Land Rover Discovery Sport 2015 Review - International

Softroader is an oft used term. It’s now almost generic in its application when it comes to all-wheel drive vehicles that are built car style with a monocoque rather than truck-style body on frame construction. It’s also every so slightly derisive in its tone.

With that in mind, applying, as we all will, the ‘soft’ label to Land Rover’s new mid-sized Discovery Sport is to sell the vehicle short. Way short.

For, as a challenging ice and snow drive through Iceland’s highlands proved, the new Discovery Sport is far more than just capable. Indeed, the all-new replacement for the Freelander II may be handsome and cleverly packaged to attract the growing legion of mid-size SUV buyers, but it also true to the breadth of capability that’s at the core of the Land Rover brand values.

It might not have the ‘tough truck’ mechanicals but clever design and a bevy of offroad driving aids make this a vehicle absolutely deserving of the Discovery name.

The Sport’s styling is already a hit and the Range Rover-inspired cabin will woo many buyers, but the beauty of the new Land Rover is more than skin deep. At its heart is a new structure that features the highest percentage of boron steel ever in a Land Rover. Indeed, this and safety add-ons (including a segment-first bonnet-mounted pedestrian airbag) have seen the vehicle already receive top marks and best in category billing from Euro NCAP.

Although based on the Evoque’s design, the Disco Sport’s body-in-white gets a wheelbase stretch of 81mm (compared to Freelander II, 2mm less on Evoque) and an all-new rear suspension design. These two factors are key to the success of the Disco Sport and are in direct response to customer feedback that told the company the mid-size Landie had to offer better cabin and luggage space and a more ‘grown-up’ ride.

That wheelbase stretch (now 2741 —still around 70mm shorter than X4 and Q5) translates directly into 86mm of extra rear legroom. Replacing the Freelander/Evoque’s strut-style rear suspension with the Disco Sport’s new Integral Multi-link set up separates spring, damper and rear axle location functions thus allowing better suspension tuning and has also freed up considerable real-estate at the rear of the car which in turn boosted luggage space. Land Rover claims 1698 litres and “almost 900” with the rear seat in place — clearly more than others in this class despite their larger overall size.

The suspension changes also allowed the fitment of an optional third row of seating (something neither the BMW or Audi offers) — albeit at the sacrifice of a full-size spare. Land Rover calls the set-up 5+2 in deference to the fact the rearmost seats are more realistically kid-sized.

The longer wheelbase has also delivered stability and ride benefits and at only modest ‘cost’ to the offroad ability of the car. Land Rover admits the departure, approach and ramp over angles of the new Disco Sport are fractionally inferior to the Freelander II but the rest of the package’s improvements more than make up for the dimensional handicaps.

The vehicle has a genuine 600mm wading capability which was experienced first-hand crossing a fast flowing ice-filled river as part of the launch drive day two’s 300km test loop. Insiders say the only thing stopping the company labelling the Sports capability at closer to 850mm is that at that depth the vehicle starts to float, making calibration of the Terrain response all-wheel drive system somewhat problematic.

The exit of the very same river, over a sharply peaked ice and rock ‘dam’, was just one of many ‘proofs’ of the ability of the smart offroad systems that are integral to the Sport.

These were only reinforced time and time again during the Iceland drive. Halfway through a fast, snowy gravel road drive yours truly quickly withdrew complaints to my co-driver about the apparent over-zealous stability and traction controls systems when at an impromptu driver change point it proved difficult to stand up on the ice that ‘hid’ under the snow. And we’d just been bombing along it at 120km/h.

The only special preparation the cars underwent for the varied conditions across the drive route was the fitment of Pirelli Ice Zero winter rubber (235/55 R 19). While the studded tyres rendered it difficult to pass judgement on factors like road noise, it’s likely even the Sport would have struggled in some instances without them.

Although even Aussie snow bunnies are unlikely to strike the extreme conditions we experienced, it’s instructive to understand the abilities of the Sport’s various systems and augurs well for its performance on sand and offroad generally Down Under.

Already impressive in Evoque, Land Rover’s trademark Terrain Response all-wheel drive system has been optimised for the new vehicle. There’s a new Active Driveline option which boosts economy by ‘idling’ the rear axle above 35km/h. Like Evoque adaptive suspension is also an option, though frankly we’d question the need for either. More importantly, detailed improvements to the drive system ‘mainframe’ include finer calibration for the standard hill descent control — a change amply demonstrated on steep icy downhill sections of the drive.

But Land Rover will be casting its net wider than winter sports enthusiasts with the new Discovery Sport when it arrives in Australia in May (2015). Indeed, while the mid-sizer will seek to steal sales from prestige counterparts like BMW’s X4 and Audi’s Q5 as well as Lexus NX and Volvo’s XC60, the brand will also target high-spec versions of midsize top-sellers from Japanese and Korean brands. Hence pricing is sharp and specification levels (even compared to Evoque) are elevated.

Two turbo-diesel engines and a single petrol turbo four — all with idle stop-start — will be offered in Australia across three trim levels.

The ‘starter’ TD4 SE is priced at $53,300 as a six-speed manual gearbox. A nine-speed automatic version, likely to command the lion’s share of sales (Land Rover Australia is looking at over 200 units per month), is priced at an additional $2500.

Standard equipment at SE grade includes keyless entry and start, leather upholstery, auto headlights and wipers, cruise control, power driver and front passenger seats, sat-nav, power tailgate and 18-inch alloys.

