the Evoque, but that’s no bad thing as it gives the cabin an upmarket air. Materials feel topnotch, while overall build quality is solid and facelifted versions get updated dials and TFT trip computer. And while our SE Tech test car can’t match the Skoda for kit, it gets all the essentials, including part-leather trim, heated seats, sat-nav and parking sensors. There’s also a wide range of options to choose from.
DRIVING
THE Land Rover’s 178bhp 2.0-litre diesel is the least powerful unit here, while its nine-speed gearbox needed to shift ratios more times than its rivals’ in the 0-60mph sprint, which it completed in a leisurely 10.0 seconds.
In the real world, though, the Discovery gives very little away to its rivals. With 430Nm of torque at only 1,750rpm, the Land Rover’s smooth turbodiesel pulls strongly from low revs, while the automatic changes reasonably smoothly, responding crisply to the throttle and steering wheel-mounted paddles.
Despite its off-road heritage, the Discovery is remarkably composed on tarmac. Its steering is quick, direct, well weighted and precise, allowing you to accurately place the car on the road.
The combination of torque vectoring and a multilink rear axle boosts agility, while the mud and snow tyres deliver remarkable grip. Despite its high-riding stance, the Land Rover resists roll well, and keeps body movements in check. It’s not quite as agile as the Skoda, but easily has the measure of the wallowy Kia.
The trade-off for this handling composure is a firm low-speed ride; it fidgets and thuds over potholes and ridges. However, the car settles down as speeds rise, plus wind and road noise are well suppressed.
Off the beaten track, the Land Rover pulls well clear of the Kia and Skoda. It has better ground clearance, plus shorter front and rear overhangs, so steep slopes are easily negotiated. Also, its Terrain Response system can adapt the four-wheel drive’s traction control to suit different conditions, helping the car
soȑ4l4l go further than most owners would dare to take it. PRACTICALITY
score THIS is where the Discovery Sport trails. It’s shorter overall and in its wheelbase, there’s not quite as much room inside. Still, you’d struggle to call it cramped, while the large side windows help create a bright and airy atmosphere.
There’s plenty of head and legroom in the second row, while the third row seats are easier to raise and lower than the Skoda’s. However, the Discovery Sport’s rearmost seats don’t offer as much space as rivals’.
Land Rover quotes a 981-litre boot capacity when filled to the roof, but under the cover there’s a similar amount of room as in the Kodiaq, while folding all the seats frees up 1,698 litres.
Elsewhere you’ll find loads of handy storage, from vast door bins to a lidded cubby under the front armrest and a handy tray ahead of the gearlever. You can also have up to seven USB inputs, with a plug-in point everywhere from the dash to the third row.
OWNERSHIP
THE Discovery Sport has been on sale for a year or so now, and the model on our fleet has proven trouble free. Land Rover hasn’t been performing quite as well, ranking 22nd in Driver Power 2016 – well behind its more mainstream rivals here. Its dealers fared even worse, ending up 25th out of 32 in the same poll.
Still, there are few complaints about the Discovery Sport’s safety credentials. All versions get seven airbags, stability control, a pedestrian airbag in the bonnet, autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warning. Adaptive cruise can be added for £1, 220 and traffic sign recognition for £260.
RUNNING COSTS
AT £36,350, the Discovery Sport SE Tech is £1,455 more expensive than the Skoda, but £1, 200 cheaper than the Kia. It trails its rivals on kit, although the essentials are all covered. Still, the Land Rover brand scores on desirability, and that shows when it comes to depreciation.
Our experts predict the Disco Sport will retain an impressive 50.5 per cent of its value, or £18,349. The Kia is expected to hold on to 46.1 per cent or £17,362, but the Skoda fares poorly here; it’s estimated to retain 36 per cent or £12,576. While this high-spec car is good value, the lower-powered 2WD Kodiaq in a lesser trim – which still has the basics – is likely to lose less money.