"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 model 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 hiding spot
under this removable cup holder for small stuff.
Leather seats are vented and heated.
Discovery Sport's back seat is a far friendlier place than Evoque's
There is a lot more headroom.
Choose between maximum legroom and maximum cargo room.
Phone charging is no problem unless you forget a cord!
Toast your buns and enjoy the view. The fixed glass roof is dramatic.
Two can stretch out here, three will be okay.
Discovery Sport is available with an optional third row of seating ...
I'm assuming it's for 'very' small children.
It eliminates this storage space under the cargo floor.
Land Rover does not skimp on the details and there's a good amount of space here.
The in-class average is 8 bundles. Discovery scores an 11.
Design cues from Evoque are a nice touch
but it's more fun to add your own ... ... in brown!
to show the neighbors that you can tackle the tough stuff.
Some find this shape too ordinary and not Range Rover-y enough
and, for those concerned with reliability, the warranty covers 50,000 miles.
Discovery Sport give you the ability to make them 'mild' or 'wild'!