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If you’re in the market for a family-friendly, practical SUV, the Land Rover Discovery Sport is a great choice. But there’s more to it than its space for people and things. Land Rover has a reputation for building cars that can drive across incredibly tough off-road terrain, which the Discovery Sport more than lives up to. It also looks great inside and out, comes well equipped and has a way of making every journey feel like a bit of an adventure.
The seven-seat Discovery Sport has been sold since 2014, when it replaced the Land Rover Freelander. The model was updated in 2019, with slightly different exterior styling, a more stylish and high-tech interior, and updated engines and suspension.
A large selection of petrol and diesel engines is available in the Discovery Sport. Petrol engines have power ranging from 197-286bhp, and diesels have 148-237bhp. The post-2019 version is also available with plug-in hybrid power. Some models have a manual gearbox, but automatics are much more popular. Many – but not all – models have four-wheel drive.
There are three ‘core’ trim levels – S, SE and HSE. They’re all well-equipped, the HSE luxuriously so. You can also get models with the R-Dynamic pack, which includes a sporty-looking bodykit and bigger wheels. There have also been some special edition models with unique equipment and styling packages, including the Landmark Edition and Urban Edition.
There are many variations in the tech and features that have been available for the Discovery Sport over the years. Since it went on sale, all versions have come with a touchscreen infotainment system, climate control, cruise control, Bluetooth and DAB radio as standard. Many models also have sat nav, heated leather seats, a panoramic glass roof, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
Discovery Sport models with a petrol engine can give average fuel economy of up to 30mpg, according to official figures, and diesels can give 38-57mpg, depending on exactly which combination of engine and gearbox is fitted. You can read more about the plug-in hybrid below.
Annual Vehicle Excise Duty (car tax) charges are in the same ballpark as those for similar cars. Bear in mind that cars sold since 2017 incur an extra annual charge if they had cost more than £40,000 when new.
Rivals to the Discovery Sport include the Mercedes-Benz GLB, the Skoda Kodiaq, the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Toyota Highlander. The Land Rover can’t quite match the build quality of the Mercedes, or the space of the other cars. But it’s much more capable off-road, can tow more weight, looks great and has a big feel-good factor.
It may be the smallest Land Rover, but there’s still generous space in the Discovery Sport. You should be able to get comfortable in the front, however tall you are, and there’s enough room in the back for people of about six feet tall. Three adults can fit across the back seat comfortably enough for short journeys.
If you have two or even three children, there should be all the space you need. Installing a child seat onto the Isofix mounts is easily done, too. Many Discovery Sport models also have an extra pair of seats that fold out of the boot floor. There’s not enough space in them to make them comfortable for adults on longer trips but they’re very handy if you want to carry seven for shorter journeys.
The Discovery Sport has a large boot in five-seat mode. Land Rover quotes a capacity of 829 litres measured up to the roof. Even packed just up to the window line, you can cram in everything you need for a week-long family holiday. Bulky things like pushchairs slot in easily and the back seats fold down if you need to bring even more stuff. Plus all Discovery Sport models (apart from plug-in hybrids) can tow at least 2,000kg.
The Discovery Sport is the smallest model in the Land Rover range. Both the Defender and Discovery are considerably bigger but all three cars share an upmarket feel and have similar off-road ability. Looking at Land Rover’s luxury Range Rover models, the Evoque is closest in size to the Discovery Sport.
Safety organisation Euro NCAP awarded the Discovery Sport a full five-star safety rating. It scored high marks for protecting both adult and child occupants in the event of a crash and it’s generously equipped with driver-safety features. These include automatic emergency braking and lane-departure warning.
The latest Discovery Sport is available with plug-in hybrid power. The P300e model has a 1.5-litre petrol engine, an electric motor and a battery big enough for a zero-emissions range of up to 34 miles. Regularly recharge the battery and you could get fuel economy of up to 134mpg, according to official figures. It also produces low carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions which translates to low VED charges and low benefit-in-kind rates for drivers of company cars.