2017 Land Rover Discovery Sport, Track Test

Yes, the Discovery Sport has been around for a while now. And no, we haven’t lost our minds in deciding to make it a part of this feature. While it looks identical to the model that we’ve had on sale for the past couple of years, this particular Discovery Sport qualifies for this annual evaluation owing to its new heart. 

Land Rover has finally brought the Ingenium diesel-powered model to our showrooms. At the core of this all-new aluminium engine is the idea of giving the SUV better performance while making it smoother and more efficient. On this account, the unit gets twin balancer shafts, an acoustically damped oil sump, decoupled fuel injectors and low friction components, such as an oil pump, air conditioning compressor and alternator – all in the interest of keeping the acoustic properties of all of the mechanicals in check. But does all of this work?

In one word, yes! The old 2.2 mill felt a bit industrial and there was a fair amount of clatter from the engine. The new motor has brought NVH levels down – as promised. And not just that, the vehicle feels much smoother now thorough the rev range. Throttle response is far more immediate at lower revs, and the engine has a promising mid-range with 430Nm of torque spread between 1,750 to 2,500rpm. In fact, this SUV shares the same engine with the exact same 177bhp power output as the Land Rover Evoque and Jaguar XE that we have on test here. However, predictably, it isn’t as impressively fast as the XE – or, for that matter, as the Evoque. The reason for this is that the Disco Sport weights considerably more than both those cars and has a softer suspension setup that’s more oriented towards giving it serious off-road cred – which, of course, it does have. 

This particular HSE Luxury model that we had on test came loaded to the brim with leather seats, a panoramic sunroof, a 17-speaker Meridian Sound system, and more. But, despite its premiumness, this is one machine that certainly loves to lift its skirt and play in the mud with any opportunity it’s given.  

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