2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport Pros vs Cons. Should You Buy?

The 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport is the smallest SUV that the luxury brand has to offer. While it is compact, it's also quite powerful, and it has been built with numerous capabilities so that people can feel equally at comfortable driving in the city or conquering terrain in the mountains. The interior of the Discovery Sport is upscale and fits what one would expect from a Rover. The SUV is a nice compromise in terms of being spacious but not too bulky as well as being luxurious but not too expensive.

What's New for 2020?

Land Rover has only made a few major changes to the 2020 Discovery Sport, deciding to mostly stick to a formula that has been proven to be successful. Some of the aesthetic changes are that the Sport's LED headlights and taillights have been redesigned, as has the front grille. Inside the cabin, many of the materials have been upgraded to feel more sophisticated, and the rotary shifter has been replaced with a more traditional gear lever. In addition, the infotainment system has been upgraded to better please tech-minded consumers.

Top 10 Reasons to Buy a 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport – The Pros

1. Unique Exterior Design

The 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport has the same streamlined look as the other vehicles in the company's collection. Because it features several angles that all point downwards towards the front of the vehicle, the SUV looks like it has an aggressive stance. LED headlights are standard, as are rear fog lights. Customers have the option of either choosing a body-colored roof or a black roof that can result in a striking two-tone look.

2. Extra Two Seats

Many people these days are looking for vehicles that have an additional row of seating. These extra accommodations can be key for those with large families or people who occasionally carry a full load of friends. What's innovative about the 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport is that it comes with two seats in the third row while managing to hold onto a compact size. It can be hard to find another three-row vehicle that's as easy to park and as light on its feet as the Sport. Note that there is still 6.8 cubic feet of storage room in the back when the third-row seats are in place.

3. Customize the Interior

There are many options when it comes to choosing what the interior of the Discovery Sport can look like. The seats can either come with Luxtex/suedecloth material or Windsor leather, and the finisher can be gloss black, charcoal oak, natural shadow oak, or titanium mesh. The overall interior color scheme can be lighter, with a tan headlining and lighter seats, or it can be darker with an ebony headlining and matching seats. Plus, the available ambient interior lighting program lets people choose from ten different color tones.

4. A Capable SUV

The 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport has two engine options. A 2.0-liter engine with four cylinders and 246 horsepower is the standard component. It can rocket up to 140 miles per hour, hitting the 60 miles per hour mark in about seven seconds. The R-Dynamic is the only one of the two trims that comes with the option to upgrade to a similarly sized engine with 286 horsepower. It can travel at up to 145 miles per hour, and it can move from a standstill to 60 miles per hour in about six and a half seconds.

Towing capacity, which is about 4,400 pounds, is impressive for an SUV that looks as sleek as the Discovery Sport.

5. Sporty Option

For those interested in an upgraded version of the Sport, there's the opportunity to get the R-Dynamic model. It comes with most of the same features of the Sport with some notable enhancements. For example, its side mirrors are auto-dining and have a power-fold feature. It has black paddle shifters, metal pedals, and metal tread plates that have trim-exclusive badges to set it apart from the standard models. It also has active driveline, which is a responsive on-demand technology that can immediately switch between two- and four-wheel drive depending on feedback from the wheels.

6. Spacious Cargo Area

Behind the second row of the 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport is 34.6 cubic feet of storage room. When the center seat in the middle row is lowered, longer items can easily be accommodated. If more room is needed, the entire middle row can be folded down to increase cargo capacity to 60 cubic feet. This is a generous amount that would be plenty for most people in most situations. For those occasions where people want to bring skis, kayaks, or other types of gear with them, the roof racks can be utilized.

7. Rearview Mirror "Sees" Through Things

Land Rover has made the ClearSight Rear-View Mirror available on the Discovery Sport. This mirror seems to be magical as it allows drivers to have a good view of what's behind them even when tall passengers or bulky items are blocking the way. The advanced mirror can be set to display a live video feed, which is taken by a wide-angle camera placed behind the vehicle. It solves a common visibility problem related to packing an SUV full of gear.

8. Stay "InControl"

InControl Touch Pro is the name of the Discovery Sport's infotainment system. The SUV comes standard with a ten-inch touchscreen, and with the help of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, smartphone integration is simple. The screen can be tapped, swiped, or pinched to select certain items, see the available choices, or zoom in on maps, respectively. Voice commands are accepted by the infotainment system as well, which is important for those times when a driver's hands should be kept on the wheel. Integrated navigation and the ability to act as a 4G Wi-Fi hotspot are standard on higher trims.

9. Go Off-Roading

All-wheel drive gives drivers in the 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport the freedom to go on all types of adventures, no matter what kind of path lies in their way. When torque is balanced between the front and rear axles, traction can be maximized. With four different driving modes, torque and power-delivery can be adjusted according to the conditions. Since the vehicle sits relatively high off the ground, at 8.3 inches, it has the ability to safely clear many obstacles. Its wading depth is 23.6 inches in case anyone ever has to cross a stream.

Further, the Discovery Sport can come with other features to help it handle rough roads. For instance, set the SUV up with Low-Traction Launch to improve performance when trying to get out of a slippery spot, or take advantage of Gradient Release Control to make sure the Sport doesn't head down hill too quickly.

10. Luxurious Interior Elements

All Discovery Sports come with leather steering wheels, lights in the footwells, and soft overhead lighting. The SUV can come with 14-way power-adjustable front seats that can heat, cool, and massage. Having a memory function is convenient if multiple people get behind the wheel. Even the second row can come with a heating element to provide more comfort when the temperatures dip.

Reasons Not to Buy a 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport – The Cons

1. Base Model Comes With Basic Engine

The base Discovery Sport model only comes with the 2.0-liter, 246-horsepower engine. This is in contrast to the R-Dynamic model that has the option to boost horsepower to 286. Since there is a somewhat significant price jump between the two models, many people would likely prefer to stick with the base trim, but that limits them in terms of horsepower.

2. Not Very Fuel Efficient

The 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport can achieve a combined 21 miles per gallon. While this efficiency isn't too bad, it's far from being spectacular, especially considering that there are many hybrid options becoming available that are pushing the boundaries in the mileage department.

3. Small Third Row

People in the extra row of seats can barely stretch out with 33.5 inches of leg room, compared with 37.6 inches of leg room in the second row. This means that any taller passengers will definitely be competing over who gets to ride in the middle row versus the back. Kids are likely to very comfortable in the third row, though, so it would be best to save those spots for them.

How It Stacks Up to the Competition:

The Lexus GX 460 and Mercedes-Benz GLC are some of the competitors of the 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport. They're both similarly equipped, but the Discovery Sport feels a bit more at home off the pavement and handles uneven terrain more adeptly than the others. It does better the GX in terms of fuel economy, and what helps it stand out from the Mercedes-Benz version is that it has the third row of seating.

Conclusion

If anyone is trying to find a youthful SUV that has a nice combination of high-end features, the 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport is sure to please. While having elegant materials, convenient features, and high-tech systems in the cabin, the Discovery Sport also has a capable engine and the rugged durability that so many people are looking for in their SUVs. The Discovery Sport starts out with the more affordable base model, and it has many options for upgrading. The Discovery Sport R-Dynamic HSE is at the top of the line, with its advanced engine and multiple interior enhancements.