Road test: Land Rover Discovery Sport SE Tech

Land Rover’s upmarket new Discovery Sport — its Freelander replacement — made quite an impact recently when launched to the world’s press in snowy Iceland, dealing impressively with extreme wintry conditions.

But how does it perform in real life? I’ve just put 500 miles on the SE Automatic version with a heavily laden Easter trip to the beautiful Brecon Beacons and came away impressed again. It’s a handsome, premium, compact-looking package that, despite being different to the Freelander, only tends to turn the heads of car aficionados. It’s so rooted in the Land Rover family “look”, it already seems familiar.

It has that “clamshell” bonnet, while from the rear it’s not unlike the upmarket Range Rover Sport.

From the side, it looks more dynamic than the Freelander ever did. Its most impressive facet is the ingenious interior, which is cavernous, with seating for seven. With rear seats folded away the boot is big and deep.

It’s very good to drive, too, and felt at home in the rugged Beacons, its elevated seating position making the most of the stunning mountain views. The steering is direct and the driving position supportive.

It plugged happily through fords and rutted tracks, acquiring a thick layer of mud, then slid neatly back into urban London life where, despite those seven-seater credentials, it felt perfectly at home, too.

Land Rover Discovery Sport SE Tech
Top speed: 117mph 0-60 mph: 8.4 secs
Combined MPG: 44.8 (claimed)
Emissions: 166g/km
Price: £35,695