I'm considering the discovery sport as my next vehicle, there are a couple of things which are holding me back for now..

1. Current Engine: It seems like the current engine I-4 engine with 240 hp is not that great (atleast from the reviews)

Q1. How is the current production engine to drive? Is the response good/quick or is the lag quite noticeable? Anyone who owns the 2016 / 2015 MY vehcicle (assuming its the same engine) - could you please share.


2. Learnt that JLR is going with the new ingenium engines and they are expected to replace the discovery sport engine. Apparently, the diesel vehicles being sold in UK carry the ingenium engine.

Q2. Is the gasoline engine also going to be replaced by the ingenium engine? Any idea of the timeline?

Q3. Any idea when we can expect the diesel engine in the US/NA?

3. The safety options for the car: It seems like blind spot monitoring is not available in the 2016 disco sport

Q4. Is this accurate? Seems very odd to me. But I've searched the entire site for Landrover and still can't find anything about it (standard feature or optional pack .. nothing)

 

I can't answer all our questions, but I do have some comments on the gasoline engine in the U.S. If you have Eco mode on, and you slam the gas pedal down, you will likely experience a lag before the turbo charger kicks in. However, in my experience, if I accelerate quickly, but not exceedingly so, I can pull out in front of anybody (which I do quite frequently every day when leaving my parking garage). You have to press the pedal down smoothly rather than slamming it. If you turn Eco mode off, which I do sometimes, although supposedly affects gas mileage, I have experienced any lag issues. The car is much more responsive with Eco mode off. Even though there is some lag at times, it's not the only car I've ever driven with lag. Supposedly, it's endemic to turbocharged engines. So, it hasn't really been an issue for me. When I bought it, I knew that a lot of the reviews said there was a lag, but when I test drove it, it took off like a rocket, so I didn't think there was a lag issue. I suppose at the time Eco mode might have been off. I'm pretty sure I didn't slam the gas pedal down, but "pushed" it aggressively, and that's why it worked well. In any event, go test drive one with Eco mode on and off to see what you think. I really don't think it's much of an issue.

 

Thank you! Planning to go test drive the car this weekend.

BTW, QQ: Is yours a 2015 or 2016 model?

Do you have blind-spot monitoring? Was it standard if you have?

 

Mine is a 2015, manufactured in April 2015. I bought it off the dealer lot in late June 2015. Yes, it has BSM. It has almost everything standard for an HSE Lux plus the black roof, wheels, and accents. A couple of the things I don't have are InControl Remote/Protect (I do have the apps, which are virtually worthless to me), Adaptive Cruise Control (something I'd like to have, but it wasn't on the car and it was probably a few thousand more), or the heads up display (the one where the speed and other info is projected on the windshield -- now I wish I had this, though!). I have 20" wheels as well. Oh, I also don't have the Park Assist, which might have been nice, but I use my 360 degree camera to see if I've parked within the lines in my parking garage! Here is a link to the PDF brochure for the 2015: http://www.landroverusa.com/Images/d...293-112017.pdf. I thought mine on the lot had everything I wanted within the price I was willing to pay except for the three biggies above (ACC, heads up display (wasn't even an option in 2015, I don't think), and park assist (my father says he's never once used it on his car)). Hope this helps.

 

rcjr2 is spot on. In our opinion which is based off 9000+ miles and counting of everyday use in the Discovery, there’s no lack of power with the 2.0L Direct Injected turbocharged gas engine. We’ve come across a few unscrupulous reviews out there which are not at all truthful (e.g. Consumer Reports). The reviewer must had some sort of bias or truly did not know anything in the automotive field accept how to put gas in a vehicle. I really do think some of the people doing the reviews are just let loose without any explanation on how the vehicle works. Did someone go over all the settings that can be customized for the driver? Were they shown all available driving modes and what to expect out of each one?

