Land Rover Discovery Sport India review, test drive

The Discovery Sport actually works very well as a vehicle for long distance travel. The suspension feels beautifully damped at high speeds and body control is good. Add to this a well-weighted steering and what you get is a great feeling of control. Also, while the Discovery Sport may not be an X3 around the corners, handling is always neat and tidy. Unfortunately, the Discovery Sport also comes across as a bit stiffly sprung at low speeds. There’s that little bit of movement over all sorts of surface imperfections and even bumps you may not feel do register a noise at the tyres.

Off road, the Discovery Sport feels remarkably talented. We’ve driven the Discovery Sport on moderate off-road trails outside Mumbai and on ice and snow in Iceland before and can vouch for the efficacy of the Terrain Response System it comes with as standard. The system preps the steering, throttle, braking and centre coupling-based all-wheel-drive system for a variety of conditions. Due credit also to the Discovery Sport’s good approach, departure and ramp breakover angles, and impressive 600mm wading depth.

Should I buy one?

If good off-road ability is high priority for you, your search for mid-size luxury SUV should end at the Discovery Sport. It’s superbly capable and also small enough to enjoy in the rough. Pity the majority of Discovery Sports in India will never see the kind of terrains this SUV is built for. On other fronts too, the Discovery Sport impresses. It looks good, feels solidly put together and comes with plenty by way of goodies. You’ll also have little to complain about with the way it drives and rides.

Prices for the 147bhp Discovery Sport featured here start at Rs 46.1 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai) and top off at Rs 53.3 lakh. While the prices do put this version of the Discovery Sport in the same band as rivals, let’s not forget all of its rivals also come with more powerful engines. If you want more power, you’ll have to be prepared to pay Rs 62.18 lakh for the sole 187bhp model. In a spec-to-spec comparison, then, the Discovery Sport doesn’t quite shine.

But for the money, you get a remarkably well-rounded SUV with a personality very distinct from its contemporaries. To many, the latter bit alone should be enough reason to give the Discovery Sport serious consideration.