Winston Churchill said the British are "the only people who like to be told how bad things are." In that case, they're about to get an earful about the Land Rover Discovery Sport.
The SUV faces a steep climb to meet the established compact luxury models. And though bearing the crest and warrant of the British royal family is a cool branding touch, it gets you only so far around the country club forecourt.
Our midtrim HSE Discovery penciled out to be one of the costliest crossovers in the category of its time. Skipping our early release model's extra-cost paint and decorative trim options could’ve shaved off a couple grand, but this SUV would be overpriced no matter what.
At first blush things look promising. Though hardly opulent, the interior is as tidy as Lord Grantham's drawing room. Drivers will find plenty of space, easy access, and good sight lines to the front and sides. The rear seats are unusually spacious and comfortable for a vehicle of this size. A giant fixed panoramic roof lets in a lot of light, but it doesn't tilt or slide open. A cramped third-row of seats is available too, though we passed on it.
But it doesn't take long behind the wheel for the Cool Britannia vibe to wear off. The nine-speed automatic transmission's inept programming, combined with the four-cylinder engine's erratic turbo boost, creates a frustrating and inconsistent driving experience.
Tromp on the gas pedal, and the slow-witted transmission clings to the taller gears far too long, denying you the quick getaway you asked for -- until a sudden downshift delivers a jarring kick in the trousers, accompanied by rudely noisy engine revs. Although the nine-speed gearbox is designed to save fuel, we only averaged 21 mpg.
The Sport also isn't all that sporty to drive. It lumbers and leans around corners. On a winding road, your abdominals get a workout keeping your torso in the seat. Pushed hard, the electronic stability control ultimately kept the Land Rover on course in our emergency-handling tests, but the car was quite sloppy, first running wide, then displaying the onset of a tailslide.
The Discovery Sport's ride falls short of luxury-level expectations as well. The suspension feels brittle, with every pavement rut and ripple reverberating through the body structure. That's irritating in any car, let alone a luxury crossover.
Land Rovers are known for their go-anywhere tenacity. The Disco lacks the low-range gearbox of a true off-roader, but with a bit of struggle it managed to clamber its way up our steep off-road rock slope. That's thanks to the help of electronic modes designed for mud, ruts, or sand, part of a Terrain Response system that all Land Rovers possess.
And, if facing a whoa-this-is-really-steep ravine or gully, hill-descent control allows the driver to stay off the brakes, letting the vehicle automatically crawl down the scary stuff.
Those are challenges other light-duty SUVs wouldn't have the capability to surmount. But let's face it, most of these vehicles will discover a parking spot at the mall before blazing a trail.
Notable features included heated seats fore and aft, a heated steering wheel, push-button start, navigation, and a rear camera. The infotainment system is operated by a too-small touchscreen that is a far reach away, with a user interface that can be slow to respond.
As for safety gear, our Discovery Sport featured forward-collision warning with automatic braking and lane-departure warning. But blind spot warning- and surround view camera systems are bundled in an option package, an annoying upsell for a modern so-called luxury crossover.
The Discovery Sport's few advantages aren't enough to lift it out of the cellar. There are many better compact luxury SUVs out there.
Navigating the trim lines
The Discovery Sport lineup is relatively straightforward. You can only get one drivetrain: a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder with a nine-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
Three trim levels are available. Base SE trim has partial-leather seats; popular equipment like the panoramic roof and power liftgate are optional. Note that you can't get some desirable features, such as blind spot monitoring and forward-collision warning, on this trim level.
HSE trim adds full leather seats, more front seat adjustments and memory, a power liftgate, HID headlights, and a cool panoramic roof that looks like one sheet of glass. (It doesn't open though, making the cabin a bit of a terrarium in hot weather.) The top HSE Luxury trim adds swankier leather, an upgraded audio system, satellite radio, and a navigation system.
Note that there is a wide array of options of questionable value available, all of which quickly add up. Some are cosmetic trim items, such as different wheel designs or grille trim. Some paint colors add to the price as well. Even getting the software to use apps on the infotainment system costs.
Best version\/options to get
We wouldn't buy a Discovery Sport; there are much better compact luxury SUVs out there. If you do want one, however, the HSE trim is the best combination of value and luxury, allowing you to get desirable features like the Vision package with blind spot monitoring and the surround-view camera. We would also get the Driver Assist Plus package with autonomous emergency braking and navigation.