Land Rover’s Discovery Sport has a new engine option, a cleaner and more fuel efficient 2.0 litre turbo-diesel unit that’s built in-house by the 4x4 specialist company.
Land Rover is offering a new smoother and marginally more fuel efficient 2.0 litre engine in the new Discovery Sport that gives better performance. Prices start from €41,565 or £30,695 in N. Ireland.
The test Land Rover Discovery Sport came with Pirelli 235/60 R18 tyres which gives the SUV a high position but not much off-road clout, you need to opt for the more expensive HSE version to get these larger wheels included.
The rear view camera is mounted high in the rear boot so it stayed relatively clean for the duration of my test drive.
The rear looks tight but I found that the position was good enough for me with reasonable visibility.
This shows the third row of seats in the Land Rover Discovery Sport which fold flat when not in use; folding is easy.
Land Rover is offering a new smoother and marginally more fuel efficient 2.0 litre engine in the new Discovery Sport that gives better performance. Prices start from €41,565 or £30,695 in N. Ireland.
The changes to the Land Rover Discovery Sport revolve around the new Ingenium diesel engine that’s claimed to be more fuel efficient and cleaner than the 2.2 litre engine of the past.
The dash layout has a simple and solid feel to it; all of the controls were easy to set up and use, including Bluetooth and the sat-nav system.
The Land Rover Discovery Sport has strong feeling doors that open wide for good access.
The newest engine option for the Land Rover Discovery Sport claims to bring better economy and smoother driving. Land Rover has invested in its own diesel engine production factory and the new Discovery Sport is one of the first of the range to benefit.
This new engine is called the Ingenium and is a 2.0 litre capacity engine, replacing the larger 2.2 litre version. The rest of the Discovery Sport remains unchanged from before; there is a solid and strong feel to this mid-range SUV that gives you a level of confidence to assure you that it’s able for tough stuff.
This SUV is in a different league to what I call the softer SUVs. There are engine size similarities to many mid-range SUVs, but that’s about where the likeness stops.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Discovery Sport has a strong feel to it and the genuine off-road heritage impression remains intact. Pitched against most of the other 2.0 litre SUVs on the market, this Land Rover lives up to its claims of power and torque as well as a new level of smoothness. It just feels bigger and more solid, with good width to give a spacious impression across the cabin.
Out on the road, this new Discovery Sport retains that solid feel coupled with a smooth drive. The test version came with an automatic gearbox that allowed the new engine to control the show. Acceleration was smooth and faultless; it was easy to like the Discovery Sport.
On smaller rural roads, where poor surfaces are interspersed with challenging potholes and poor road cambers, the Discovery Sport gave noticeable road feedback from the steering. The steering was solid and assured but some noticeable level of vibration came back to the driver.
Off-road is where you really expect the Discovery Sport to be comfortable. Well, you won’t be let down. I drove across tillage and grass fields with ease, once the low range with mud and ruts driving was engaged on the simple dash-mounted button. On the farm road, the Discovery Sport was solid as a rock, taking the ruts with ease.
This is a seven-seat SUV, with the additional two seats in the boot area, easily folding to give a flat floor. These seats are compact, meaning they’re not for adults, unless on very short journeys.
The leather seats are solid and they made for a comfortable drive. I liked the robust looking floor mats: easy to clean and able for hardship.
Rear visibility was better than I had expected, with a central windscreen wiper that gave good cleaning. The test car came with a reversing camera system that gave good rear visibility for tight parking.
The spare wheel is not forgotten and, because of the extra set of seats, it’s tucked underneath the floor on the outside. That’s more true to the off-road heritage, so be prepared to get your hands dirty.
Lifting the bonnet for regular service checks is an easy matter, as the unit is supported on gas struts. All of the service points are clear to access, including topping up of the windscreen washer.
Land Rover has upped the safety deal with the new Discovery Sport. It comes equipped with a pedestrian airbag, autonomous emergency braking and a host of driver assistance features. There are Iso-fix couplings in the rear seats, all of which helped it earn a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating.
Relative to the older 2.2 litre engine, this new engine has a refinement level that’s noticeably better. There is little to separate the engines when it comes to fuel economy or CO2 levels, even though I thought that was the reason for the engine change.
This new smaller engine is rated at 16km/litre (6.2l/100km or 45mpg) in terms of fuel economy, only marginally better than the larger 2.2 litre version. My test drive was shorter than normal, and my fuel economy experience was 35% poorer than the rated figure, over a range of driving conditions. That’s a fairly typical result.
This means that the Discovery Sport is not very fuel efficient relative to the more popular mid-range and softer SUVs on the market. So you won’t be buying this Land Rover for fuel economy reasons or reasons of value, as its entry price of €41,565, or £30,695 in Northern Ireland is closer to the luxury-end SUVs, such as the Audi Q5 or BMW X3.
The Discovery Sport is better value but still with a relatively high three-year ownership cost at €0.43/km (see table). You need to consider it for its solid driving experience, good towing ability and comfort on and off the road. That solid Land Rover feeling remains, even though the look has softened on the outside. You’ll feel confident in the Discovery Sport, even if you won’t experience a remarkably new level of economy.
