With the launch of the 2015 Discovery Sport Compact SUV, the folks at Land Rover have come to the realization that to be able to sell to the masses, you can’t always build vehicles that are big, bulky and massive.
This all-new design is part of a re-tooling of the product hierarchy found within the Land Rover line-up. The new Discovery series will be positioned as a mid-range category and will likely be where Land Rover is hoping to sell the bulk of its vehicles from. The new Discovery Sport will replace the outgoing LR2 in the overall line-up, and with the change, Land Rover appears to want to mix it up with more than just the Luxury Utes it has typically had to go against.
Yessir…it looks like Land Rover is trying to go mainstream.
With the compact SUV category seeing plenty of interest amongst buyers as well as plenty of new entrants, Land Rover needed to bring a vehicle to market that at the same time was true to the rugged luxury DNA of the brand, yet competitively priced enough to draw interest from beyond their typical base. In many aspects the Discovery Sport seems to hit the mark.
Overall, there is enough luxury inside the Discovery Sport to keep a typical Land Rover buyer interested. Where they have needed to make improvements when compared to the outgoing LR2 , they have done so. The 8-inch centre display is far more intuitive and advanced than we’ve typically seen before and this will do well to attract new buyers.
I’m a bit uncertain though as to whether the new available 7-seat option will be much of a draw. Whenever a vehicle in this category creates a 5 + 2 seating option, those 3rd row seats tend to offer little in the way of comfort, space or functionality. If you might need a 3rd row on occasion, then fine but if you regularly make use of a 3rd row for the kids, keeping them back there on a regular basis would seem a bit cruel.
Fuel economy is another plus as the 2.0 Litre turbocharged engine that is matted with a 9-speed automatic transmission, does a more than decent job at not indulging itself in fuel like some of its predecessors have. The engine puts out 240 hp and an impressive 340 lb/ft of torque. You get from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.2 seconds according to Land Rover’s figures.
While the posted combined fuel rating of 10.6 L/100 KM or 22 US MPG is already decent for a vehicle of its size and weight, I personally managed to beat that figure by a whopping 15% over the course of a week. After driving more than 500 KMs in both city and highway conditions, I managed to achieve 9.0 L/100 KM combined or 26 US MPG. I can’t explain the discrepancy and I wouldn’t point at the new 5-cycle testing necessarily, but nonetheless the variance between the two is eye-catching.
Where the Discovery Sport will likely be most competitive and eye-catching in my opinion will be when it comes to the price. With a base price of just $41,490 and with the HSE Luxury tester still not eclipsing the $50K mark, Land Rover is providing an awful lot of value-based enticement for shoppers to consider. I’ve driven $125k Range Rovers in the past that didn’t feel a heck of a lot different than this, so the price is definitely going to work in its favour.
Oh…and since it’s a Land Rover you can still traverse Icelandic glacial rivers and tundra if you wanted to while not ever spilling your Venti Mocha Latte…so you need not worry about that.
BY THE NUMBERS (Out of 10):
LOOK/DESIGN:
EXTERIOR 8.0
INTERIOR 8.5
DRIVE: 8.0
GREEN FACTOR: 8.5
FAMILY FACTOR: 8.0
TECHIE STUFF: 8.5
VALUE: 9.0
(MSRP AS TESTED
– $49,990 CDN)
OVERALL: 8.5
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