Land Rover Discovery Sport India review, test drive

In the Discovery Sport, you sit at a nice height that'll give you a good view out. Front seat comfort is good. The middle row passengers get seats which are supportive and can be moved fore and aft to maximise legroom or free up knee room for the last row. Space, in general, is good while the large windows allow enough light into the cabin. Land Rover has also given the cabin lots of recesses for small items and thoughtfully equipped it with seven USB charging points, one for each occupant.

Land Rover has launched the Discovery Sport in India in four trims, with the the top HSE Luxury solely available with the more powerful of the two engines on offer. The base S trim doesn’t get all that much in equipment so if you are considering a Discovery Sport, it’s worth extending your budget to the SE version that comes with a panoramic sunroof, xenon headlamps, sliding and reclining rear seats, parking aids, two-zone climate control and 10-speaker audio system. HSE versions additionally feature full leather seats, electric seat adjust, rear view camera and park assist (it’ll parallel/ perpendicular park the car for you!). The pricey HSE Luxury car gets rear seat entertainment systems, 10-way powered front seats and a 17-speaker Meridian audio system. An adaptive suspension is also part of the kit.

What is it like to drive?

As mentioned, the Discovery Sport is available with two engine options. Well, it’s actually the same four-cylinder, 2.2-litre diesel engine offered in two states of tune – 147bhp and 187bhp; similar to what was offered on the Freelander before. In either form, the engine on the Discovery Sport comes mated to a nine-speed automatic gearbox.

We drove the lesser-powered ‘TD4’ version of the Discovery Sport and found it to be an SUV that’s quite well suited to average city and highway use, power deficit to rivals notwithstanding. Slight low speed grumble apart, refinement is good, power is delivered in a linear manner and there’s a steady build of speed. This version of the Discovery Sport is not fast but performance is still more than acceptable. However, those who’ve experienced the punch of modern diesel motors will find this engine unexciting. As for the gearbox, it functions well for the most part but at times, shifts aren’t as fluid as those on the more commonplace eight-speed units. The transition from first to second gear, at times, isn’t as seamless as it ought to be. Via paddleshifters you do have the option to take manual control but even in Sport mode, the system won’t let you hold gear. Left to its own devices, the gearbox keeps the engine spinning at the lowest revs where possible – 100kph in 9th gear on a steady throttle equals just 1400rpm!