7 reasons to buy a Land Rover Discovery Sport – Express.co.uk

1. Bye bye boxiness… The Freelander was a good car for the late 90s and early noughties, but its boxy design was starting to look seriously dated. Time for a change.

2. … and hello to the future. The replacement Discovery Sport is a totally different proposition: an eye-catching and futuristic-looking compact SUV, it doesn’t look too dissimilar to the highly successful Range Rover Evoque. Which is no bad thing.

3. Seven seats. The Discovery Sport somehow manages to pack seven – count ’em – seats into its cabin. OK, so the third row is really only suitable for kids or really short journeys, but the increase in chairage is pretty useful for family motorists who occasionally need to ferry their kids’ friends around. Plus the second row slides and reclines, to make life that little bit more comfortable in the back.

4. Techno, techno, techno. Actually, that should be Techyes – because the Discovery Sport is packed with the latest technology, including a wifi hotspot, a package of apps called InControl that can be downloaded to your smartphone, 360-degree camera coverage around the car, plus an eight-inch colour touchscreen to control the infotainment system.

5. Good to drive. Not all SUVs can cut it on the road. Too top heavy and with a centre of gravity that is no friend to a cornering car, some can help induce carsickness – which is no good in a family car. However, the Discovery Sport is nicely balanced and handles well on the road, helping everyone stay comfortable inside.

6. At home, whatever the surface. If you’ve never had the pleasure of driving a modern Land Rover off-road, you really should try it (http://www.landrover.com/experiences/lr-experience-drives/index.html). Like all its stablemates, the Discovery Sport can cope with any terrain that most owners will face (including up to two feet of water) – and do so with equanimity, thanks to its tried-and tested four-wheel-drive system.

7. Safe as houses. The Discovery Sport has earned itself five stars in EuroNCAP crash tests, thanks to not only that four-wheel drive, but also a pedestrian airbag that deploys within 60 milliseconds, Autonomous Emergency Braking and airbags galore (driver and passenger, driver knee, side curtain and thorax).

Read Express Motoring’s full review http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/546685/Review-Land-Rover-Discovery-Sport