The Land Rover Discovery Sport has a rather unenviable position in life of being compared to its mechanically related sibling, the athletic and trendy Range Rover Evoque.
It’s a comparison that’s been brought up consistently since the Disco Sport’s fall launch, and a perfectly valid one. They have the same engines, are made in the same factory and go after a similarly premium set of compact SUVs. But the Land Rover has an uphill battle because its inherently more practical in a segment where badge and style often take more importance.
Of course, helping the Discovery Sport’s case is that in this Auto Express review, it’s being constantly compared to the old Freelander/LR2, an even more homely little SUV that fortunately the new SUV looks worlds different from. But you just know Land Rover execs cringe at every mention of the old car.
By sticking “DISCOVERY” on the front and back, though, it brings up comparisons to a much more off-road ready machine, which the Sport can’t quite live up to.
On paper and in this video review, the Disco Sport seems to check a lot of boxes essential to buyers in this segment. So I am kind of rooting it is good enough all around to get out from comparisons to other Land Rover and Range Rover models. But it’s a pretty crowded family, after all.