Land Rover Discovery Sport
Tinashe Makichi Motoring Reporter
I am sure no one will dispute my line of thinking that the Land Rover Discovery has proven to be one of the most luxurious cars on the local front judging by the brands that Government has been purchasing for its cabinet ministers.
Not to talk of ministers only, even company chief executives have not been left out of the mix.
The Discovery 4 has proven popular but the new 2015 Land Rover Discovery is probably going to make most motoring fanatics to salivate.
The vehicle has proven its mettle on the local market though its pricing has been the biggest hindrance to the low income earners.
The new Land Rover Discovery Sport provides numerous compelling reasons for being the best medium-sized SUV in the premium luxury class, but it’s also let down in a few key areas.
The 2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport is the replacement for the Freelander 2, a vehicle that has served its purpose as a utilitarian and off-road capable SUV without ever truly challenging the likes of BMW and Audi for market share.
“As you would expect from a Discovery, the versatile Discovery Sport will feature optional 5+2 seating, while still retaining a more compact footprint than traditional five seat SUVs.
The New 2015 Discovery sport’s sleek, aerodynamic silhouette, with legendary Land Rover capability and a flexible interior add up to a great looking vehicle that does so much more,” said land Rover.
The Discovery Sport takes Land Rover that little bit further up the luxury ladder, though still below the Range Rover brand.
Interestingly the latest Land Rover Discovery sport is based on the Range Rover Evoque platform and there’s no doubt that it shares an exterior design similarity with its much loved but more expensive and smaller cousin.
According to Land Rover the range starts at just $53 300, though that will be the starting price for a manual base model that is likely to prove rather unpopular and serve just as an attention-grabbing price leader.
The base model SE with the low-output TD4 Turbo diesel (110kW 400Nm) and a nine-speed automatic starts from $55 800, and is a more realistic entry price into the range.
Ideally, the higher-output SD4 engine with the auto transmission is the pick of the bunch (from $59 000) with 140kW and 420Nm of torque and uses 6,1-6,3L of diesel per 100km (depending on 5 or 7 seat configuration).
The nine-speed automatic is unbeatable in this class and helps improve the vehicle’s fuel economy and CO2 emissions.
To put the BMW X3 and the 2015 Discovery sport in comparison, the BMW X3 xDrive 20d has 140kW of power and 400Nm of torque but it goes from 0-100km/h in 8,1 seconds, about 0,7 seconds faster than the fastest diesel Discovery Sport. Acceleration figures are largely irrelevant in this day and age, but even the in gear acceleration of the Discovery Sport can at times leave a little to the imagination.
The British brand is working on a set of new diesel engines that will perhaps help deliver more oomph in the near future.
One can sum up the Land Rover Discovery Sport’s off-road credentials simply by saying it’s by far the best in class.
Its terrain response system and hill-descent control systems allow the vehicle to adjust to a multitude of different surfaces on the go.
In urban driving conditions the Land Rover is well suited to family life with responsive steering and well-mannered capability around corners.
All that aside, there’s no doubt the diesel drive train is the Discovery Sport’s biggest weakness against its German and Swedish rivals, because from every other perspective, it’s the best in class.
Its true potential and unique selling point is the availability of seven-seats, making it the only SUV in its class with 5+2 seating.