ROAD TEST
Land Rover Discovery Sport Si4 HSE Luxury
Johannesburg - As the replacement for the Freelander, the new Discovery Sport represents the most affordable way to get into the Land Rover family with its starting price of 546 grand.
Not exactly bargain-basement, but this new Landy offers a big saving compared to a full-sized Land Rover Discovery or a Range Rover Evoque which respectively start at R185 000 and R135 000 higher.
Built on the same chassis as the Evoque, the Disco Sport is Landy’s answer to compact SUVs like the Audi Q5, Infiniti QX50, Lexus NX and BMW X3, and also the 4x4 versions of the Jeep Cherokee. Like the Cherokee, the Landy has more of an offroading focus than the other aforementioned SUVs but still lays on a thick helping of luxury. The Discovery Sport also has the advantage of offering a pair of toddler seats in a third row to make it a 5+2 seater where the rest of its rivals take just five occupants.
With toddlers absent, that rear row flips down into the floor to make for a flat and roomy luggage bay that’s further expandable by either folding down the middle row seats or sliding them forward.
A space-saver spare wheel is mounted under the chassis to make more boot space available.
SPACE AND LUXURY
For a mid-sized SUV the Discovery Sport has a generously-sized cabin and with the adjustable middle-row seats in their rearmost position the occupants have nearly as much legroom as in a Range Rover – which is plenty.
There’s a lot to like about the Discovery Sport’s inner sanctum and it blends a modern design with a fairly masculine and rugged vibe. A lot of it comes straight out of the Evoque including the hooded instrument dials, the twist-knob gearshift and the stitched-leather fascia.
It’s a fairly luxurious feel all round, although the effect was cheapened by our test car developing a couple of interior rattles – an irritation that’s out of place in a vehicle with this kind of pricetag.
Costs vary substantially across the Discovery Sport range depending on which of the three engines and which spec level you choose. Opt for the entry-level TD4 S version and you get items like an 8” touchscreen infotainment system, aircon, electrically-powered glass and push button start – features common across the nine-model range – but the seats are cloth covered and manually adjustable. If you want things like cowhide, navigation, electrically adjustable seats and climate control you have to shell out a lot more.
A three-year/100 000km warranty and five-year/100 000km maintenance plan is part of the deal right across the spectrum.
The top-of-the-range Si4 HSE Luxury version (the subject of this test) comes with ‘Windsor’ leather, a more luxurious cowhide than found in the middle-spec models. It also gets extras over the other models such as a surround camera system, blind-spot monitor, and a memory for the electrically adjustable front seats among many other tricks. It’s a formidable spec sheet for a similarly formidable pricetag of R739 300, which brings this top-spec Discovery Sport well into Evoque price territory. Even then, you can still choose from a raft of extra-cost options like a head-up display, automatic parking, and as many as six USB charging sockets.
ZESTY POWER DELIVERY
The three engine choices in the Discovery Sport range comprise a 2-litre petrol turbo and two versions of a 2.2 turbodiesel – a 140kW/420Nm unit and a lower-priced 100kW/400Nm version.
The 2-litre petrol powering the test car is the same 177kW/340Nm engine found in the Evoque and Jaguar XF. All versions are paired with the same nine-speed auto ‘box as now found in the Evoque.
It has a zesty power delivery that hauls this fairly heavy SUV with little effort. The auto gearbox initially felt quite lazy, although the ‘box seemed to get better with time and adapted to my driving style by shifting quicker.
Economy-wise the diesel versions will be a better bet, but our 2-litre petrol test vehicle averaged 11.5 litres per 100km which is pretty good given the performance on offer.
Whereas rivals like the BMW X3, Audi Q5 and Lexus NX are more set up for the urban jungle, the Discovery Sport is geared more toward the muddy, leafy type.
SQUISHY HANDLING
The handling’s a little squishy compared to the more road-focussed SUVs, but with a generous 212mm of ground clearance and decent approach, departure and breakover angles of 25, 31 and 21 degrees respectively, this Landy is able to straddle higher rocks and manoeuvre through trickier turf than most of its competitors. All-wheel drive and electronic stability control work together to ensure very surefooted traction on loose gravel.
Apart from drive to both axles and hill-descent control, all nine Disco Sport derivatives have longer-than-average suspension travel, and a 600mm wading ability. Also standard is a Terrain Response system as found in the Evoque, which allows drivers to choose between General, Grass, Gravel, Snow, Mud, Ruts and Sand settings which alter the car’s throttle, gearbox, steering, and stability-control systems.
While there’s no low-range transfer case, first gear in that nine-speed box essentially takes this role by having a lower-than-usual ratio.
Landy’s newest family member has a good ride quality too, and even the low-profile 19” tyres fitted to our test car dealt contentedly with bumpy roads.
VERDICT
The new Discovery Sport has better-than-average offroad ability in its market segment and also has the advantage of those two extra kiddie seats. This highly-specced Si4 HSE Luxury derivative is on the pricey side, however, and the lower-priced derivatives probably represent better value. The rattles in our test vehicle also didn’t impress, and hopefully it’s not a general problem across the range.
Star Motoring
DISCOVERY SPORT VS ITS RIVALS:
Land Rover Discovery Sport Si4 HSE Luxury
177kW/340Nm
R739 300
ground clearance 212mm
length 4589mm
Audi Q5 2.0T SE quattro
165kW/350Nm
R636 000
ground clearance n/a
length 4644mm
BMW X3 xDrive 28i
180kW/400Nm
R648 809
ground clearance 204mm
length 4657mm
Infiniti QX50 3.7 GT Premium
235kW/360Nm
R670 476
ground clearance 175mm
length 4630mm
Jeep Cherokee 3.2 4x4 Limited
200kW/315Nm
R603 990
ground clearance 200mm
length 4623mm
Lexus NX 200t F-Sport
175kW/350Nm
R673 100
ground clearance 190mm
length 4630mm