Medium 4WD SUV of the Year: Land Rover Discovery Sport

News and General

The 2024 version of the ‘Disco Sport’ is a revelation. We’ve driven previous versions, and driven regular Discoveries back to the first edition, but this year’s offering is a big step forward, updated with a more modern luxury interior, latest tech and added functionality. It also stays true to its 10-year heritage.

The Sport was first shown to the public in 2014 and arrived in 2015 as Land Rover’s replacement for the Freelander. The SUV category was white hot: more than 30 percent of new car sales were in this category.

Discovery Sport, sharing its mechanicals with the Range Rover Evoque, was the first of a new family of Land Rover SUVs. The Disco Sport had decent body underguards, decent approach and departure angles, a wading depth of 600mm and a terrain response system. From launch, it sat on Pirelli Scorpion tyres, which are head and shoulders ahead of pretty much any h/t tread.

The standard ground clearance is a healthy 212mm, approach angle 22.8 degrees (23 degrees in off-road mode), ramp-over is 20.6 and departure angle is 28.2.

For cruising around the city, hitting the open road or chewing up some gravel road distance, the Sport trounces most 4WD utes and many of its rival SUVs. For an all-round premium driving experience, it’s hard to beat.

Publishing Information
Magazine Issue:
Contact Us
NZ4WD covers a range of topics of interest to the 4WD vehicle buyer & driver. We're dedicated to providing a wide range of information covering vehicle selection, accessories & upgrading, 4WD clubs & sport, adventure & track stories an

Related Articles
Twenty-five years of X-TRAIL: Nissan marks the milestone with Rock Creek
Nissan has marked a quarter-century of X-TRAIL in New Zealand with the launch of two adventure-focused Rock Creek grades, taking the nameplate into its second 25 years with the broadest range it has...
Denali goes black
General Motors Australia & New Zealand has introduced the GMC Yukon Denali Signature Black, a locally-specified special edition of the GMC Yukon Denali full-size SUV. The Signature Black...
4WD group plants native trees to fix damage
A four-wheel driveclub has joined forces with the Department of Conservation to fund and plant native shrubs and trees to help cover damage done by vehicles. The Mid Canterbury club helped plant...