We are also curious about the new Ingenium engine but can undoubtedly say that the current 2.0L I-4 engine is rock solid and dependable (it’s the same engine we have in our Evoque). If you’ve never driven with a turbocharged engine before take what rcjr2 said to heart and ease into your acceleration, it’s not a supercharger. If you flat out stomp “any turbo engine” all the way to the floor from a standing start (i.e. expecting a response like you were driving a 7.4L with a quadrajet carb) you will notice a hesitation because it’s the nature of the beast. Ease into the acceleration as you stomp on it and you will get the rocket like acceleration that you’re looking for.

Compare apples to apples or I should say turbo’s to turbo’s, pick another manufacture and model with a 2.0L turbo engine, take it for a test drive and then you make the call, you will see what I mean. Turn off the Discovery Sports Eco mode and the Auto Stop/Start before you head out for your test drive. They are both fuel saving features which will get in the way if you’re just looking to test out power and responsiveness. Be sure to test out both the Sport (higher RPM’s & holds gears longer) and Normal Drive modes along with the paddle shifters to override the preprogrammed shift points.

Don’t be too disappointed if your salesman can’t answer all your questions. Dealers with fully knowledgeable sales staff are few and far between with this model and some even give out completely wrong information. If you want to test how knowledgeable your salesman is on the Discovery Sport, ask him if he knows you can globally roll down all your windows at once from a distance with the keyfob (press and “hold”) the unlock button until they all roll down. When you have the keyfob on you, walk up to one of the doors while all the windows are down, then (press and “hold”) the touch lock on the outside door handle, it will roll up all the windows as long as you keep pressing/touching it. Just so you know, it's a feature that can be turned on and off on the drivers display/setup screen, it should be defaulted to on unless someone changed it.

After looking at the build sheet as it currently set up on the Land Rover USA website for our LUX version I noticed:
Vision Assist Package with Surround Cameras - not listed
Park Assist - Not listed as selectable
7 paint colors now range $475-$1,800 extra
18” Alloy Wheels not selectable (only 19” & 20”)

 

Thanks a lot @HSE_LUX & rcbjr2. I'm a bit relieved on the engine concerns after hearing from you owners.

I'm still a bit thrown off about the options. I think LR USA has just lost it in terms of packaging or atleast what they are presenting on the website.

Find the attached, screenshot of the 2015 disco sport PDF I configured almost a month ago & a screenshot of the 2016 disco sport from LR USA.

It seems like they took away the "Vision Assist Package " & the "Park Assist" packages. It doesn't make any sense...

 

What's your 2016 Discovery sport drive out price (Included Tax & Title License)? What option did you get on your car? which dealer did you get the car? Thanks

 

OK, let me start by saying that I am a big fan of more displacement for any given vehicle. Personally, given the weight of the Disco, I feel that a V6 in naturally aspirated form or forced induction form would have been a better choice for the Disco Sport. I would at least like to see that option. How great would the supercharged V6 from the LR4 be in this? Just sayin...

That being said. Here's my 2 cents.
Im still quite impressed with the Turboed 2.0L I4 that came in the Disco. I will echo what has been said here. I do not drive with the ECO feature on unless its a prolonged road trip. ECO doesnt seem to help MPG during intown driving and I'd prefer the better response. I do leave the auto start/stop on at all times.
As noted above, If you stomp the gas pedal in certain instances, two things can happen....only one being the fault of the engine.....#1 Turbo lag. Without the turbo this I4 is a dog so if youre expecting instant power all the time, youre not going to get it until the turbo spools up. #2 Its got a 9 speed transmission. Thats A LOT of gears to have to contend with and on occasion youll punch it and itll get caught out in a bad gear and needs to get to the right gear.
Overall, Im very pleased though. When all is well, it will flat out GO! I also really enjoy paddle shifting the Disco. Sport mode on the transmission also increases response from my experience.

Anyone who bags on this engine is just not grounded in reality. This is not a hot rod but it is FAR, FAR from a dog.