Land Rover Discovery Sport 2.0 TD
Engine 2.0 litre
Engine power 150hp
0-100km/hr 10.3 seconds
Economy 16km/litre
Fuel tank capacity 65 litres
CO2 emissions 159g/km
Road tax band D(€570)
Main service 20,000km
Euro NCAP rating Five stars
Towing rating 2,200kg
Warranty 100,000km
Entry price €41,565
NI price £30,695
Register for free to read this story and our free stories.
This content is available to digital subscribers and loyalty code users only. Sign in to your account, use the code or subscribe to get unlimited access.
However, if you would like to share the information in this article, you may use the headline, summary and link below:
Title: Discovery Sport powers on with new engine
Land Rover’s Discovery Sport has a new engine option, a cleaner and more fuel efficient 2.0 litre turbo-diesel unit that’s built in-house by the 4x4 specialist company.
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
CODE ACCEPTED
You have full access to the site until next Wednesday at 9pm.
CODE NOT VALID
Please try again or contact support.
The newest engine option for the Land Rover Discovery Sport claims to bring better economy and smoother driving. Land Rover has invested in its own diesel engine production factory and the new Discovery Sport is one of the first of the range to benefit.
This new engine is called the Ingenium and is a 2.0 litre capacity engine, replacing the larger 2.2 litre version. The rest of the Discovery Sport remains unchanged from before; there is a solid and strong feel to this mid-range SUV that gives you a level of confidence to assure you that it’s able for tough stuff.
This SUV is in a different league to what I call the softer SUVs. There are engine size similarities to many mid-range SUVs, but that’s about where the likeness stops.
The Discovery Sport has a strong feel to it and the genuine off-road heritage impression remains intact. Pitched against most of the other 2.0 litre SUVs on the market, this Land Rover lives up to its claims of power and torque as well as a new level of smoothness. It just feels bigger and more solid, with good width to give a spacious impression across the cabin.
Out on the road, this new Discovery Sport retains that solid feel coupled with a smooth drive. The test version came with an automatic gearbox that allowed the new engine to control the show. Acceleration was smooth and faultless; it was easy to like the Discovery Sport.
On smaller rural roads, where poor surfaces are interspersed with challenging potholes and poor road cambers, the Discovery Sport gave noticeable road feedback from the steering. The steering was solid and assured but some noticeable level of vibration came back to the driver.
Off-road is where you really expect the Discovery Sport to be comfortable. Well, you won’t be let down. I drove across tillage and grass fields with ease, once the low range with mud and ruts driving was engaged on the simple dash-mounted button. On the farm road, the Discovery Sport was solid as a rock, taking the ruts with ease.
This is a seven-seat SUV, with the additional two seats in the boot area, easily folding to give a flat floor. These seats are compact, meaning they’re not for adults, unless on very short journeys.
The leather seats are solid and they made for a comfortable drive. I liked the robust looking floor mats: easy to clean and able for hardship.
Rear visibility was better than I had expected, with a central windscreen wiper that gave good cleaning. The test car came with a reversing camera system that gave good rear visibility for tight parking.
The spare wheel is not forgotten and, because of the extra set of seats, it’s tucked underneath the floor on the outside. That’s more true to the off-road heritage, so be prepared to get your hands dirty.
Lifting the bonnet for regular service checks is an easy matter, as the unit is supported on gas struts. All of the service points are clear to access, including topping up of the windscreen washer.
Land Rover has upped the safety deal with the new Discovery Sport. It comes equipped with a pedestrian airbag, autonomous emergency braking and a host of driver assistance features. There are Iso-fix couplings in the rear seats, all of which helped it earn a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating.
Relative to the older 2.2 litre engine, this new engine has a refinement level that’s noticeably better. There is little to separate the engines when it comes to fuel economy or CO2 levels, even though I thought that was the reason for the engine change.
This new smaller engine is rated at 16km/litre (6.2l/100km or 45mpg) in terms of fuel economy, only marginally better than the larger 2.2 litre version. My test drive was shorter than normal, and my fuel economy experience was 35% poorer than the rated figure, over a range of driving conditions. That’s a fairly typical result.
This means that the Discovery Sport is not very fuel efficient relative to the more popular mid-range and softer SUVs on the market. So you won’t be buying this Land Rover for fuel economy reasons or reasons of value, as its entry price of €41,565, or £30,695 in Northern Ireland is closer to the luxury-end SUVs, such as the Audi Q5 or BMW X3.
The Discovery Sport is better value but still with a relatively high three-year ownership cost at €0.43/km (see table). You need to consider it for its solid driving experience, good towing ability and comfort on and off the road. That solid Land Rover feeling remains, even though the look has softened on the outside. You’ll feel confident in the Discovery Sport, even if you won’t experience a remarkably new level of economy.
If you would like to speak to a member of our team, please call us on 01-4199525.
Link sent to your email address
We have sent an email to your address. Please click on the link in this email to reset your password. If you can't find it in your inbox, please check your spam folder. If you can't find the email, please call us on 01-4199525.
ENTER YOUR LOYALTY CODE:
The reader loyalty code gives you full access to the site from when you enter it until the following Wednesday at 9pm. Find your unique code on the back page of Irish Country Living every week.
SHARING OPTIONS