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Budd Stanley photos
Disco Lives
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Disco Lives
Unfortunately, this was as rugged as we could get, rules are rules.
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Disco Lives
Respectable approach and departure angles should allow the Disco to get deeper than most into the wilderness.
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Disco Lives
The Discovery Sports 212 mm of ground clearance is ideal for jaunts into the bush.
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Disco Lives
Like many Land Rovers, their weakness is large wheels and thin tires.
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Disco Lives
While the interior is well designed, there are still a couple build issues. This panel never stayed put.
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Disco Lives
A rotary dial rises from the centre console when the Discovery Sport is started. The Terrain Response system makes up the bottom row of the centre stack.
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Budd Stanley photos
Disco Lives
A panoramic roof keeps the interior bright.
Story & photos by Budd Stanley
Land Rover’s Discovery Sport revives a classic name, but does it live up?
Yes, Disco lives, but before we get into Land Rovers newest small ute, lets straighten out some confusing nomenclature. Yes, the Discovery changed its name to the LR3 here in Canada back in 2004, which has since been dubbed the LR4 for the last six years while the same vehicle is still lovingly referred to as the Discovery everywhere else in the world. Will the next LR4 become the Discovery once again, or possibly the LR5, we just don’t know at this point in time.
Now, the new Discovery Sport, while having no trademark Discovery details, is essentially the replacement for the LR2 (you may remember it as the Freelander) and makes use of the same platform as the Evoque. Given that, you can surmise that the Discovery Sport likely has the playfulness of the Evoque with slightly more versatility. You would be right, the Discovery Sport ticks both boxes with a sporty character and the option to carry up to seven people – five comfortably.
The interior is a tale of pros and cons. It is a very nice place to spend your time, especially when outfitted with the full glass ceiling like my tester. The seats held me well and the seating position gives the driver a very connected feeling with the vehicle. You don’t sit high like the old Disco, but snug down in the body with high doors to help give you a feeling of being part of the vehicle.
The interior design is simplistic yet pleasing to the eye, although to the touch it is another story. Materials feel rather cheap and brittle for a luxury vehicle, and the rear fuse panel cover would continuously fall out with only a few bumps in the road. Vision out of rear is brutal, thank god Land Rover allow the rear view camera to be used while driving to double as rear view mirror. Another quibble has to be the hands free voice activation. It seemed as though the nice lady coming over the speakers could not understand my Canadian accent, so much so that she lost patience with me before I had time to lose patience with her. It’s a “two strikes and you’re out” type relationship that I didn’t bother to rekindle.
On the road, I instantly fell in love with the Discovery Sport. Despite a raised ground clearance, the Disco attacks corners like a sports car. Planted suspension, quick ratio steering and neutral handling throughout the entry, apex and exit of a corner gives the driver a huge amount of confidence. The little 2.0L turbo four-cylinder provided a healthy dose of power for a crossover powering all four wheels, pushing me along confidently, while eeking out 8.8L/100km on the highway and 9.9L/100km on the freeway with the aid of the 9-speed automatic transmission. It is most likely one of the most fun-to-drive crossovers I’ve had in my hands in quite a long time. Likely not since the Evoque, have I enjoyed a crossover this much.
I can’t say how well the Discovery Sport performed off-road. Unfortunately, Land Rover will not allow us to take their products “off-road,” and that's probably for the best, as I did get a sense of the Disco’s abilities driving up a rather steep well-groomed service road to one of my favourite hiking trails. Despite using Land Rovers Terrain Response system, the weight of gravity quickly overcame the tires grip on the road, all the traction control and electronic wizardry was all for not as I was forced to double back.
The issue here is that the wheels are too big, the tires are too narrow and there is no low-range gear. The Terrain Response system does a heroic job of imitating locking differentials and the Discover Sport does have respectable 25-degree approach and 31-degree departure angles, but in the end, the tires just don’t have enough grip to comply. Excellent for on-road fun, but just doesn’t cut it when conditions deteriorate.
In all, I quite enjoyed my time in the Discovery Sport. The lack of any off-roading time really wasn’t an issue as this is not an off-roading vehicle. Like the Evoque, this will get an off-road beginner into some out-of-the-way campsites and into some light terrain. Once you’ve conquered that, you can start looking at an LR4 or Ranger Rover. For the daily driver that wants to enjoy a twisty mountain road and venture into the wilderness occasionally, the Discovery Sport is a great choice.
SPECIFICATIONS:
- MSRP: $41,790
- Price as tested: $48,290
- Engine: 2.0L Turbo I-4
- Power: 240 hp, 250 lb-ft
- Transmission: 9-speed automatic
- Curb Weight: 2,015 kg (4,442 lb)
- Wheelbase: 2,741 mm (107.9 in)
- Ground Clearance: 212 mm (8.3 in)
- Approach Angle Deg: 25
- Departure Angle Deg: 21
- Ramp Breakover Angle: 31
- Wading Depth: 483 mm (19 in)
- Tow Capacity: 2,000 kg (4,409 lb)
- Fuel Efficiency (L/100km): 11.9 City, 9.0 Highway, 10.6 Combined