Recently I test drove Land Rover’s Discovery Sport for a week. I’ve driven this car before at the Irish launch a couple of months ago, and I got a chance to take the machine off road. It impressed me with its 4x4 capabilities, but now that I’ve tested the car properly on the road, the question is – does this machine impress in an all-round way?
The Discovery Sport is Land Rover’s way of clearing out the Freelander. This is the replacement, and it’s in a class of its own for numerous reasons. Off-Road, this vehicle can handle most of what’s thrown at it, and take it onto city roads, back lanes, motorways and towns and you’ll find that the Discovery Sport can make itself at home anywhere.
What puts this high-end SUV in a class of its own is that it’s the only car among its competitors that offers seven seats. It’s up against the Q5 from Audi, the XC60 from Volvo, and the BMW X3 – and this offering from Land Rover has figured out a way of comfortably fitting in two extra seats for the growing family. Now, I’m not saying you’d get two adults comfortably in the rear, like you would in a Kia Sorento – but kids will love the atmosphere back there.
The Discovery Sport looks good too. It takes many of its design cues from the Range Rover Evoque - which is definitely a good thing. Inside you’ll find an easy to use eight-inch touch screen. The seats are large and comfortable, and the ride height is high (as should be expected in an SUV of this ilk).
On the road the steering is sharp, and unlike other SUVs I’ve driven, this Land Rover doesn’t suffer too much from body roll on tight corners. I think that it’s best described as being precise, and it feels very safe on the road. It can be a bit shaky going over speed bumps – but that’s what the ramps are designed for! The Discovery Sport is pretty economical too. I was getting approximately 8l/100 km – which is above what Land Rover claim for it, but I was pushing it.
Where the Land Rover Discovery Sport surprises is in its price. To make the leap into one of these the starting price is in and around the €37,000 mark – which isn’t astronomical when you consider that it costs about €3,000 less than the Freelander before it. If you’re looking for a seven-seater you can add nearly €2,000 onto that price.
There are two engines available at the moment in Ireland - a TD4 150PS and an SD4 190PS 2.2litre turbodiesel. Both engines produce 420Nm of torque. Land Rover will introduce a more efficient ED4 turbodiesel engine which should offer enhanced fuel economy and CO2 emissions as low as 119g/km.
Overall, I find it difficult to fault this motor. It’s more than capable, and dare I say it, fun. The only negative I’d have is that the interior isn’t as “premium” as you’d want from a Land Rover – it’s extremely comfortable though!
