2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport long-term review: Introduction
The Disco Sport has all the makings to facilitate the lifestyle of a young, adventurous family. We’re going to put it through its paces in the long term to see if it meets the brief.
by Justin Narayan$71,232 Mrlp
- Fuel Economy
8.1L - Engine Power
184kW - CO2 Emissions
188g - ANCAP Rating
5Stars
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Pros and Cons
Pros
- Looks the part in R-Dynamic trim
- Seven seat option
- Huge boot
Cons
- Steering feel slightly awkward
- Engine appears to be thirsty initially
- Transmission isn't calibrated as well as in the Evoque
- shares
Let’s all kindly welcome the latest long-termer into the CarAdvice fleet – a Land Rover Discovery Sport R-Dynamic SE P250.
First things first, let’s dissect that confusing nomenclature to see what we’ve really got on our hands.
The Discovery Sport – the baby Land Rover model.
Interestingly, the Discovery Sport shares some commonality with the Range Rover Evoque, to give you an idea of its size. Being a medium SUV, its dimensions should feel just right when tackling tighter inner-city areas. It should also feel just right when fitting in both your lifestyle and family at the same time.
Compared to something German, namely the Audi Q5, it’s 6.5cm shorter but barely half a centimetre taller. It's also a decent 9cm smaller end to end than the Volvo XC60, too.
Despite slightly smaller dimensions, the Land Rover features a most impressive boot, with 689L on offer if the second-row sliders are slid to their most forward position. This makes the Disco Sport's cargo area 12 per cent larger than the Audi Q5's, and a massive 36 per cent larger than the Volvo XC60's.
On top of that, it does have a bit of a trump card. Neither of those cars, nor any others in this segment for that matter, offers seven seats, which is a standard feature across the Discovery Sport range.
R-Dynamic is the design theme.
You have a choice of two options across the Discovery Sport range: the regular (unbranded) Sport, or the R-Dynamic grade.
The extras you get for stepping up include a racier front-end treatment, different-design wheels, a darker headlining inside, red stitching, plus a few other small details.
Once locked in, your next decision will be which engine and spec combo, or variant, to go for.
SE P250 is the variant.
If you pick the P250, four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, it forces the SE level of specification. If you want the specification found in the SE, it forces the 183kW P250 petrol driveline – or the 132kW D180 diesel.
It doesn’t matter how you get there, both are linked and cannot be separated. If you pick the lesser 147kW P200 or 110kW D150 engine, you receive the S specification only, while HSE matches to the 177kW D240 engine only.
In the past, Land Rover has offered à la carte selections of engine and spec, but has rationalised the range to make for a less daunting ordering experience.
So, our P250’s heart, like the other choices on offer, is part of the Ingenium family of modular engines. It puts out 183kW of power – a big figure from a little 2.0-litre four. What’s more exciting is how amazingly flexible the data makes this engine out to be, with peak torque of 365Nm available from just 1400rpm. Hook that up to a ZF nine-speed auto, and this package just seems to get juicier.
We’re excited to see how it fares in the real world, and whether its solid theory comes to life during our long-term practical test.
Alongside the more powerful engine, the SE version brings full LED headlights with signature DRLs and auto high beams, 19-inch dark grey wheels, a powered tailgate, plus a few other doodads that aren't found on the S.
Simply put, if you want all the fruit, you'll have to pick the more powerful engine. It’s nice to see that Land Rover has simplified some decisions for our market.
There you have it. That makes our very own Discovery Sport R-Dynamic SE P250 the most expensive petrol variant offered in Australia. Fancy that.
Our car also has a few striking options, notably the colour. However, as this is first greetings before the long haul, it would be rude of us not to introduce things in detail:
- Namib Orange metallic paint – $2020
- Light Oyster/Ebony Luxtec and suede-cloth seats with Light Oyster stitch – No-cost option
- Technology Pack (UV-reducing glass, ClearSight interior mirror, wireless charger, HUD) – $1640
- Black exterior pack – $1590
- 20-inch Style 5089 wheels, five split-spoke, gloss black – $1300
- Black contrast roof – $920
- Keyless entry – $900
- Heated electric memory front seats – $810
- Privacy glass – $650
- 360-degree camera with Ground View simulated see-through bonnet – $500
- Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) radio – $400
- Cooling vents in third row – $350
The base price with no extras is $71,232 before on-roads. Our car's options list adds $11,080 to the cost, resulting in an MLP of $82,312, also exclusive of on-roads.
There are some cheeky jabs in that list, such as keyless entry for $900, but we’ll analyse that as we go. The price is in line with both the Audi Q5 and Volvo XC60 that represent the two more popular choices in the segment.
With all of that in mind, our aim is to find out:
- Is the Disco Sport worthy of the premium-SUV title?
- Does its size and space serve a young family well?
- Are the extra two seats in the cargo area useful?
- Is it facilitative to an adventurous lifestyle, as the name and numerous terrain management systems suggest?
- What is it like to live with overall?
If you have any questions that you would like answered, or anything in particular you would like us to explore, be sure to drop us a line in the comments section below.
MORE: Discovery Sport news, reviews, comparisons and videos
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2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport long-term review: Introduction