Small Land Rovers are nothing new, Evoque and LR2 have been around for a few years. This is the LR2's replacement, The Land Rover Discovery Sport. I'm happy to see Land Rover ditch forgettable alphanumeric nomenclature for words that people understand.
Discovery Sport and Evoque are built on the same bones but Disco here is nine inches longer with a more traditional roofline. Starting at 38 thousand bucks, this top-shelf HSE LUX model retails for 50 large. All-wheel drive is standard, as expected from a brand like Land Rover.
There's 8.3 inches of ground clearance and Premium fuel is specified. The Ford-sourced turbo 2.0-liter four cylinder has 240 horsepower. The tranny has nine speeds, a sport mode, and manual ability. Most Sports will live their life on pavement and going 0-60 in just under 8 seconds is quick enough, but it's the way the power is delivered
"I'm in standard drive mode. Drop the throttle… and there's an awful lot of lag. Not fun in cut and thrust city driving."
The ride quality is firm, not harsh. Cornering is controlled. Safety tech includes automatic emergency braking.
Discovery Sport plays where soft roaders can't. It doesn't break a sweat on this moderate closed course.
"I have to question how many people are really going to off-road a vehicle this expensive but a guy's got to test."
Driving through Fjord water nearly two feet deep, the doors prove watertight. The Discovery isn't a rock crawler like Wrangler but it does more than most families need.
The clan will enjoy the cabin that's roomy for the class. Solid materials aren't as impressive as top-shelf Range Rovers, but those can be twice the price.
The back seat is a far friendlier place than Evoque. There is a lot more headroom. Choose between maximum legroom and maximum cargo room.
Discovery Sport is available with an optional third row of seating. (I'm assuming it's for very small children)
Land Rover doesn't skimp on details and there's a good amount of space, the in-class average is 8 bundles, Discovery scores an 11.
For those concerned with reliability, the warranty covers 50,000 miles. The Land Rover Discovery Sport gives you the ability to make those miles mild or wild.
