Land Rover Discovery Sport review

The Discovery Sport is priced very competitively against five-seat, premium rivals such as the BMW X3 and Audi Q5, both of which are less versatile. However, it looks rather expensive when you compare it with mainstream rivals, such as the Peugeot 5008 and Skoda Kodiaq. 

Still, if you’re willing to pay the premium for the Discovery Sport’s upmarket image, you can be reassured that it should depreciate quite slowly, thanks in part to its desirable image. This also means it’s relatively cheap on a PCP finance deal.

All versions with an automatic gearbox use mild hybrid technology. In essence, this uses a big battery that can power the car’s ancillaries (the air-con, power steering and so on), allowing the engine to be switched off when decelerating, to save fuel. Economy is competitive on paper, although we’ll be putting the Discovery Sport through our real-world True MPG tests in the coming months.

Use our True MPG calculator and see what your car really does to the gallon

Firstly, you need to decide whether to go for the regular Discovery Sport or the R-Dynamic version. The latter simply adds sportier styling touches, including different front and rear bumper designs; it’s exactly the same car underneath.

Then you need to decide which, if any, of the following specification packs to add: S, SE or HSE. We reckon S makes the most sense, because it keeps the alloy wheel size sensible (18in) for a more comfortable ride yet still gives you heated front seats, along with the extra infotainment kit we mentioned earlier. You also get leather upholstery, although you can choose a manmade alternative for no extra charge.

SE and HSE trims bring increasingly bigger wheels and more standard luxuries but also push up the price considerably.

Reliability really isn’t a strength of Land Rover. The British brand came bottom (out of 31 manufacturers) in the 2019 What Car? Reliability Survey, with the Discovery Sport shown to be one of the least dependable cars in its class.

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 if you’re prepared to forgo a premium badge, the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento come with five and seven-year warranties respectively.

The Discovery Sport once set the standard for safety in this class and received the full five stars from Euro NCAP back in 2015. However, it should be noted that the tests are far more stringent today than they were back then.

Automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance are standard across the range. Traffic sign recognition, which displays the speed limit on the dashboard, is also standard on all but the entry-level trim, while blindspot monitoring is fitted from SE trim and up. The two outer second-row seats and the front passenger seat all have Isofix mounting points for child seats and booster cushions.

All models come with an alarm as standard and you can even add a GPS tracker, to help recover your Discovery Sport if it does get stolen.

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