A Land Rover in a sporty avatar? We try to unfold the mystery behind this latest Landie that aims at tarmac supremacy
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
Land Rover, Britain’s answer to hard-core mud-plugging, seem to have wandered off their traditional course into uncharted territory where the Germans have an edge. However, to beat them at their game, Land Rover have this brand-new SUV, called the Discovery Sport. We have seen the Range Rover Sport, which epitomises luxury in a sporty way, but will this more affordable Land Rover manage to do the same? Well, after spending a couple of days with it we had the answer to that question and here is what we think.
To begin with, the Disco Sport clearly seems to have visited the same spa that is often frequented by the Range Rover. Hence the resemblance to the RR Evoque. The stylish front end with signature LED daytime running lights and the industrial type grille look absolutely spot-on for a sporty SUV and the tail end also complements this thought. From the side as well, the Disco Sport looks very much like a well-built wrestler with its rising shoulder-line, sloping roof-line and muscular wheel-arches. These design elements were first seen on the new-age Range Rovers and those ideas have rubbed off in a very positive way on the designers at LR. The Disco Sport looks sporty and modern and, if that is what LR were looking for, I believe they have nailed it.
However, things are pretty much the same on the inside as on any other Land Rover: minimalist and not exciting. I mean, I was expecting the cabin to represent central London; however, it turns out to be Birmingham. I was hoping to see a black theme with contrasting red or yellow stitching, some carbon-fibre bits with aluminium trim, since it has Sport in its name. However, it turned out to be an overdose of beige and boring. Sure, the quality of the material, fit-and-finish and build quality are great, but with only a few dials for the air-con and a few buttons for terrain response, the design fails to make my heart go racing while inside the Sport.
The only touch of modernity, though, which made any sense at all, was the fabulous touch-enabled central infotainment screen. It is so intuitive and easy to use that I felt like removing it and taking it home with me. I also loved the large and supportive seats that are adjustable in many ways. The simple and easy-to-read analogue speedometer and tachometer work like clockwork but what makes life easy for tech-savvy people like me is the digital display located between the pods which shows an array of useful information.
