Item: Land Rover Discovery Sport
Rating: 4

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Launched at the end of 2019, the second-generation Land Rover Discovery Sport brought significant changes to what was already a successful package, and helped to bolster the baby Disco’s position in the family SUV segment.

The second-gen car brought with it a revised platform that would later allow for the introduction of the P300e plug-in hybrid variant, a much reduced weight and a fleet of new engines with 48V mild-hybrid assistance for better fuel economy and reduced emissions.

It also gained JLR’s Pivi Pro infotainment system alongside some extra safety features to bring it right up to date with the freshest rivals on sale.

Even since its original launch in late 2014, the Land Rover Discovery Sport has been a key player in the premium compact SUV segment, not least for its upmarket appeal but for its unrivalled off-road capability.

Its commanding driving position, suite of go-anywhere modes and Discovery aesthetic means it certainly inspires confidence, and has the character of a bigger, more capable car.

For 2024, the Discovery Sport has received another update, with the new version sporting a slightly tweaked exterior design, new interior technology and revised engine line-up.

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 7

Land Rover Discovery Sport

Interior tech update has hindered ease of use, but strong practicality, comfort and refinement remain

Good

Combines genuinely class-leading off-road capability and capable on-road manners

Practical interior with plenty of flexibility

Bad

Lack of physical controls for certain functions has impacted interior usabilty

Not the most fuel-efficient car in its class

PHEV electric ranger shorter than European rivals

DESIGN & STYLING

Pros

Broad dimensions allows for plenty of passenger space

Cons

PHEV is heavy with a kerb weight of 2163kg

Starting to look its age

You have to look pretty hard to spot the cosmetic changes to the latest Discovery Sport.

In fairness, the revisions to Land Rover’s longstanding family SUV have centred on the interior, but it was deemed big enough for them to fettle the styling at the same time.

I like the black exterior styling trims, which break up its expansive bodywork quite effectively.
Matt Saunders
Road test editor

Up front there's a revised gloss black grille and new LED headlights. Mid-level Dynamic SE and range-topping Dynamic HSE can now be had with a gloss black roof, lower sills, wheel arches and lower bumpers for what Land Rover says it's a “sportier, more aggressive” stance.

It still rides on the same D8 Premium Transverse architecture that is derived from the old D8 platform of the previous car. It was much lighter than the D8 and was designed to accommodate 48V mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains.

The engine line-up is more trimmed down than when the car facelifted car launched in 2019, with just two diesel and a petrol plug-in hybrid available. The entry-level D165 uses a mild-hybrid four-cylinder diesel that makes 160bhp and 280lb ft of torque, while the popular D200 makes 201bhp and 317lb ft.

The petrol plug-in hybrid P270e is fitted with a 12.17kWh (usable) battery, which offers an electric driving range of up to 37 miles. It is powered by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine and an electric motor mounted in the rear axle for a combined output of 265bhp and 398lb ft. The engiine drives the front wheels while the electric motor drives the rear wheels.

Trim-wise, you can have the entry-level S, which gets 18in wheels, duo-leather seats, 12-way driver and 10-way passenger seats and a digital driver display.

Moving up to Dynamic SE adds larger 19in wheels, LED headlights, a Meridian sound system, panoramic roof and interactive driver display. Topping the range is the Dynamic HSE, which gets 20in wheels, fancy gloss black trim. 14-way, heated and cooled electric seats and matrix LED headlights.

INTERIOR

Pros

Practical, spacious and versatile, especially with a third row of seats

Robust and yet premium feel to the cabin

Cons

Removal of physical controls for air con has had negative impact on usability

Touchscreen is fiddly and crammed full of too many different functions

No seven-seat option in the PHEV

As the old saying goes, ‘if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it’ and you get the feeling that with this latest update Land Rover’s baby Discovery has taken a step backwards when it comes to interior usability.

Previously, you had a central touchscreen and a cluster of rotary knobs and buttons for the climate controls, which meant changing the temperature or fan speed was a seamless process.

The temperature control is far too fiddly to adjust via the screen compared to the rotary dial in the previous model
Sam Phillips
Staff Writer

They’re now gone, with the Disco following its Range Rover cousins by adopting a more minimalist cabin and JLR’s latest 11.4in Pivi Pro touchscreen.

It houses all of the car’s key functions, so rather than using the physical controls like before, you have to prod and poke around with the screen to use the air conditioning, and other useful features, which is far more distracting when you’re driving.

