First Drive -
New Land Rover Discovery Sport
What is it? Along with the Evoque, the Discovery Sport has become Land Rover’s best selling vehicle, and 5 years after its launch it makes sense to give it an update. It may look similar to the outgoing model on the outside, albeit with a new crisp, clean look, but just like the new Evoque, it’s been given an all-new platform. Built on Land Rover’s latest Premium Transverse Architecture (PTA), the new Discovery Sport is 13% stiffer than the outgoing model and designed with electrification in mind. More specifically, it allows allows for the introduction of new 48-volt mild hybrid electric powertrains, and sometime soon, a plug-in hybrid. With all that in mind, what’s like on the road?
On the road I remember driving the original Discovery Sport a year after it was first released, and it was a nice SUV to drive. I’m not going to say that it set my life alight, but it was good. Getting behind the wheel of the new version is a whole different story, it felt more dynamic, more alive and more fun, even as a passenger I could feel the difference. Our car for the day was the D180 SE, and along winding the roads of North Yorkshire
,the 180ps diesel was nippy and very responsive though lacked a bit of umph during fast overtaking manoeuvres. There are of course more sportier versions available, but I feel it’s aimed more at comfort and touring rather than winning races. Another point to mention is how quiet it is, not just wind and external noises, but road noise too, quite impressive really.
Off road After a good 2 hour drive around North Yorkshire we made our way to the Land Rover Experience Centre just outside Skipton where we would take the same ‘Sport around their demanding off road course. I was very impressed, it wasn’t just a dirt track with the odd puddle and a slight gradient to tackle, it was pretty hardcore. On one of the particularly wet and rocky inclines I watched as the ‘Sport in front of us lifted a wheel in the air as the driver gave it some welly. My turn next and I ignored the instructors command of ‘give it a little momentum’, instead I crawled up the steep incline expecting the ‘Sport to hesitate and struggle. It didn’t. In fact I didn’t even feel the wheel lift in the air, the Discovery Sport didn’t even flinch, it was all very civilised.
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