Tow Test: Land Rover Discovery Sport

There's another Disco that shapes up as a decent two tonne tow tug

It’s hard to go past Land Rover’s Discovery 4 for heavy-duty towing jobs; the large, luxury off-road SUV a shoe-in for our recent pick of the country’s top tow tugs.

However, not everyone needs to tow three and a half tonnes, or requires the off-road ability or interior space of the big Discovery. Not all can stretch to the premium price tag of the big Brit either.

For those with smaller pay packets and less demanding tow jobs but still hankering for a family-oriented dirt roader from the iconic UK off-road brand, another good option is the Discovery Sport.

Replacing the Freelander 2 in mid-2015, the Disco’s little brother is an upmarket, mid-sized SUV with five or seven seats, decent on- and off-road ability and up to 2200kg towing capacity.

Since late-2016, the Discovery Sport has also been available with a new 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo-diesel, replacing the 2.2-litre turbo-diesel that was carried over from the Freelander 2. A lot quieter and more refined than the old oiler, the all-aluminium 2.0-litre ‘Ingenium’ engine is available in either 110kW/380Nm or more powerful 132kW/430Nm tune for the Discovery Sport.

For this tow test, we had the less powerful version with nine-speed auto transmission in entry-level SE spec. With a starting price of $56,355, it’s one of the cheapest variants available, but apart from the uninspiring, all-black but still upmarket cabin it’s hard to feel short-changed.

The 8in colour touchscreen is smaller than the 10.2in version in the top-spec HSE but still works a treat, particularly in sat nav mode and setting up and using Bluetooth.

The standard 10 speaker audio system pumps out a better than average tune, and the leather seats have a flat base but are quite supportive and comfortable on longer trips.

There’s plenty of tech fitted as standard, including Land Rover’s multi-mode ‘Terrain Response’ off-road system, hill descent control, push button start, powered tailgate, dual climate control, lane departure warning, rear parking sensors, reverse camera and seven airbags.

Our test vehicle also had close to $10,000 of options fitted, including the third row seats, Xenon headlights, metallic paint, front parking sensors and towing kit which boosted the asking price to a less affordable $64,051 plus on-road costs.

For a mid-sized, top-heavy, close to two tonne SUV, the driving experience is excellent. The highlights are the willing and whisper-quiet engine combined with quick-witted transmission, responsive electronic power-assisted steering and taut handling. Our only gripe is some low-speed ride harshness on broken surfaces, but it’s hardly a deal breaker and might have something to do with the fancy 18in alloys and low-profile tyres.

The zippy performance isn’t dulled much by hitching up a caravan weighing just over 2000kg. It still gets away at the lights with minimal revs and up to traffic speeds with little fuss, giving the impression it could handle more trailer weight than the 2200kg allowed. While the extra grunt provided by the 132kW engine would be appreciated when overtaking and going up hills, it’s not necessary if you’re budget doesn’t extend to the extra $3640 needed for the more powerful engine.

That said, the 110kW engine does need to rev a bit up hills to maintain speed, but remains smooth and quiet up to the 4200rpm redline. Peak torque is available from a reasonably low 1750rpm, and the nine-speed transmission does a good job of keeping the engine in its sweetspot, even if the top two gears are hardly required when towing.

The wheel-mounted paddle shifts are handy to enact engine braking down steep hills although with a tendency to rev, holding speed with the lower gears is not always effective.

Backing up the under-stressed performance is commendable fuel economy, with the trip computer hovering around 13-14L/100km during our tow test. And as we didn’t include any highway cruising, it could have been even lower. It wasn’t much higher than when driving solo, with an average of 8-10L/100km recorded without the trailer, depending on the type of driving.

Overall, the Discovery Sport offers the type of relaxed towing performance that you desire when touring around the country, or just scooting down to the caravan park or boat ramp. Like its bigger brother, it feels stable and planted when towing, and while the rear suspension sagged a bit with a decent weight on the tow ball, it didn't feel unbalanced.

Another plus is the hi-tech reverse camera with adaptive grid lines and magnification, which makes hitching up on your own a breeze.

However, it’s worth noting the maximum permissible ball weight for the 2017 Discovery Sport is just 145kg for the seven-seat version, and up to 150kg for the five-seater. Given many Australian caravans have a ball weight around 10 per cent of the overall trailer weight, or as much as 200kg for a 2000kg trailer, this could be a limiting factor in how much you can legally tow with the Discovery Sport.

2017 Land Rover Discovery Sport SE TD4 150

Price: $64, 051 (as tested, plus on-road costs)

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel

Output: 110kW/380Nm

Transmission: Nine-speed automatic

Fuel: 5.3L/100km (ADR Combined)

Towing: 2200kg maximum, 145kg ball weight (seven seater)

Tow Test: Land Rover Discovery Sport

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