Land Rover Discovery Sport Overview
While the success of the Freelander 2 was overshadowed by the stylish Range Rover Evoque, there is no denying that the car offered a comfortable drive experience and was accompanied by great off-road capability. However, before Land Rover introduced the mildly refreshed Freelander 2, they had already started work on its replacement -the Land Rover Discovery Sport. And now that it is finally here, can it up the ante and set a new benchmark for the brand? For information on contact details of Land Rover car dealers in Chennai
Land Rover Discovery Sport Design
The Discovery Sport has a lot of similarity in styling to an Evoque. Many onlookers even asked if this is the new Evoque and we realised that in colours like white and silver, one could mistake the Discovery Sport as a Range Rover Evoque. Once, the new model year Evoque makes its way into India, we shall note that there is a major difference between the two. To speak of the styling, it has a sleek front grille with pulled back headlamps and DISCOVERY embossed above the grille stating that this is a part of the Discovery family. Land Rover has discontinued the Freelander2 and this is its replacement. There will three families under the Land Rover brand, Range Rover, Discovery and Defender.
The Discovery Sport is the newest member of the Discovery family and it is based on a new platform, which will be used for more Discovery products in the near future. The side profile of the Discovery Sport has a sloping roof, a design that is similar to that of new-generation Land Rovers. The Land Rover design DNA has been retained the clamshell bonnet and the floating roof. The Discovery Sport is certainly a looker.
Land Rover Discovery Sport Cabin
The interior styling of the Discovery Sport matches that of the other new Land Rovers. The new Discovery Sport is the perfect replacement for those who need fresh and modern styling and were hesitating too buy the Freelander2. The Discovery Sport retains high quality interiors but do not expect it to be premium. The Discovery family is about good quality but not premium and there is a difference between the two.
There is the two-dial instrument cluster with white backlight, easy to read and operate. For those not used to Land Rovers the power windows switches are mounted next to the window than the armrest. Another JLR touch is the rising gear knob when you push the ignition switch. The Discovery Sport even has a new centre console, which is simple to operate and functional. The Discovery series is more about being functional than luxurious.
What it misses is the character of the Freelander2, like bigger windows that made the cabin feel airy, the thick and chunky gear stick, the twin vertical chrome strips on the steering wheel that functioned as the horn. These aren’t important but they add some more character the SUV. This is what Freelander did and but the new Discovery series has its own design characteristics.
The things that we liked about the Discovery Sport is the rear seat space and no more stadium like seating that the Freelander2 offered. Then there is also an option of 5+2 seating as well so two children can be seated at the rear making it a complete family SUV. It is available as a fine and seven-seater.
Land Rover Discovery Sport Performance
The Land Rover Discovery Sport is offered with a 2.2-litre, 4-cylinder, turbocharged diesel engine. The oil-burner is offered in two states of tune. The variants with the TD4 trim, including our test vehicle, have the lower state of tune in which the engine churns out 147 HP of power at 3500 RPM and 400 Nm of torque from 1750 RPM. The higher SD4 trim pumps out an extra 40 HP of power and 20 Nm of torque. The engine is mated to the same 9-speed ZF automatic transmission that is also available with the Range Rover Evoque. The Discovery Sport takes 10.5 seconds to complete the 0-100 km/hr sprint which isn’t impressive.
When you flick the gearknob to D and set off, you realise that the engine has almost negligible turbo lag and the SUV responds nicely to throttle inputs but acceleration isn’t aggressive or something that would make you go WOW. Power delivery from the engine is very smooth and linear all the way to the redline. The oil-burner is lacking on power and its top-end performance is really less than satisfactory. The Discovery Sport maxes out at 180 km/hr. The 2.2-litre unit, however, really excels when we talk about refinement or NVH levels which are just brilliant. This is one engine that isn’t meant for quick bursts of acceleration but rather smooth cruising on the highways.
There is a Sport mode on offer too which ups the performance by a very marginal amount. Again, you do not get pushed back into your seat when you give the car the beans and it accelerates linearly. The Discovery Sport cruises at 100 km/hr at 1400 RPM and 1500 RPM in D and S modes respectively and the engine never feels strained while munching miles. The only thing going against the TD4 tune is the lack of top-end and outright performance. The SUV churns out good mileage too and we managed to extract 13-14 km/l on our highway tests which is really good for a vehicle of this class. The transmission is also butter smooth and gear shifts go unnoticed to the driver. Land Rover has always been known for its off-road capabilities and the Discovery Sport is no different. It has a 4WD Terrain Response System that has different modes and settings for gravel, mud, snow, etc. types of road surfaces and we must say that this works terrifically well.
Land Rover Discovery Sport Driving
Driving in city or the highway you won’t run out of steam. There is sufficient grunt in the engine and makes it easy to drive. Ideally drive it in D mode, the S mode is when you want to sprint ahead but the difference isn’t anything major. In D the engine is comfortable as it is mostly in its power band and this is sufficient to drive.
The ride quality of the Discovery Sport is composed and pliant. This SUV glides over potholes with a hint of stiffness that can be left. All the due credit goes to the engineering team. Drive on bad roads and you won’t complain much. The suspension set up is balanced and doesn’t feel rough or unsettled. The chassis too is stiffer and the alacrity is much better. There is hardly any body roll when compared to the Freelander2 and this is at par with the German rivals. The steering wheel is light and convenient to drive on city and it starts to weigh up once the speed increases. There is nothing to complain in this department. There are multiple off-roading modes as well. These are nearly placed on the centre console freeing up space for more stowage.
Land Rover Discovery Sport Safety
The Land Rover Discovery Sport sets the standard for safety in its class and achieved the full five stars in Euro NCAP’s crash tests. An airbag springs up from the top of the bonnet to help reduce head injuries in the case of a pedestrian collision, while interior airbags include one for the driver’s knee, as well as airbags that cover the head, chest and side areas of those up front. There are head and side airbags for passengers in the middle row of seats, too.
An automatic emergency braking system and lane departure assist are other standard features that don’t feature on all rivals. Traffic sign recognition, which displays the speed limit, is optional on all but base SE trim.
Land Rover Discovery Sport Price in Bangalore
Land Rover Discovery Sport Ex-Showroom Price in Bangalore ranges from 42,46,997/- (Discovery Sport 2.0l Diesel Pure 5 Seats) to 52,29,484/- (Discovery Sport 2.0l Diesel HSE Luxury 5 Seats). Get best offers for Land Rover Discovery Sport from Land Rover Dealers in Bangalore. Check for Discovery Sport price in Bangalore at carzprice
Land Rover Discovery Sport Verdict
The Land Rover Discovery Sport is one SUV that will largely appeal to families and those people who want a comfortable cruiser and not a performance oriented vehicle. The British model excels in most departments like comfort, features, looks and mileage and the only thing going against the car is the engine’s performance. However, not everyone out there wants to compete in a drag race and hence the 147 HP trim will suffice to most buyers who restrict usage to the city. For those who want that extra bit of power, they have an option to choose the SD4 trim with more horses. However, while Land Rover calls the Discovery Sport a 7-seater, we really beg to disagree. The third row has so less space that even your kids will complain after a while and the optional third row seat is ridiculously priced at almost Rs. 1.7 lakhs which is just expensive. Buy the Discovery Sport if you’re a family of four and need the boot space to stash all your luggage and enjoy that scenic drive to your favourite hill station, the British SUV won’t disappoint at all.