Land Rover Discovery Sport 2015 Review

Land Rover hopes a new name and a new model based on the Range Rover Evoque will allow the Discovery Sport to do what the Freelander couldn't: become a direct competitor for top-selling luxury SUVs like the BMW X3 and Audi Q5. Due in Australian showrooms on May 1 and available in three well-specified equipment grades and with three engines, the new 'baby' Disco is priced from $53,300 in entry-level TD4 SE manual form, increasing to $69,000 for the top-spec SD4 HSE Luxury auto – before options and on-road costs.

Mid-size Europeans like the Q5, X3 and the Evoque itself have become the most popular luxury SUVs in Australia, where last year they were outsold only by larger and more lucrative siblings in the X5, M-Class, Discovery and Range Rover Sport.

Now Land Rover wants to double its money in the class by introducing the new Disco Sport, which it expects will be twice as popular as the Freelander it replaces, and which last year was the fifth best selling mid-sizer behind the Volvo XC90.

On paper, it presents a compelling case. There are three four-cylinder engine options, plus three equipment grades, two transmissions and a starting price of $53,300 plus ORCs – undercutting the top-selling Q5 (from $62,600) by almost $10,000 and the X3 (from $60,765) by more than $7K.

As well, the Disco Sport brings the option of seven seats to the mid-size luxury SUV segment for the first time, making it a logical rival for top-end versions of a host of large family-friendly SUVs like the Toyota Kluger, Ford Territory, Holden Captiva and Hyundai Santa Fe.

All models come well equipped, with standard Australian specs extending all-wheel drive with Land Rover's four-mode Terrain Response system, powered tailgate, leather trim, satellite-navigation, 8.0-inch colour touch-screen, 5.0-inch trip computer, keyless entry and start, automatic lights and wipers, eight-way powered front seats and, at base SE level, 18-inch alloy wheels.

This is in addition to a full safety suite comprising a reversing camera, lane departure warning, eight airbags including a first-in-class pedestrian airbag on the leading edge of the bonnet and autonomous emergency braking, which operates between 5 and 80km/h and, says Land Rover, can mitigate a collision at less than 50km/h.

Cruise control with speed-limiter, hill descent control, hill start assist, roll stability control and trailer sway control are also included an the Disco Sport comes with a maximum five-star Australian and European NCAP safety rating.

For an extra $4600 ($57,900 in six-speed manual form or $60,400 for the nine-speed automatic variant), the base 110kW/400Nm 2.2-litre turbo-diesel TD4 engine can also be had in HSE spec, adding trim upgrades, xenon headlights, automatic high-beam, 19-inch alloys and front parking sensors.

The higher-output 140kW/420Nm SD4 will be available in all three trim grades -- SE, HSE and HSE Luxury – commanding a $3200 price premium at base SE level ($56,500 manual, $59,000 auto) and rising to $61,100/$63,600 for the HSE and $66,500/$69,000 for the HSE Luxury flagship.

The latter adds a host of extra equipment, including a Meridian 17-speaker, 825kW sound system with DAB digital radio and hard-disc navigation, premium Windsor leather trim and unique 19-inch alloys.

Alongside the diesels is a single petrol model, the auto-only 177kW/340Nm 2.0-litre turbo Si4 SE ($69,000), with identical equipment to the SE diesels.

In its lightest form (1775kg with five seats), the Si4 SE auto is the quickest Discovery Sport, with 0-100km/h acceleration of 8.8 seconds -- 1.5 seconds quicker than the SD4 man/auto (10.3sec) and almost three seconds quicker than the TD4 man/auto (11.7 seconds).

However, the Si4 SE auto is also the thirstiest with fuel consumption of 8.0L/100km for the five-seat version), while all five-seat auto diesels are rated at 6.1L/100km. Seven-seat models add 0.2L/100km of fuel consumption.

All Discovery Sports come with a 750kg unbraked towing capacity, with braked trailer tow limits increasing to 1750kg (TD4 manual), 2000kg (Si4) and 2200kg for all diesel autos.

Automatic versions are expected to comprise more than 90 per cent of Disco Sport sales, adding $2500 to the price, but that's just one of a multitude of options.

Seven-seat models, dubbed '5+2' by Land Rover, will cost a further $1990 on all variants, and are expected to be specified by around 40 per cent of buyers.