The screen itself is generally good but it’s far from perfect: there are far too many menus and sub menus to deal with, and some of the icons are frustratingly small which again makes it a challenge to use on the move – it’s also not the most responsive system either.

That said, it's easy to connect your phone via Apple Carplay and Android Auto, which you'll likely use most of the time, and the fit and finish of the cabin has a premium feel to it.

Some materials, like those in the centre console, feel a bit cheap, but there’s soft touch elements in all the right places and it feels robust, without sacrificing on quality.

When it comes to practicality the Discovery Sport really hits its stride. Head room is generous even if you add the optional panoramic roof, and the second-row of seats can slide for and aft to either increase leg room or boot capacity.

The diesels can be had with a third row of seats, with the plug-in hybrid losing out due to the boot space being taken up by the battery. With seven seats, it does give the Disco an added layer of versatility, even if it is only children who will find them comfortable over any distance.

Along with good storage – there are generous door bins and various other cubbies, plus a decently capacious boot – the Discovery Sport feels very much the archetypal multi-tool car, albeit one with no small sense of occasion.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

Pros

D200 diesel has substantial low-end grunt

More than enough performance to make relaxing progress

Cons

Diesel does lack mechanical refinement

Automatic gearbox can be a abrupt and jerky when pulling away

Performance against the stopwatch is likely to be of little concern for a car whose duties are bound to that of serving the family.

But with such a broad and diverse range of rivals, reasonable pace and decent drivability are required here, whether you're four-up with a boot full of clobber or trundling to work.

Our D200 test car, with its mild-hybrid 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel that makes 201bhp and 317lb ft of torque, felt more than up to task.

Sure, it remains a sauntering sort, as showcased by its 8.3sec 0-60mph time (8.1sec for the five-seater), but it makes for relaxing progress and has more gusto than the previous-generation D180.

It’s easy to make steady progress in the Sport, and it manages to capture the relaxed and generally pleasing nature of its larger sibling. It settles into a cruise seamlessly and feels at home on the motorway and that diesel never feels like it's working particularly hard.

That said, the D200 did lack a bit of mechanical refinement and sounded a bit gruff at lower speeds. The nine-speed automatic gearbox, despite being generally smooth, was also a little unsophisticated in places.

At lower speeds the initial response from the transmission can be a bit jerky when downshifts are occasionally accompanied by a small but still noticeable driveline shunt.

It can also be busy at higher speeds when you need to overtake and takes its time to find the right ratio before you accelerate.

The plug-in hybrid is a little more refined, switching between its two powertrains in smooth and uninterrupted fashion. It gets up to speed briskly and while there’s a discernible thrum from the three-cylinder petrol engine, it is never rough sounding.

Rolling refinement is good across the range, with little wind and road noise filtering into the cabin.

RIDE & HANDLING

Pros

Comfortable and pliant in most instance; settled into a cruise nicely on the motorway

Better than rivals when it comes to off-road ability

Cons

Fair amount of roll through the corners

Struck dumb by sharp edges and potholes in town

Much like the Discovery, the Sport drives in a more laid-back manner that is recognisably Land Rover in feel. The steering is quite leisurely geared, which means it’s not the most agile of compact SUVs, but it feels composed.

Being quite tall, there is a fair amount of lean through bends, although it never lollops down a B-road. Once you get into a flow it makes for a pleasant driving experience, just don’t try driving it too hard at pace.

The Discovery Sport’s body unsurprisingly rolls in corners, but it’s a well-controlled shifting mass that doesn’t detract from a pleasant, if not pin-sharp, driving experience
Matt Saunders
Road test editor

Exceed the Discovery Sport’s limits and you’ll realise that the chassis and its all-season tyres aren’t loaded with grip. The four-wheel drive system helps to keep things in check though, and the steering and pedals are nicely weighted. While it might not be defined by its agility, the overall driving experience is enjoyable.

Our test car was fitted with adaptive dampers and in Comfort mode, it did manage to iron out the worst road surfaces and potholes well. It’s a little less pliant around town, the 21in wheels often caught out by sharp edges and potholes.

The chassis has a tendency to pick up road imperfections, with the odd jostle and a thud the price paid for the Land Rover’s off-road ability. It does wallow somewhat on cross country roads, but it never feels uncontrolled and out on the open road it's comfortable and assured.

