Sharpened-up Land Rover Discovery Sport still has a dual personality

I have no doubt a Land Rover Discovery Sport could go pretty much anywhere in the bush that any normal person would want to go. But let’s be straight, the Sport badge suggests this Land Rover might enjoy an affluent type lifestyle on tar more than getting dirty and scratching paintwork out in the bundus every weekend.

This was exactly what we experienced last week in the Western Cape where we got to spend some quality time with the updated Discovery Sport. For 2020 the Discovery Sport features a few styling changes, updated technologies, improved levels of interior quality and increased space.

At first glance, you will see the exterior updates are subtle and basically come in the form of new signature LED lights at the front and rear, plus a new front grille and bumpers. For me this translates into a good-looking city slicker that still maintains its traditional Land Rover styling cues.

Jumping inside you are greeted by a cool new infotainment interface, with the latest connectivity and wireless charging for compatible mobile devices in a lower centre console, while a 4G Wi-Fi hot spot alongside USB and 12-volt connectivity points on every row ensure passengers remain charged and connected.

Normally this level of connectivity would not be such a big deal, but with an optional 5+2 seating arrangement that offers up to 24 combinations for enhanced versatility, you might find yourself with a car full of people, or worse, a car full of teenagers, needing power for mobile devices and tablets while you venture off into the unknown.

Obviously in seven-seat configuration, there is not much room for luggage, but in five-seat configuration I doubt you will have any problem getting all you want into the Discovery Sport. My driving partner and I did not need much of the luggage space as we headed off for a scrumptious dinner and some grape stomping at the centuries-old Kloovenburg Wine Estate, via a leisurely drive through Langebaan on the West Coast.

Perfectly suited to this drive was the smooth-shifting 132kW/430Nm, 2.0-litre four-cylinder (D180 badged) turbodiesel that we drove for the entire launch. The 184kW/365Nm, turbo petrol-powered models will land later in the year.

Kloovenburg started life near the end of the 1600s and passed through a number of hands over the years until it was purchased in 1958 by Pieter Stephanus du Toit. After he died in 1997, his son, also Pieter Stephanus and father of Springbok forward Pieter-Steph du Toit, inherited the farm and was the man who welcomed us to his home.

A very family orientated titbit of information, one of the wines offered from the farm is the Eight Feet blend. The story goes, when the four Du Toit sons were still small children, Pieter and Annalene allowed them in the evenings when they finished their homework to join and help out in the cellar. To keep them busy and out from under his feet, Pieter gave the boys small tasks –most notably grapes to stomp. It was Annalene who suggested they bottle their son’s labour of love and as they say, the rest is history.

Before we departed, after a beautiful sunrise breakfast on the estate, we did get to do a quick run up and down a dirt hill between the grape vines. The Discovery Sport now features a second-generation Active Driveline system where the Terrain Response 2 automatically detects the surface and adjusts the torque delivery to best suit the conditions, where in the past you would have to choose a mode before proceeding.

Did the automatic detection system work? I don’t know, as we were told to engage Sand Mode and this made easy work of the hills in front of us. When we get a road-test vehicle, our tamed off -road mistress – the boss’ wife – will give the Discovery Sport systems a proper work over and report back accordingly.

The Discovery Sport is available locally in base and S trim levels, or sportier R-Dynamic variants in S, SE and HSE trim. All models come standard with a five-year care plan, giving peace of mind with a 100 000 km warranty and servicing within a five-year period, whichever comes first.

PRICING

Discovery Sport D180 – R749 500

Discovery Sport D180 S – R795 500

Discovery Sport D180 S R-Dynamic – R819 100

Discovery Sport D180 SE R-Dynamic – R855 300

Discovery Sport D180 HSE R-Dynamic – R897 800

Discovery Sport P250 – R759 500

Discovery Sport P250 S – R805 800

Discovery Sport P250 S R-Dynamic – R829 500

Discovery Sport P250 SE R-Dynamic – R865 700

Discovery Sport P250 HSE R-Dynamic – R908 100

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