The two-position third-row seat option includes the addition of a sliding function for the 60/40-split second row, the seat backs of which can be folded electrically from the rear of the vehicle in five-seat versions. However, air-conditioning outlets for the third row, positioned in the C-pillar, cost a further $1150.

Other surprising options include $1300 for metallic paint and $2600 for premium metallic paint, which all buyers will be forced to pay unless they choose white exterior paint – the only solid colour among the 12 on offer.

Base SE models can be optioned with a number of features standard on upstream models, including automatic high-beam ($200), front parking sensors ($620) and 11-speaker 250-Watt sound system ($620) and xenon headlights with LED signature lamps and headlight washers ($1600).

The range-wide stand-alone options list continues with a large panoramic roof with sunblind ($1800), contrasting black or grey roof ($920), adaptive headlights and LED tail-lights ($700;  $2300 on SE), privacy glass ($600), heated front seats ($620), tyre pressure monitoring ($620), extra rear USB outlets ($160) and a range of 18- to 20-inch alloy wheel designs priced between $500 and $2500.

Among the plethora of design and entertainment options packs is a head-up display and solar windscreen ($1500), plus others priced up to $7000 and including top-shelf Meridian sound, a dual-view touch-screen, TV, rear DVD system and black design elements.

The list goes on, making it possible to double the price of your Discovery Sport, but options unavailable in conjunction with 5+2 seating include blind-spot monitoring with closing vehicle sensing and reverse traffic detection ($1150), a surround camera system ($890) and wade sensing ($540 – only with front parking sensors, surround camera and BSM).

Active Driveline including Torque Vectoring by Braking ($1620) and Adaptive Dynamics MagneRide dampers including 'Dynamic' Terrain Response mode ($1820) are both optional only on five-seat SD4 and Si4 models, and only from SD4 SE level and above.

If that's not enough, there are a host of dealer-fit accessories on offer, including head restraint-mounted iPad holders, a centre armrest cooler/warmer box finished in premium leather, a range of rubber mats and luggage liners, and a range of towing accessories.

Based on a 50 per cent new L550 monocoque chassis derived from the Range Rover Evoque, alongside which it's built at Jaguar Land Rover's Halewood factory, the Disco Sport is 90mm longer than the Evoque but 239mm shorter than the Discover 4 at 4590mm long overall.

Land Rover claims an 80mm-longer (2741mm) wheelbase and a new, more compact multi-link rear suspension design give the family-friendlier Freelander replacement class-leading passenger and cargo space, as well as the only seven-seat option in the mid-size luxury SUV segment, which includes the Evoque.

'Stadium-style' second-row seats, which are 50mm higher than the front seats and can slide forwards or back by a class-leading 160mm, offer as much as 112mm of knee room and 1011mm of leg room – almost as much as the Range Rover.

With the second-row seat in place, the Disco Sport boot expands from 829 litres to as much as 981 litres – and an enormous 1698 behind the front seats -- while four huge door compartments can swallow 13.8 litres of paraphernalia.

But although the third-row seats easily accommodate passengers up to 195cm tall, the low pews occupy almost all of the load space and limit leg room unless the second row bench is fully forward – and even then adults will be forced to assume a crouching position.

And while the part-time or kids-only third row option gives Disco Sport owners extra passenger capacity, the seven-seat flexibility comes at the expense of both the torque vectoring and adaptive damping options – as well as a full-size spare, which is replaced by an under-body mounted space-saver – limiting on- and off-road ability.

As expected, Land Rover makes much of the latter, claiming class-leading off-road capability thanks to 212mm of ground clearance, class-leading wading depth (600mm) and approach, departure and breakover angles of 25, 31 and 21 degrees respectively.

Fitted with a Haldex centre coupling-equipped AWD system, as all Australian models are, Land Rover says the Disco Sport can scale gradients as steep as 45 degrees – "as much as 14 degrees more than other competitor SUVs".

We didn't test the Disco Sport to that extreme – and we doubt many prospective buyers will -- but an extended off-road section through the mountain surrounding Canberra this week proved it does indeed deliver class-leading off-road prowess, including unrivalled traction on steep, greasy inclines and enough wheel articulation to make light work of the kind of rocks and bog holes that would severely upset an Audi Q5.

