Autodealer Women’s Choice Awards 2017: Land Rover Discovery Sport
10 ladies were invited to drive 10 luxury cars back-to-back over the same route of about 18km. This is what they had to say about the Land Rover Discovery Sport

The new Land Rover Discovery Sport is the world’s most versatile and capable premium compact SUV. The first member of the new Discovery family, Discovery Sport, features 5+2 seating in a footprint no larger than existing five-seat premium sport utility vehicles (SUVs).

- Lesley Ings with Land Rover’s Zantelle Bruwer
Discovery Sport offers optimised volume, proportions and stance. Its design leadership combines with engineering integrity to result in a dynamic profile, the ultimate use of interior space and 5+2 seating configurability.
“Our challenge has been to combine premium design with exceptional versatility. The two attributes must work in harmony,” said Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Design Director and Chief Creative Officer. “I’m proud to say we’ve achieved that. Discovery Sport’s dynamic design will resonate on an emotional level with consumers, and this vehicle is more versatile than any other premium compact SUV on the market.”

Interior
This spirit of adventure is reflected in Discovery Sport’s interior, which has been designed with customers at its core. It features high-quality materials and a strong vertical centre console graphic to reflect the premium design of the exterior, while the core Discovery value of versatility is evident everywhere. Storage solutions are integrated into the cabin and up to four 12V power points and six USB charging sockets can be specified for all three rows of seating, allowing multiple electronic devices to be charged simultaneously.

A host of innovations have allowed Discovery Sport to introduce the versatility of 5+2 seating into the premium compact SUV class for the first time. An all-new multi-link rear axle not only provides engaging driving dynamics but also ample and flexible cabin space behind the second row.
Coupled with supple long-travel suspension, the Discovery Sport is comfortable, refined and rewarding to drive on-road, while retaining the breadth of all-terrain capability for which Land Rover is world-renowned.

In fact, with approach, departure and breakover angles of 25, 31 and 21 degrees respectively, terrain response technology, and the ability to wade to 600mm, Discovery Sport offers class-leading capability in all conditions.
The new Discovery Sport comes with a host of safety features – inclusive of a first-in-class pedestrian airbag, autonomous emergency braking, a state-of-the-art bodyshell featuring both ultrahigh-strength steel and lightweight aluminium.

The Discovery Sport is equipped with a range of four-cylinder turbocharged petrol and diesel engines. Petrol derivatives use an all-alloy Si4 2,0-litre engine with 177kW and direct fuel injection. This offers six-cylinder levels of performance in a compact package that reduces weight and cuts CO2 emissions by up to 20%, compared to conventional larger capacity engines with a similar power output.

The 4-cylinder 2.0 litre Si4 Petrol variant is available in a 177kw engine with 9-speed Automatic Transmission as standard and delivers a truly high performance drive. Powerful, more efficient and economical than predecessors, this powertrain is Land Rover’s next generation of engine.
All engine derivatives are mated to an advanced ZF 9HP48 nine-speed automatic transmission for peerless refinement, efficiency, driver engagement and off-road capability.
Rating:

