Land Rover Discovery Sport – a mix of modern tech and old fashioned quality

Since first emerging from the Rover car company in 1947, as a prototype with a central driving position, Land Rover has been synonymous with off-road prowess. In fact the last Defender still owed much to its immediate post-war cousin.

Of course today the talk is still all about Defender, but this time in its newest form. Which brings me neatly on to talk about a completely different Land Rover!

The Discovery Sport, although having a trendy, upmarket image, is in today’s terms reasonably affordable. Prices for the range start at €41,306/£34,480, and if that seems somewhat less than cheap, well I have recently been driving a Toyota RAV4 that’s listed at €40,477/£35,500.

The other thing that surprises with the Discovery Sport is a lead-in model with two-wheel-drive. More SUVs come in two-wheel-drive than four nowadays but a two-wheel-drive Land Rover still comes as surprise.

My particular Discovery Sport was the aforementioned lead-in model with two-wheel-drive, turbocharged 2.0-litre diesel engine and manual transmission. The easy way to tell a Sport from a standard Discovery is not only the size but the Sport doesn’t have that, to some, rather annoying offset rear number plate. The Sport coms with both petrol and diesel options along with Mild Hybrid Electric assistance and Plug-in Hybrid Electric assistance.

The lead-in Discovery Sport may come at a surprisingly affordable price but of course, by the time you’ve ticked some option boxes the price can climb quicker than a Land Rover up a mountain. It’s far from difficult to add well into four figures purely on optional extras..

That said the standard, although it is rather more than that, specification is pretty decent with heated front seats, auto lights and wipers, heated and powered door mirrors, auto dimming rear view mirrors, dual zone climate control, cruise control, front and rear parking aids, tyre pressure monitoring system and Android Auto and Apple Car Play. As one would expect there’s also a panoply of safety kit and a myriad of other standard features.

Reliability has to be mentioned as there’s much talk about the lack of it with Land Rovers. While I know people who have had issues, equally I know many that have experienced no issues whatsoever.

Despite my Discovery on having power to the front wheels it felt highly effective and confidence inspiring. Inside the Land Rover it’s a very nice place to be, a mix of modern tech and quality materials. Good power delivery, smooth gear changes and decent handling are the hallmarks of what is an impressive machine.

Facts at a Glance

· Model: Land Rover Discovery Sport D165 FWD

· Engine: 2.0-Litre, 4-cylinder, turbocharged diesel developing 165PS

· Gears: 6-speed manual

· Performance: 0-100 kmh (60 mph) Petrol 9.8 secs

· Maximum Speed Petrol 201 kmh (125 mph)

· Economy: Petrol 6.38 l/100km (44.3 mpg) WLTP

· Emissions: Petrol 167g/km

Model tested was UK-specification and equipment levels and prices may vary in other markets.

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