But the most impressive off-road attribute was the baby Disco's suspension  compliance on severely corrugated gravel and rock-infested firetrails, over which it glided comfortably over without excessive head-shake or steering deflection.

Fitted with torque vectoring and adaptive dampers, the five-seat SD4 SE we drove offered outstanding unsealed road holding, and its plethora of safety systems kept slides (both intended and unintended) in check by braking individual wheels depending on the understeer or oversteer situation -- consistently and progressively every time.

In the same conditions, German rivals like the BMW X3 would have felt more brittle, more uncomfortable and generally less confidence inspiring.

On the road, the Disco Sport's precise, agile electric steering is equally satisfying and its body rigidity unquestionable, but the same supple suspension that makes for impeccable ride comfort both off-road and on also allows for a degree of body roll when punted hard into corners.

It settles nicely, always feels planted and offers outstanding grip in all conditions, but never sits as flat as an X3 in bends – let alone the on-road dynamic benchmark in this class, the Porsche Macan – although the rear-biased transverse drivetrain makes it more composed than the Q5 or Lexus NX.

Unfortunately only high-output 140kW SD4 turbo-diesel models were available to test at the launch, so we can't say how well the entry 110kW TD4 – nor the most powerful 177kW Si4 turbo-petrol – perform.

However, while the 420Nm 2.2-litre oil-burner was smooth and punchy enough in most circumstances, we expect the newer Ingenium diesel engine that will power Europe's front-drive eD4 to be better in all respects.

It's also clear the X3 has its measure in outright acceleration terms, with the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol more than half a second quicker to 100km/h than the Si4 and the base X3 20i petrol being more than 2.5 seconds quicker than the SD4s and more than three seconds quicker than the base TD4s.

All three engines are about 0.5L/100km less efficient than the corresponding X3's too, despite having more ratios to play with in their nine-speed automatic transmission.

The multi-speed torque converter auto goes about its business smoothly and decisively, holding fourth or fifth gear at 100km/h in Sport mode, but can take time to kick down up to four ratios under sharp throttle inputs in normal mode at the same speed.

And in the absence of a conventional manual shift gate for the pop-up Jaguar J-gate style selector dial, the only way to revert to auto mode once you've selected manual via the standard steering wheel gear shifters is to pull and hold the right-side paddle, or rotate the dial selector between normal and Sport mode.

Overall though, the nine-speed auto is well-matched to the SD4 diesel drivetrain, offering smooth and effortless progress even if it sets no performance or efficiency benchmarks.

The same can be said of the Disco Sport's quiet cabin, which offers good vision in all directions and a focus on space and functionality, rather than design like the Evoque.

We love the huge door bins and the intuitive controls – especially the fast 8.0-inch colour touch-screen interface, which offers a variety of apps and can read audio books and iPhone text messages – but plastics on the door sills and centre console are hard and latter rubs uncomfortably on front occupants' knees.

There's plenty of attention to detail evident in provision for up to seven fast-charge USB outlets and the comfortable, fully powered front seats, although the top-spec HSE Luxury adds the same Windsor leather seen in the Range Rover.

However, while the top-shelf Disco Sport comes with cracking 17-speaker Meridian sound and a digital radio tuner, but misses out on Land Rover's newest hard-disc nav system, so it's hardly worth the extra $5400 over the SD4 HSE auto.

But the pick of the bunch is the SD4 SE auto we drove, which for less than $60,000 offers the high-output diesel and the full gamut of safety features, plus handy stuff like Terrain Response, a powered tailgate, sat-nav, 8.0-inch colour touch-screen, auto lights/wipers and power seats.

Throw in bigger 19-inch alloys and seven seats and you're even further ahead of direct rivals like the 2.0-litre X3 and Q5 diesels, for less money.

2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport SD4 SE pricing and specifications:
Price: From $59,000 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 140kW/420Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel: 6.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 166g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star ANCAP

What we liked:
>> Design and practicality
>> Off-road capability and ride comfort
>> Standard convenience and safety features

Not so much:
>> Extensive options list, prices
>> Engine performance and efficiency
>> On-road dynamics compared to X3, Macan

Also consider:
>> Audi Q5 (from $62,600 plus ORCs)
>> BMW X3 (from $60,765 plus ORCs)
>> Lexus NX (from $52,500 plus ORCs)