2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport | Driven: Car Reviews | The New York Times

"Driven"

Tom Voelk: Small Land Rovers
are nothing new,

Evoque and LR2 have been around
for a few years.

This is the LR2's replacement -
Discovery Sport

competing with BMW X3, Audi Q5
and Volvo XC60

I'm happy to see Land Rover ditch

forgettable alpha-numeric nomenclature
for words that people understand ...

there's a concept!

Discovery Sport and Evoque are built on
the same bones but

the Disco here is 9 inches longer with a
more traditional roof line.

Starting at $38,000, this top shelf
HSE Lux model retails for fifty 'large',

all-wheel-drive is standard -
I would hope so, considering the brand!

There's 8.3 inches of ground clearance.

The Ford-sourced turbo 2-Liter 4-cylinder

has 240 HP and ... 251 lb-ft of torque.

The transmission has 9-speeds,
a Sport Mode and manual ability.

Terrain Response is
the Garanimals of off-roading ...

Call up the surface you want to cross and

the all-wheel-drive system
optimises accordingly.

Most of these rigs will live their lives
on pavements

and 0 to 60 in just under 8 seconds
is quick enough

It's the way the power is delivered ...

I'm in standard drive mode,
drop the throttle ...

there's an awful lot of lag,

not fun in cut-and-thrust city driving.

Sport mode improves response.

The 9-speed aggressively up-shifts
for best fuel economy

on center-field, is locked-down.

The ride quality is firm but not harsh.

It's quiet for long road trips,
surprisingly comfortable.

Cornering is well controlled.

Safety-tech includes automatic
emergency braking.

The lane-departure system discreetly
warns with steering wheel vibration.

All call Jeep Cherokee and
competitors since it,

and Discovery Sport play where
soft-roaders can't.

It doesn't break a sweat on this
moderate closed course.

I've got to question how many owners are

really going to off-road a vehicle
this expensive

but a guys got to test!

Ford water nearly two-feet deep,
the doors are water-tight.

Disco has moves - approach, break-over
and departure angles are quite good;

Don't try this in a Lexus NX.

Monitor the wheels and differential
while slogging through the sloppy stuff,

Discovery isn't a rock-crawler
like Wrangler

but it does more than most
families need.

And the clan will enjoy the cabin
that's roomy for the class;

Solid materials aren't as impressive
as top-shelf Range Rovers

but, hey, those can be twice the price.

An improved user-interface is stylish
and straight-forward

though lethargic at times.

There are storage hooks and nooks
including a hiding spot

under this removable cup holder
for small stuff.

Leather seats are vented and heated.

Discovery Sport's back seat is a far
friendlier place than Evoque's

There is a lot more headroom.

Choose between maximum legroom
and maximum cargo room.

Phone charging is no problem unless you
forget a cord!

Toast your buns and enjoy the view.
The fixed glass roof is dramatic.

Two can stretch out here,
three will be okay.

Discovery Sport is available with an
optional third row of seating ...

I'm assuming it's for 'very'
small children.

It eliminates this storage space
under the cargo floor.

Land Rover does not skimp on the details
and there's a good amount of space here.

The in-class average is 8 bundles.
Discovery scores an 11.

Design cues from Evoque are a nice touch

but it's more fun to add your own ...
... in brown!

to show the neighbors that you
can tackle the tough stuff.

Some find this shape too ordinary and
not Range Rover-y enough

and, for those concerned with reliability,
the warranty covers 50,000 miles.

Discovery Sport give you the ability to
make them 'mild' or 'wild'!