The heavier P270e feels stiffer than its diesel counterparts, and isn’t as comfortable with lumps and bumps.

That said, there’s more sophistication to the ride on the motorway where the Discovery Sport operates slickly, isolating those in the cabin from expansion joints and rough surfaces.

And while some rivals might be able to deal with rougher surfaces on the road, the Discovery Sport trumps these for off-road ability, with a 600mm wading depth and excellent departure and breakover angles.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

Pros

Undercuts closest rivals on price

Cons

Sub-40-mile EV range is no match for European rivals

Diesel economy is ok but not outstanding

With prices starting from £44,540 for the entry-level D165 diesel, the Discovery Sport undercuts the likes of the Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Volvo XC60 on price.

Even the plug-in hybrid variant is cheaper than its closest competitors, but then the X3 (54 miles) and XC60 (51 miles) can travel much further in pure EV mode.

The P270e will likely appeal to company car owners for its official CO2 emissions figure of 35g/km. It’s also the most economical of the range, with a claimed 185.3mpg, with the electric range helping to keep costs down and being useful for short trips.

When the battery is empty, the three-cylinder petrol can be quite thirsty, and you’ll struggle to benefit from the electric powertrain if you don’t have a home charger.

Land Rover quotes an economy figure of 39.8mpg for the D200 diesel, but you’ll typically see anywhere between that and 42mpg day-to-day. That’s about the same as its rivals but you’d expect a bit more from the additional hybrid technology.

VERDICT

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating: 7

Land Rover Discovery Sport

Interior tech update has hindered ease of use, but strong practicality, comfort and refinement remain

Good

Combines genuinely class-leading off-road capability and capable on-road manners

Practical interior with plenty of flexibility

Bad

Lack of physical controls for certain functions has impacted interior usabilty

Not the most fuel-efficient car in its class

PHEV electric ranger shorter than European rivals

Another facelift for Land Rover’s old stager and it remains a competitive, practical and overtly premium family SUV.

Indeed, there are more comfortable, efficient and quicker alternatives to the Discovery Sport, but there’s no doubting that this is still the leader when the going gets tough.

It maintains the character of more senior Land Rovers and is a comfortable and enjoyable car to drive around in.

But we cannot ignore the fact that this 2024-model-year update has been of little benefit to the interior, with the new touchscreen having a negative impact on usability.

Integrating the climate controls and other functions into the touchscreen has made it far harder to operate on the move, and there are just far too many menus and sub menus to deal with.

The petrol plug-in hybrid might be competitively priced, but its sub-40-mile electric driving range is poor when the current crop of premium family SUVs can do closer to 50 miles on a charge, sometimes more.

Ultimately, rivals like the BMW X3, Audi Q5 and Volvo XC60 are now easier to recommend.

Sam Phillips

Title: Staff Writer

Sam joined the Autocar team in summer 2024 and has been a contributor since 2021. He is tasked with writing used reviews and first drives as well as updating top 10s and evergreen content on the Autocar website.

He previously led sister-title Move Electric, which covers the entire spectrum of electric vehicles, from cars to boats – and even trucks. He is an expert in new car news, used cars, electric cars, microbility, classic cars and motorsport.

Sam graduated from Nottingham Trent University in 2021 with a BA in Journalism. In his final year he produced an in-depth feature on the automotive industry’s transition to electric cars and interviewed a number of leading experts to assess our readiness for the impending ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars.

Matt Saunders

Title: Road test editor

As Autocar’s chief car tester and reviewer, it’s Matt’s job to ensure the quality, objectivity, relevance and rigour of the entirety of Autocar’s reviews output, as well contributing a great many detailed road tests, group tests and drive reviews himself.

Matt has been an Autocar staffer since the autumn of 2003, and has been lucky enough to work alongside some of the magazine’s best-known writers and contributors over that time. He served as staff writer, features editor, assistant editor and digital editor, before joining the road test desk in 2011.

Since then he’s driven, measured, lap-timed, figured, and reported on cars as varied as the Bugatti Veyron, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Tesla Roadster, Ariel Hipercar, Tata Nano, McLaren Senna, Renault Twizy and Toyota Mirai. Among his wider personal highlights of the job have been covering Sebastien Loeb’s record-breaking run at Pikes Peak in 2013; doing 190mph on derestricted German autobahn in a Brabus Rocket; and driving McLaren’s legendary ‘XP5’ F1 prototype. His own car is a trusty Mazda CX-5.