THE CHRONICLE, Friday, April 17, 2020 - Page 27
wangarattachronicle.com.au
APRIL 17 -23 | 2020
Ŷ SHARP: Land Rover Discovery’s shape is a neat mix of luxury and off-road readiness.
2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport LAND Rover Discovery sits neatly between the heavy-duty Land Rover Defender and the upper-luxury Range Rover. It attracts those looking for a classy on-road vehicle, as well as drivers planning to tackle serious stuff in the bush/deserts/snowfields/mountains - indeed anywhere surfaces aren’t sealed. The model range is extensive, the petrol powered models are the P200 S:$60,500; P200 R-Dynamic S:$63,100; P250 SE:$67, 852 and P250 R-Dynamic SE:$71,232. Diesels are the D150 S:$62,450; D150 RDynamic S:$65,050; D180 SE:67,910; D180 R-Dynamic SE: $70,510; D240 HSE: $79,700, and finally the D240 R-Dynamic HSE:$82,900. The new-generation Discovery from 2014 have a softer looking, more SUV-ish, body than the traditional old-style models. Note that the traditional stepped roofline has been retained, albeit in a more subtle way. We love this harking back to previous generations.
By EWAN KENNEDY But it’s only soft on top, it’s as tough as every under the skin. They received a major makeover in 2017 and again in 2019. There really is room for seven full-sized adults in Land Rover Discovery, in a two /three /two arrangement. The seats are wide, with enough leg and headroom for all but very tall travellers. Theatre seating sets each row of seats slightly higher than the ones. In the Land Rover tradition the tailgate can provide seating for three with a combined weight of up to 300kg. There’s very good interior storage including hidden spaces in the central console and under the central armrest. There’s clever small-item stowage area behind the fold-down climate control panel. The latest Discovery can be bought with ei-
ther turbo-petrol or turbo-diesel engines. Diesel is a four-cylinder 2.0-litre in three different states of tune to provide 110 kW, 132 kW or 177 kW. The petrols are also four-cylinder displacing 2.0 litres. Peak power can be either 147 kW or 184 kW. All engines are mated to a nine-speed ZF automatic. Discovery is offered with two-wheel drive (front wheels) or four-wheel drive. Land Rover’s InControl Touch Pro infotainment system is relatively easy to use through a series of menus. Every seat in the Disco has its own USB input as well as 3G WiFi for up to eight devices and up to six 12v sockets. Driver assistance features include autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist and front and rear parking sensors. Condition monitoring of the driver for inattention and/or tiredness is standard.
IsoFix child-seat mounting points are on the outer seats in the centre row and both of the third row seats. It may look more like an SUV in its latest generation, but compared with the others that like to call themselves 4WDs - but are really SUVs - the Discovery Sport has has significantly better approach and departure angles and greater wheel articulation. Our test car was the 4WD model with the switchable all-terrain system that lets you choose from grass/gravel/snow/mud-ruts/ sand/settings, as well as roll-over stability and hill descent control. This is a medium-large vehicle, being 4.6 metres long and 2.1 metres wide (mirrors folded). It’s fairly bulky so can be a handful in suburban running, particularly in tight shopping centres and underground carparks. Try before you buy if you’re an inner-city dweller. Ŷ Continued page 2
E V E RY T H I N G, J U S T R I G H T. A L L- N E W M A Z DA C X-3 0 H A S A R R I V E D Now at One Mile Motors, 10-14 Templeton St, Wangaratta 03 5721 5677 Serving the community as your local Mazda dealer for over 50 years!
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