Land Rover Discovery Sport 2019 Review

Given the subtle changes to the latest Land Rover Discovery Sport, you might be surprised to know it is in fact an all-new model. It starts underneath with a new platform to accommodate mild hybrid power train (and plug-in electric, due soon). And despite the gentle exterior changes, it has received major revisions throughout.

The design updates have been sympathetic for good reason: the first Disco Sport was a neat styling exercise. The eagle-eyed among you will spot that the doors, roof, tailgate and bonnet are the same but it has a cleaner-looking face with all the lower lighting moved into the main lenses; the rear has a revised lower bumper detail and new lights freshen it up.

Inside is where there has been a real step up with a brand new facia and seating. Gone is the rotary gear selection dial in favour of a sensible and intuitive lever. There are hints of the earlier model with the two vertical finishers either side of the central console but it has a more premium feel with plainer surfaces and fewer buttons.

Most impressive is the new, lower screen. It has easy-to-use rotary dials with a buttons to change their function from temperature to terrain settings. This is a big win over the more complicated lower screen in the Range Rover models; it’s extremely neat and doesn’t cause unnecessary cabin illumination at night.

Interior space is good, with 5+2 seating. It’s a slight squeeze for access and egress to the rear-most seats but flexing the cabin space between seating and luggage is easy and there’s up to 1,754 litres load capacity.

Engines and trims

Under the bonnet you’ll find the familiar Jaguar Land Rover four-cylinder Ingenium engines. There is an entry front-wheel-drive-only D150 model with manual gearbox (and no terrain response feature) which emits just 144 g/km of CO2. All others are automatic and all-wheel-drive with D150, D180 and D240 diesels to choose from and P200 and P250 comprising the petrols. A three-cylinder plug-in hybrid is due very soon.

Trim levels are the Discovery Sport, S, SE and HSE with additional R-Dynamic variants. S brings in some desirable features over the base spec. such as larger 18-inch wheels, powered front seats, auto dimming mirror, navigation, smartphone pack, traffic sign recognition with dynamic speed limiter and power folding door mirrors making it the sensible entry point.

Driving on the road

The new Discovery Sport has much improved manners on the road: it rides better, it handles more tautly and is simply better composed. After many hours behind the wheel, the it showed its true ability: being a comfortable tourer.

We drove the D180 and P200. Both offer perfectly adequate (if not startling) performance. The diesel offered the best economy and torque; the petrol was marginally smoother and slightly quicker at 8.5 vs. 9.1 seconds from rest to 62mph.

Driving off road

No Land Rover product launch would be without some off-road capability sections and even if you don’t plan to head into the muddy stuff, we can assure you the new Discovery Sport’s abilities are admirable. Remember this model doesn’t have the clever air suspension found on some of the larger models; it’s springs all round. Yet it coped well with all manner of muddy challenges and the clever electronics were unobtrusive yet very able.

The notable off-road improvement is with the hill descent control which now kicks in much earlier so there’s no nervous moment ahead of the car taking control; it’s all more responsive and there is much less drama than in the previous model.

As you’d expect, there’s good ground clearance (212mm), the 25 degree approach and 30.2 degree departure angles (check) mean the chances of scuffing your Disco are slim and with the ever increasing risk of floods, its 600mm wading depth is useful. And of course, there’s between 1.8 and 2.5 tonnes towing capacity (depending on model) which should cover most people’s needs.

Summing up

The Discovery Sport is a stand-out model, with its practicality, good road manners and reassuring off-road ability. Improved interior space and the more upmarket dashboard complete this good all-round package.

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