Standard safety kit too is impressive. Seven airbags (plus pedestrian bag) and autonomous Emergency Braking is standard and (finally) so too is a rear camera. Auto parking and a host of steering related functions are carried over from Evoque.

An all-new app-driven infotainment system is one of the highlights of the beautifully finished cabin. Even putting aside the significant step forward in capability and refinement for a moment, the ‘office’ itself is proof positive that Land Rover is very serious about this car’s position within the Discovery family.

The 2.2-litre direct-injected 110kW/400Nm TD4 will also be offered in HSE spec. The step up adds $4600 ($57,900 or $60,400 for the auto variant) and significant equipment add-ons include trim upgrades, xenon headlights, auto high-beam assist, 19-inch alloys and front parking sensors.

The high-output 140kW/420Nm SD4 turbo-diesel offers the most choice to Aussie buyers as it will be available in all three trim grades — SE, HSE and HSE Luxury. The powered up diesel adds $3200 for a starting price of $56,500 (man.) / $59,000 (auto.) for the SE version.

At the very top of the Discovery Sport family tree, the HSE Luxury model adds goodies such as Meridian 17-speaker sound system with DAB+ digital radio and hard-disk sat-nav, premium Windsor leather surfaces and unique 19-inch alloys. It isn’t cheap — $69,000 (auto.).

Not cheap either are the myriad options Land Rover will offer across the range — everything from 20-inch wheels and dress up kits to rear seat entertainment units. We note too that only one colour (white) is available without spending up to $2600 on metallic and premium paint.

Finally, priced at $59,000, the 177kW/340Nm Si4 2.0-litre four-cylinder arrives Down Under exclusively in SE trim with equipment identical to its SE diesel counterparts.

The auto-only turbo-petrol model is the fastest of the Discovery Sports. It’s 0-100km/h time of 8.8sec is 1.5sec quicker than the auto SD4 and over 3.0sec faster than the rather tardy TD4. Of course, the turbo-diesels redress the balance in terms of economy. While the Si4 is rated at 8.0L/100km (five-seat version), the auto turbo-diesels are both rated at a frugal 6.3.

In Evoque the Si4 accounts for barely five per cent of volume Down Under but after driving the variant in Iceland, I feel there’s every likelihood a higher proportion of Sport buyers will opt for the willing and powerful turbo-petrol four. It’s an especially good match to the ZF-sourced nine-speed auto that’s used across the Discovery Sport range.

No manuals were available for test in Iceland but the company claims new linkages improve shift quality compared to Evoque. Only a fraction of Aussie buyers will go manual.

Most of our miles during the launch drive were spent in high-spec SD4 turbo-diesels — a mix of HSE and HSE Luxury variants — and as you’ve probably already guessed from the tone of the intro I was impressed.

The powertrain is lusty and provides plenty of go. The ‘old’ PSA-sourced turbo-diesels aren’t the quietest on the block but turbo lag is well controlled. Even in trying conditions with a significant amount of dirt road and at times deep snow our average fuel economy was still in the mid-8s.

The Sport’s cockpit is clean, functional and classy in the HSE spec and the front seats offer impressive all-day levels of comfort. Cushion and squab heating was appreciated in the sub-zero conditions and an optional heated front screen was a canny addition.

On the icy but fast and sometimes bumpy roads, the Sports excellent ride and suspension response kept all four wheels planted for maximum traction, while the accurate and well weighted steering meant you intuitively were able to pick and stick to lines which offered maximum grip. Body roll and pitch is especially well controlled. Land Rover has gone to the extent of fitting the Sport with alloy roof, bonnet and tailgate to centralise and reduce mass. The new rear suspension features hollow cast alloy members to significantly reduce unsprung mass to aid suspension performance.

Offroad, even with the drivers seat set low it’s easy to see where the front corners are at. Rear visibility was non-existent thanks to the amount of rime but we’d suggest the sight lines will be okay in non-icing conditions.

There’s decent room in the back of the Sport thanks to the wheelbase stretch and although it’s a high-sided vehicle (in contrast to the low belt line of the Discovery itself), the ‘stadium’ arrangement of the seating which elevates row two 50mm and the third row a further 20mm, should mean even littlies will be able to see out. This is a key consideration for some family buyers.

As noted above, the third row (optional on all variants priced at $1990) is very much a kids and tweenies affair unless the travelling distance involved is very short. Be aware too that the above mentioned price does not include face-level ventilation for the third row. You’ll pay another $1150 for this feature which many consumers (and I) would suggest is almost mandatory in our climate.

Options like the new Active Driveline and Adaptive dampers are also not available on 5+2 versions at this time and no front-drive variants will be offered Down Under. Boaties and campers will appreciate all automatic-equipped Australian Discovery Sports have a maximum braked towing capacity of 2200kg — an increase in 200kg over Freelander II.

The Discovery Sport is built alongside Evoque at Jaguar Land Rover’s Hazelwood factory in the UK. Why is this important? Simple, the littlest Range Rover has quickly established a reputation as reliable and regularly posts the Jaguar Land Rover group’s lowest warranty rates — two factors that fly in the face of Freelander and Land Rover’s reputation with many Down Under. Land Rover execs firmly believe Discovery Sport will improve on that reputation further.

Time will tell… In the meantime, the Discovery Sport has the potential to tick many boxes for many buyers Down Under. If I’m right, the right-sized, right-styled and willing wagon could very quickly be the off-road icon’s best seller and provide the brand a significant boost in overall volumes…

Just don’t call it a softroader…