Recently I attended the launch of the new Land Rover Discovery Sport in South Africa. Starting off in Cape Town, I flew to George, took a tram ride through an area that I do not know the name of and then chose a vehicle and had the time of my life.
The Discovery Sport is the first member of the new Discovery family. The vehicle is a premium compact SUV that gives the best of the original Discovery but in a much more compact design. The Sport has seating for five and there are two seats in the boot while still keeping the same footprint no larger than existing five-seat SUVs.
The design of the Sport defines the rest of the new Discovery family, with optimised volume, proportions and stance. From the honey comb grille in the front to the luxurious and spacious cabin, this is one good looking vehicle.
Watch this video to see the Discovery Sport in Action as well as what took place at the launch:
The interior doesn’t fail to live up to its name. The interior is made of high quality materials with a range storage solutions, power points and USB charging sockets. The seat has a soft feel to it and keeps you in place, which is important! The centre console features a huge touch screen display that allows you to control everything from the radio to the navigation. I really like the start and stop button. With the key safely in your pocket, you simply press the start/stop engine button and the engine gives a roar while the automatic gearbox shifter rises.
I drove a few different models over the two days and all were super responsive. A tap of the pedal and the Discovery Sport leaves other cars confused. The engine sounds just how the vehicle feels, powerful and fast. I also enjoyed using the paddle shifts and doing some manual gear changes in sport mode.
The long-travel suspension and innovative rear axle gives a smooth and comfortable drive when on the road but since this is a Land Rover, you are going to want to go off road. At the launch we took the Discovery Sport through some rough terrain and at some points I was a bit worried as there were some big ditches and rocks in the path. Thanks to the departure and break over angles of 25, 31 and 21 degrees respectively, Terrain Response® technology, and the ability to wade to 600mm we were able to drive safely through any condition!
Safety has always been Land Rovers key priority. To ensure your safety in the vehicle, there are first-in-class pedestrian airbags, autonomous emergency braking and to top it all, the body shell is made of ultra-high-strength steel and lightweight aluminium to keep you safe.
The Discovery Sport comes in a range of four-cylinder turbocharged petrol and diesel engines. The all-alloy Si4 2.0-litre petrol engine and the 2.2-litre turbo diesel both feature high-pressure direct injection, low-friction internal components and smart regenerative charging for outstanding performance and economy.
Starting at R541,900 and the top model at R731,400, the Discovery Sport has a range of available extras to customize the Sport to suit your needs. My favourite model has to be the Si4 HSE LUXURY in orange with the sunroof!
“Discovery Sport is the newest member of the expanding Discovery family, offering the practicality of 5+2 seating in a premium package,” said Richard Gouverneur, Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover South Africa and sub-Sahara Africa. “It is, without a doubt, the most accomplished vehicle in its segment.”
If you are looking for a compact SUV that is well suited to both on and off road, I suggest you take the Discovery Sport for a test drive. I think I shall have to get one myself 😉
