Discovery Sport shines in the bush

Published May 15, 2015

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By: Jesse Adams

The Range Rover Evoque is a very nice car with sexy lines, a swankily swathed interior and an elitist badge that looks just as at home out on the trail or parked outside larney eateries.

But, it is rather expensive for a premium compact SUV, and its sloping roof line does limit cabin space for adventurous families and all their gear. Its tiny back window also restricts rearward visibility, and offers only a small space to apply stick figure family decals.

The new Land Rover Discovery Sport addresses these issues. It’s cheaper than its fancy-pants cousin, comes with a bigger boot, a third seating row, and gets a bigger back window for huge stick figure family application.

Jokes aside, this is a more sensible offering. Other than one bare bones Defender model, the Disco Sport is now the most affordable way into the Landy family with a price range that effectively fills the gap left by the now extinct Freelander – even if Land Rover adamantly denies this is a replacement for that model. Trust us ... it is.

ALL-WHEEL DRIVE STANDARD

The Disco Sport is built upon the same chassis as the Evoque, although it is stretched a bit and gets its own rear suspension designed for better offroad articulation. Price and size-wise this is a direct competitor to SUVs like Audi’s Q5 and Beemer’s X3, but the Disco’s unique selling point is most certainly its skill off the beaten path.

All nine models in the South African line-up come standard with all-wheel drive along with other offroad goodies like hill-descent control, a variable centre diff coupling and a slightly more basic version of the Terrain Response system found in more expensive models such as the full-size Discovery. Here drivers can choose between General, Grass Gravel, Snow, Mud, Ruts and Sand settings which alter the car’s throttle, gearbox, steering, and stability control systems to suit those specific situations.

There are three engine choices available, all of which are common to other Jaguar and Landy models. The sole petrol derivative gets the same 2-litre turbo with 177kW and 340Nm as the Evoque and Jag XF; and the 2.2 turbodiesel also makes a familiar 140kW and 420Nm. The cheapest Disco Sport, a TD4 S which sells for over 100 grand less than the least-expensive Evoque, gets the same 2.2 but downtuned to a unique 110kW and 400Nm. All versions are paired with the same nine-speed auto ‘box as now found in the Evoque.

PLUSH CABIN

The Sport’s interior is a massive step up from the Freelander’s, with classy leather upholstery, smooth surfaces and a stylised dashboard complete with a next-gen colour touchscreen infotainment system which makes its Jag/Landy debut here. It is clear though, that this cabin is finished a notch or two below the sweetly stitched and decadently decked-out Evoque’s, and it’s for this reason alone that there’s such a price gap between the two. The Sport’s more plasticky bits are definitely more suited to wiping down with a cloth after a hard day in the bush.

It’s a spacious place, with plenty of head room, and the second seating row slides on rails to maximise leg room depending on how much cargo’s at the back. The flat-folding sixth and seventh seats which come standard in all but the lowest TD4 S are, however, more makeshift passenger places than actual seats, and are obviously intended for toddlers with stubby little legs. I must mention that up to seven USB ports can be fitted (at extra cost), so that every stick figure represented on the tailgate can charge their phones or other devices. Cool feature.

AT HOME IN THE DIRT

We drove the two most powerful engine choices, both in range-topping HSE Lux trim at the media launch held last week near Prince Albert in the Karoo, where varying terrain afforded the chance to feel the car on smooth tar, ragged ruts, and everything in between. Let’s be clear here ... the “Sport” part of this vehicle’s badge more aptly applies to mountaineering than attacking apexes racetrack-style. On the scale of all-road ability, where Q5s and X3s might lean a little more towards clean cornering, this Land Rover is more at home at the dirty end.

This Disco shines particularly well on loose gravel roads where its suspension smooths steering wheel feedback to little more than a wiggle, and in extreme rock-crawling conditions its clever traction systems and 212mm ground clearance make light work of things. It’s also a comfy cruiser out on the open road, but I found both engines a bit noisy especially when worked hard, and with nine ratios to choose from the transmission tends to search for the optimal gearing more often than seems necessary.

My only other gripe is an extensive options list, and even items like full-size spare wheel (R2500) come at extra cost. Strange that even flagship HSE Lux models require some box ticking if you want things like Lane Departure Warning (R6200), auto high beams (R3700) and tyre pressure monitors (R6500).

PRICES

TD4 S - R545 901

SD4 S - R595 020

Si4 S - R598 200

SD4 SE - R640 320

Si4 SE - R643 500

SD4 HSE - R697 020

Si4 HSE - R700 200

SD4 HSE Lux - R736 120

Si4 HSE Lux - R739 300

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Land-Rover