Land Rover Discovery Sport review

There’s lots about the Discovery Sport to make life easy, especially when it comes to carrying multiple people or towing big stuff. It’ll cart around 2,500kg of bikes/cars/horses and trailer assist systems will make parking it all a doddle.

Ignore the mild-hybrid talk, as for now the tech all beavers away beneath the surface and won’t affect you day-to-day, save for some light fuel savings. The most fuel-efficient Sport actually goes without it, that entry-level diesel manual claiming a mighty 45.1mpg, though that’s massively aided by ditching four-wheel drive.

The D165 is also the supreme bargain of the Disco Sport range, starting at £34,480, with the 5+2 seating adding another grand. But a cautious step through the specs will easily throw you well into the 40s and a plumply specced example with power levels appropriate for hauling stuff around can be fifty grand with ease. But the truth is the Disco Sport feels worth it. Good.

The plug-in hybrid offers a compelling case for switching from a conventional diesel Disco. On paper it can do 181.3mpg and CO2 emissions of 35g/km will appeal to company car folk, but in reality it’ll be circa 50mpg if you’re doing decent distances with semi-frequent charging.

Or, mid-30s if charging proves a total faff and you mainly just fill up with petrol and give its 15kWh battery a free ride wherever you go. A battery which fills the hole in the boot other Discos can squeeze a pair of flip-out seats into. Coupled with the fact that the P300e starts from £52,285, you’ve got to really want that zero-emissions capability to do without a) the optional seven seats, and b) that cash maturing nicely in your savings account. But then Q5 and X3 plug-ins are similarly priced, so it’s not outrageous money.