Discovery Sport
Discussion
Had one as my 'go to france' car in HSE Black trim; Ingenium. Loved the look of it, loved the handling (for a 7 seater), loved the space and general 'sweet spot' regard size V handling.
Returned it after three months. I got the dreaded B-pillar rattle and was unwilling to have the invasive 'fix' done. I allowed the dealer to do the first stage (removal of trim and knocking of b pillars/ some fiddling) - that stage NEVER works / I already knew it wouldn't work. And so they wanted to do the final stage fix - NO WAY was I letting them basically dismantle the car, drill out welds and reweld - all on a new car!
To be fair, Land Rover were very helpful and understood that some customers would not be happy with that work being done. I got a full refund and they kept me as a potential, future, customer. I would never have bought another if they hadn't granted me the refund.
The car does feel cheaply made and I think they are priced around 5k to 7k over what they should be - but LR can't make them fast enough and so can charge what they want. Given the price point gets you an equivalent Evoque with an interior that actually feels like it deserves the price tag - LR blatantly downgraded the DS interior so that they would not canibalise some portion of Evoque sales. But I think they went to far. Rumours of an Evoque XL in the pipeline may mean a DS that's a nicer place to be.
I found the Ingenium engine to be good; and I found the later Auto box to be fine. Never a problem. Overall, I liked the car as there's little else that offers what the DS does; the only other car that offers 7 seats in a similar package / size is the Nissan XTrail - underpowered and woeful auto boxes rule that out. As well, they don't handle as well and aren't as good off road. So the DS is almost in a niche segment of one.
About the B pillar rattle; it's temperature dependant and only a particular hot set of summer days brought it out, for me. But for anyone wondering; it's not actually a rattle; it's a ticking noise; very subtle around ear level, in the b pillar. I had it in both pillars; some people only experience it in one. Some poor sods don't think they have it until they hear it, when the sun starts beating down! I've heard that one in seven cars is suspected to have the issue but - I've no idea the real numbers. Known manufacturing fault and, to my knowledge; still not fixed. The only consolation, I was told, is that; LR have at least acknowledged it - because in the olden days, they would have called it a characteristic of the car.
Returned it after three months. I got the dreaded B-pillar rattle and was unwilling to have the invasive 'fix' done. I allowed the dealer to do the first stage (removal of trim and knocking of b pillars/ some fiddling) - that stage NEVER works / I already knew it wouldn't work. And so they wanted to do the final stage fix - NO WAY was I letting them basically dismantle the car, drill out welds and reweld - all on a new car!
To be fair, Land Rover were very helpful and understood that some customers would not be happy with that work being done. I got a full refund and they kept me as a potential, future, customer. I would never have bought another if they hadn't granted me the refund.
The car does feel cheaply made and I think they are priced around 5k to 7k over what they should be - but LR can't make them fast enough and so can charge what they want. Given the price point gets you an equivalent Evoque with an interior that actually feels like it deserves the price tag - LR blatantly downgraded the DS interior so that they would not canibalise some portion of Evoque sales. But I think they went to far. Rumours of an Evoque XL in the pipeline may mean a DS that's a nicer place to be.
I found the Ingenium engine to be good; and I found the later Auto box to be fine. Never a problem. Overall, I liked the car as there's little else that offers what the DS does; the only other car that offers 7 seats in a similar package / size is the Nissan XTrail - underpowered and woeful auto boxes rule that out. As well, they don't handle as well and aren't as good off road. So the DS is almost in a niche segment of one.
About the B pillar rattle; it's temperature dependant and only a particular hot set of summer days brought it out, for me. But for anyone wondering; it's not actually a rattle; it's a ticking noise; very subtle around ear level, in the b pillar. I had it in both pillars; some people only experience it in one. Some poor sods don't think they have it until they hear it, when the sun starts beating down! I've heard that one in seven cars is suspected to have the issue but - I've no idea the real numbers. Known manufacturing fault and, to my knowledge; still not fixed. The only consolation, I was told, is that; LR have at least acknowledged it - because in the olden days, they would have called it a characteristic of the car.
We've had a Disco Sport for three days this week while the wife's car was in for warranty work. It was on my short list for my next car but not any more. There were a too many irritations, such as economy was poor, struggled to get high 30s even on steady motorway runs, cheap interior and switchgear and poor infotainment system. The sat nav is terrible, kept zooming in, even on the motorway, when I zoomed out it just zoomed in again seconds later. The car had done 3000 miles and it was asking for adblue. The tyre noise on motorways was a lot louder then what I expected, again made the car feel cheap.
I don't doubt it's off road ability but you pay a £10k premium for this and I would rarely need it, so in summary I don't think I'll be getting one.
I don't doubt it's off road ability but you pay a £10k premium for this and I would rarely need it, so in summary I don't think I'll be getting one.
Some interesting ownership experiences here. MrsC is just about ready to order her car having waited over 12 months due to waiting for an enhanced company car list & I'm conscious the Disco Sport might not be for her/us from what I'm reading - whilst it does have the benefit of occasional 7 seats, at best we're 4 plus our pooches. I'm conscious of the real world mpg even though she has a fuel card...my folks have a GLC250 AMG that we'll be trying in the next week as I think that's the alternative & apparently doesn't have the issues with the Nav dropping out & has an improved mpg.
Granfondo said:
My wife's DiscoSport 2.0d auto over 20k miles has averaged 40.1mpg and gets free Adblu every 10k miles!
