"Driven"

Tom Voelk: Small Land Rovers
are nothing new,

Evoque and LR2 have been around
for a few years.

This is the LR2's replacement -
Discovery Sport

competing with BMW X3, Audi Q5
and Volvo XC60

I'm happy to see Land Rover ditch

forgettable alpha-numeric nomenclature
for words that people understand ...

there's a concept!

Discovery Sport and Evoque are built on
the same bones but

the Disco here is 9 inches longer with a
more traditional roof line.

Starting at $38,000, this top shelf HSE Lux
retails for fifty 'large',

all-wheel-drive is standard -
I would hope so, considering the brand!

There's 8.3 inches of ground clearance.

The Ford-sourced turbo 2-Liter 4-cylinder

has 240 HP and ... 251 lb-ft of torque.

The transmission has 9-speeds, 
a Sport Mode and manual ability.

Terrain Response is
the Garanimals of off-roading ...

call up the surface you want to cross and

the all-wheel-drive system
optimises accordingly.

Most of these rigs will live their lives
on pavements

and 0 to 60 in just under 8 seconds
is quick enough

It's the way the power is delivered ...

I'm in standard drive mode,
drop the throttle ...

there's an awful lot of lag,

not fun in cut-and-thrust city driving.

Sport mode improves response.

The 9-speed aggressively up-shifts
for best fuel economy

on center-field, is locked-down.

The ride quality is firm but not harsh.

It's quiet for long road trips,
surprisingly comfortable.

Cornering is well controlled.

Safety-tech includes automatic
emergency braking.

The lane-departure system discreetly warns
with steering wheel vibration.

All call Jeep Cherokee and
competitors since it,

and Discovery Sport play where
soft-roaders can't.

It doesn't break a sweat on this
moderate closed course.

I've got to question how many owners are

really going to off-road a vehicle
this expensive

but a guys got to test!

Ford water nearly two-feet deep,
the doors are water-tight.

Disco has moves - approach, break-over
and departure angles are quite good;

Don't try this in a Lexus NX.

Monitor the wheels and differential
while slogging through the sloppy stuff,

Discovery isn't a rock-crawler
like Wrangler

but it does more than most
families need.

And the clan will enjoy the cabin
that's roomy for the class;

Solid materials aren't as impressive
as top-shelf Range Rovers

but, hey, those can be twice the price.

An improved user-interface is stylish
and straight-forward

though lethargic at times.

There are storage hooks and nooks
including a hidden hiding spot

under this removable cup holder
for small stuff.