Land Rover Discovery Sport review

The Discovery Sport is priced competitively against five-seat premium rivals such as the BMW X3 and Audi Q5, both of which are less practical. However, the Discovery Sport’s problem comes when you compare it with less premium alternatives, such as the Kia Sorento and Peugeot 5008, where it suddenly looks expensive.

As long as you’re aware that you can get bigger seven-seat SUVs for less money and are willing to pay the premium for the Discovery’s upmarket image, it makes decent financial sense. It will hold its value well and the 178bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine emits a similar amount of CO2 as an equivalent X3 or Q5. Real-world economy is slightly disappointing, but not horrendously so.

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The entry-level Pure trim has some niceties, including part-leather upholstery, cruise control, rear parking sensors and an 8.0in colour touchscreen.

However, we’d jump to SE Tech as a minimum. That trim adds sat-nav, automatic lights and wipers, front parking sensors and a powered tailgate – all for a modest increase in price. But the most recommendable trim is HSE; this gets you electrically operated front seats, leather seats all round, xenon headlights, a reversing camera and a panoramic glass roof.

It’s too big a price jump to higher-spec versions, so we’d say they’re best avoided. If you are happy to spend more money, consider adding the improved functionality of the optional InControl Touch Pro infotainment system to the HSE trim instead.

Land Rover didn’t do very well in our most recent reliability survey, where it ranked 31st out of the 32 manufacturers examined.

A three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, which also includes UK and European roadside assistance, should provide some peace of mind. This is about par for the class, although the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento come with far five and seven-year warranties respectively.

The Discovery Sport sets the standard for safety in its class and achieved the full five stars in Euro NCAP’s crash tests. An airbag springs up from the top of the bonnet to help reduce head injuries in the case of a pedestrian collision, while interior airbags include one for the driver’s knee, as well as airbags that cover the head, chest and side areas of those up front. There are head and side airbags for passengers in the middle row of seats, too.

Automatic emergency braking and lane departure warning are standard across the range. Traffic sign recognition, which displays the speed limit, is optional on all but entry-level Pure and SE trims, while safety functions you can order include lane assist and blindspot warning.

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