Okay, so what won’t it do?

Don’t think of the Discovery Sport as a costly SUV – think of it as a cut-price way to get several cars at once

If versatility is the ultimate quality in a family car, few are as multi-talented as the Land Rover Discovery Sport. Got a six-a-side team to transport? Collapsed garden shed to take to the tip? Need to ford an inconvenient river or tackle a 45º incline? The Disco Sport’s got it covered.

It now looks rather more suave while doing so, courtesy of a facelift in late 2019, featuring a subtly modernised nose that could be mistaken for a Range Rover’s from a distance. Under the elegant skin it uses a version of the Range Rover Evoque’s platform, enabling it to employ an updated family of mild hybrid engine options. In fact, roughly 70 per cent of parts are new. The biggest uplift is in the cabin, which now treads a well-drawn line between lifestyle Evoque and Countryfile-trad Landie. Dual-purpose rotary dials on a new touch panel magically morph their digital display between air-con and Terrain Response functions, and the ClearSight rear-view mirror can flip between a regular reflection and a video link to the rear camera, the better to see behind you if the third row of seats is occupied.

That third row plays an important part in making the Discovery Sport so versatile. Even if you rarely use all seven seats, it’s useful to know they’re there. The two stowable seats in the boot can fit full-size adults for short journeys (and are surprisingly comfortable once you’re in

– getting into them is the hard bit). Folded away, boot space is plentiful, and with the splittable, slidable second row folded down, the total interior loadspace is gigantic. Compared to many of the white goods occupying the family SUV marketplace, this is a proper car – one that’s enjoyable to drive. And with Land Rover deals currently lopping £3000 off the deposit, the Sport is barely £20 per month more than an equivalent Skoda Kodiaq, for a car that feels considerably posher and more characterful.

LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SPORT

£399 PER MONTH

WHY YOU SHOULD DO THIS

Land Rover’s £3k deposit contribution drops a car normally as chunky in price as style down to mainstream levels

THE DEAL

(Discovery Sport D180 SE)

Monthly cost £399 (48 payments) Deposit £8498 (after £3k contribution) Annual mileage allowance 10,000 APR 4.9%

Cash price £43,1755

OR IF YOU’RE PAYING CASH

Discovery Sports are in high demand and hold their value well, so going for the PCP is a better bet than hoping for a secondhand steal