Mrs SB's 2.0d averages high 30s, mostly on short trips. Consumption is maybe 10-15% better than the old Freelander.AdBlue isn't an issue (only needed one fill in about 15K miles, I think) and it's included as part of the LR service plan. Drive into a dealer and they'll fill up while you wait.
Downsides have been recalls and teething problems (rear camera went U/S, tailgate struts needed replacing) and the poor range (for a diesel) because the adblue tank compromises the capacity of the main tank.
The nav *is* rubbish - mainly because it insists on taking you down ridiculously narrow - and slow - lanes when more conventional routes are actually quicker. (And it's touchscreen, which I hate)
At 6'3" I find the driving position *really* uncomfortable after an hour.
Those are the "I wish I'd known.." things. Overall we're happy with it. It's a much, much better car to drive (and be driven in) than the outgoing FL2.
I'm going to fight the corner of the FL2 here.
We've had an Evoque in the family, and the boot is tiny, so no good for us. The DS is ok, but looks effete compared to the FL2 and the children don't like the swept up rear window line, which means their visibility is restricted.
I prefer the driving position of the FL, and the fact it feels more Land Rover than "car-like".
The DS we tried was less powerful than our 190bhp FL, so performance was not comparable.
Our car manages mid30's mpg in most conditions and is maintained at a reasonable cost by my local independent specialist.
It will possibly be replaced by a Kodiaq at some stage, but remains a great family favourite for now.
We've had an Evoque in the family, and the boot is tiny, so no good for us. The DS is ok, but looks effete compared to the FL2 and the children don't like the swept up rear window line, which means their visibility is restricted.
I prefer the driving position of the FL, and the fact it feels more Land Rover than "car-like".
The DS we tried was less powerful than our 190bhp FL, so performance was not comparable.
Our car manages mid30's mpg in most conditions and is maintained at a reasonable cost by my local independent specialist.
It will possibly be replaced by a Kodiaq at some stage, but remains a great family favourite for now.
We're seriously considering a DS for family haulage duties. Ticks all our boxes for space/practicality without being an overly large barge on the outside. I also think it happens to look great - stylish without being overly pretentious. My only reservation is the quality - with so much negativity on the forums. We borrowed a demo car for the weekend (HSE 180 Auto) and it was great, no issues at all in the short time we had it. But I'm still a bit nervous of actually ordering one! But then again, nothing else in this class really floats my boat.
Also now several new engine options i.e. 240 hp diesel and 2 petrol variants. I'm thinking the 240 diesel will be the best compromise on power vs economy. I was tempted by the petrol versions, but I expect fuel costs are going to be really irritating and not sure I really want a higher revving engine in a car like this.
Also now several new engine options i.e. 240 hp diesel and 2 petrol variants. I'm thinking the 240 diesel will be the best compromise on power vs economy. I was tempted by the petrol versions, but I expect fuel costs are going to be really irritating and not sure I really want a higher revving engine in a car like this.
uktrailmonster said:
Was this with 20" wheels by any chance? I drove one with 19s and it was pretty quiet, notably so.
It could have been, it was a HSE Lux. My car and the wife's Evoque are fairly quiet on the motorway though, it's what you are used to I suppose. When I got back into the Evoque it just felt like a more quality product.Mine is silent on 20" wheels
Just hauled a 1500kg caravan 240 miles from Cornwall and achieved 30mpg (only got 40mpg solo taking it sedately) so most impressed.
Plenty quick enough and pretty refined.
Towing was absolutely effortless.
I agree that the range is truly compromised by the Adblu tank which I find quite irritating.
I don't get the Range Rover / Landrover quality thing - they're the same car just different specs. Mine is a Dynamic Lux so perhaps that is the reason but I love it. Makes me feel like gentry lol
Just hauled a 1500kg caravan 240 miles from Cornwall and achieved 30mpg (only got 40mpg solo taking it sedately) so most impressed.
Plenty quick enough and pretty refined.
Towing was absolutely effortless.
I agree that the range is truly compromised by the Adblu tank which I find quite irritating.
I don't get the Range Rover / Landrover quality thing - they're the same car just different specs. Mine is a Dynamic Lux so perhaps that is the reason but I love it. Makes me feel like gentry lol
Edited by Cats on Wednesday 14th June 15:45
RammyMP said:
It could have been, it was a HSE Lux. My car and the wife's Evoque are fairly quiet on the motorway though, it's what you are used to I suppose. When I got back into the Evoque it just felt like a more quality product.
Yes, HSE Lux has 20" wheels as standard. I've driven the DS with both 20" and 19" wheels and much preferred the 19". To be honest the ride wasn't that bad on 20" rims, but a bit crashy over potholes and more road noise at speed. I expect 18" rims are even better for this type of vehicle, but was happy with the ride and handling on 19", seemed like a good compromise. I wouldn't bother with the 20" wheels on this car. I'm also going to spec the adaptive damping option, which I think is standard on the Evoque - which may explain some of the ride quality difference.I have to agree the Evoque interior does look a bit more upmarket, but we need the interior space of the DS. When I first got into the DS I was a bit underwhelmed with the interior, but it kind of grew on me over the weekend. I quite like the no BS simplicity of it and the quality felt okay to me. The 180 engine although quite adequate, felt a bit dull. But the 240 hp version should bring it to life.
I think I'll probably give it a go, knowing full well that Landrover quality is probably not up there with its competitors. Overall the DS appeals to me and ticks a lot of boxes. Maybe Mercedes should build it for them, LOL.
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