Land Rover Discovery Sport 2020 - First Drive Review

Related: Read our road-trip review of the previous Land Rover Discovery Sport here (2015)

What's new, styling wise?

Changes to the exterior have been applied with a subtle hand, despite the brand's claim of a "bold exterior evolution". The revised headlamps have a new LED signature in front and at the back, with a "new" front grille and bumpers. Fog lamps are now integrated, and the indicators are of the "sequential" kind, meaning that they "flow" in the direction you plan on going. From the front, it looks almost exactly like the fifth-generation Land Rover Discovery, and the interior has a very similar layout. If you don't believe us, click on Martin's review below.

Related: Land Rover Discovery HSE Si6 review (2018)

The new and improved Land Rover Disco sport bears an uncanny resemblance to the 5th-generation Discovery...

Interior changes

On the inside, the new 10-inch digital Touch Pro infotainment system with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto system takes centre stage. It features new wireless charging (R2 600) and a 4G WiFi hotspot to keep all occupants connected. Another new feature is the ClearSight Rear view mirror (R8 100) that displays a live widescreen video in your rearview mirror "at the flick of a switch". This happens courtesy of the hidden camera in the shark-fin antenna on the Disco Sport's roof. Why would one need this? Well, should you have your camping equipment stacked all the way to the Landy's ceiling, you will still be able to see what's going on behind you. See how this works by clicking here. 

While the outgoing model's interior (especially the entry-level model) was quite bland, the new model looks and feels more premium, but I should mention that all models on the launch had a plethora of extras added to lift the cars' general ambience. I would have liked to see a stock standard poverty-spec model to get a better idea of what your R749 000 (the Disco Sport's starting price) will buy you.

Yay for Apple CarPlay! Also note the digital display behind the steering wheel, another nifty new function in the Discovery Sport.

DAY 1 -  Discovery Sport D180 S AWD Automatic, R795 500 (without options)

On the first day of the launch we left Tamboerskloof in Cape Town in the Discovery Sport S, for a leisurely drive to the West Coast National Park just off the N7 near Langebaan. The N7 is notoriously busy but dull, so my co-driver activated adaptive cruise control and Steering Assist for an even more relaxing drive. The new Disco Sport features a comprehensive range of driver assistants including Lane Keep Assist and a Driver Condition Monitor, also known as fatigue detection. A reversing camera is standard on all models.

After a quick coffee stop it was my turn to take the wheel for our trip to Riebeek-Kasteel. Land Rover had an enjoyable road-trip USB stick plugged in for us to enjoy via the Meridian Sound System (R7 200), and our 1.5-hour journey to our lodgings for the night felt comfortable and effortless. Our test model's Light Oyster Windsor Leather interior (R16 900) created a sophisticated and serene mood, and there was hardly any road or wind noise to complain about. The Disco Sport's 2.0-litre Ingenium turbodiesel-engine with 132kW and 420Nm was also relatively frugal, but not the quickest off the starting line.

The Disovery Sport D 180 S AWD Auto's Byron Blue paint job alone will set you back R3000.

DAY 2 - Discovery Sport D180 AWD R-Dynamic HSE Automatic, R897 800 (without extras)

The diesel flagship model was our weapon of choice for the second day of off-road activities in the rugged, vine-covered hills of Kloovenburg Wine Estate near Riebeek-Kasteel. Land Rover was proud to introduce their new and improved automatic terrain control to us (Terrain Response 2), which allows the system to do all the thinking for you so you don't have to fiddle with settings. The old controller dial atop the centre tunnel is now a thing of the past; instead, a rotary knob now resides at the bottom of the glossy piano black front fascia. Once you depress the smaller button next to it, the various terrain settings appear via orange back lighting which looks terrifically chic. 

At first the terrain control system appears invisible, but once you press the button to the left, the various icons appear around the controller dial.

 

The terrain itself wasn't ridiculously challenging, but I wondered how our enormous (21-inch) wheels would fare. With the system locked in Sand mode, the Landy effortlessly traversed the farm's sandy hills and ridges, without any spine-jolting side effects despite lack of air suspension on our test car. 

Should you be a die-hard off-road fanatic, you'll be thrilled to hear about the ClearSight Ground View function which allows you to see exactly what's going on underneath the car. It may sound like modern sorcery, but it's all thanks to cleverly placed cameras which form part of the R8 500 360-degree Surround Camera package. You can see it in action here. 

After our little farm adventure, a loose gravel section was in store for us. This time I kept the system in Auto mode and enjoyed the Discovery Sport's secure and comfortable ride over the back roads surrounding Moorreesburg and Malmesbury. Our coffee stop almost came too soon before I had to allow my co-driver his turn behind the steering wheel. 

The Disco Sport in Firenze red doesn't look too shabby, either.

What's fuel economy like?

Our best consumption figure for the day was a stellar 6.4 litres per 100km, but we ended with a not-so-fantastic average of 12 litres per 100 km on day two. The all-wheel drive system benefits from Driveline Disconnect, "a power transfer unit at the front axle that disconnects drive to the rear wheels under steady state cruising, reducing frictional losses and re-engaging AWD in less than 500 milliseconds", says Land Rover. I'd say about 7.5 - 9 litres per 100 km is to be expected from the diesel models if you drive decently. 

The 2.0-litre petrol-powered Discovery Sport models (with 184kW) are said to be more responsive, with the ability to reach 100km/h in 7.6 seconds, instead of a claimed 9.7 seconds like its diesel brethren.

Only the diesels were available on launch, but if you're after perkier performance, the petrol models may be more to your liking.

Verdict

The Discovery Sport may not be as dynamic in the corners as the Audi Q5 and BMW X3, but having the freedom to go anywhere the mood takes you, even if you never do, is a huge selling point, as is the option of having a third row of seats handy. The only downside is that you will need to keep some extra cash handy for a multitude of optional extras.Should you want front fog lamps on the S model, for example, you'll have to fork out R2 100 for the privilege.

Living with the new Land Rover Disco Sport is a bit like "glamping" in a R10 000 per person per night safari tent on the Chobe river, sans private butler. Having the freedom to explore is priceless, even if you never leave your kids' private school parking lot.

The svelte new models at first light.

Pricing

Discovery Sport D180 AWD Automatic                                 R749 500

Discovery Sport D180 S AWD Automatic                              R795 500

Discovery Sport D180 AWD R-Dynamic S Automatic             R819 100

Discovery Sport D180 AWD R-Dynamic SE Automatic           R855 300

Discovery Sport D180 AWD R-Dynamic HSE Automatic         R897 800

Discovery Sport P250 AWD Automatic                                 R759 900

Discovery Sport P250 S AWD Automatic                              R805 800

Discovery Sport P250 AWD R-Dynamic S Automatic             R829 500

Discovery Sport P250 AWD R-Dynamic SE Automatic           R865 700

Discovery Sport P250 AWD R-Dynamic HSE Automatic         R908 100

For the full list of standard and optional features on all models, please visit the Land Rover Discovery Sport microsite here.

All Land Rovers are sold with a 5-Year Care Plan with a 100 000 km warranty and service plan.