Excellent MPG has been an nice surprise. I did not expect much but I am highly surprised.

 

I would not bother trying to build one or special order one right now as they are in a state of flux as far as options go.The 16 models will have a few new tech package anyway. I would wait a bit longer, maybe see what hits your dealer's floors.

 

I've never written in an auto-enthusiast forum before because, quite frankly, I'm not too enthusiastic about my autos. I'm not a car guy but I do drive about 75 miles a day and if one person values my perspective, then I feel like it was worth it. Maybe this can serve as a layman's buying guide?

I purchased a 2016 Discovery Sport in November 2015. It was brand new and I've never made a purchase like this before. First of all, this is the first car I've owned that did not have a manual transmission (which will be evident below), and second, my last purchase was a 2007 Audi A3 with 75,000 miles on it. Suffice to say I can't say I'm experienced in driving a brand new car in this class. When I was shopping, I was also interested in the Volvo XC60 (not sure if that will provide useful context or not).

Overall
I've not been too happy with my purchase. There are things I like about it but I don't think I'd buy the came vehicle knowing what I know now. For the price I paid, I was surprised at how clumsy some of the features/controls are, which I'll try to detail below.

Transmission
As it has been mentioned multiple times, there is significant lag on acceleration. I'm familiar with turbo lag (my A3 was a turbo) but this seems unacceptable. The first time I tried to punch it when switching lanes on the interstate, I had to remain in my lane because the acceleration didn't start until the approaching car in the next lane was too close. Perhaps this is a function of both automatic and the supercharged engine? Either way, it's really disappointing.

Additionally, I've noticed a very long time for the transmission to switch between park/reverse/drive. For example, when reversing, after I brake, it seems to take a full second for the engine to engage forward after I've switched to drive. I can't imagine trying to "rock" back and forth out of a snowbank.

Controls
This is where I've been the most disappointed. The InControl Apps are useless to me and the only reason I have them is I was buying a vehicle that was already built. The climate control requires multiple touches (I have to press a button and then wait for the computer screen to select where I want the air to blow?; Ditto on the heated seats). Seems like very little thought was put into the usability of the controls.

The "next" button for the radio controls on the steering wheel does not cycle through the station presets but rather tunes up or down. I can't imagine anyone desiring that over the presets.

The settings for each of the pages on the computer screen seem limited at best. Just doesn't seem very configurable. [disclosure: this is my first car with an interactive on-board computer; perhaps I'm expecting too much and this is what's common. Either way, I'm not impressed by it]

Other Nuisances
The lamp on the visor is above the mirror. This causes glare and renders the mirror virtually useless in the dark. Every car I've driven since I was 16 had the lights next to the mirror.

I find the fan in the heating/cooling unit to be very loud yet with minimal airflow. Even on the lowest setting it's rather audible.

I got the stock audio option (regret). I assumed these days that even stock speakers could reproduce sound at substantial volume with some quality, but not these. I guess I don't get to rock out much anymore when driving by myself. [side note: any suggestions on upgrading? should I do custom or is having the dealer install an option?]

I had some squeaking going on in the back seat. It was fixed by the dealer, then later returned. Turns out the second time was actually the taillight assembly installed incorrectly, so they fixed it.

I also don't find the seats to be very comfortable, at least relative to the XC60. They're growing on me though, but this vehicle definitely does not have a "soft" feeling to it.

I'm shocked at how small the gas tank is relative to the MPG. It's really annoying that I can't get much more than 300 miles to a tank.

Positives
There are reasons I bought this car which I must describe lest I sound like someone who just complains. First and foremost, the aesthetics of this vehicle are second to none in its class. Mine is red with the black top and black wheels. I get compliments from strangers. I still love looking at it.

I love that the rear seats can move forward and backward. I'm a big fan of the cargo space. Not sure what actual measurement is but I find it to be huge which is really nice.

The panoramic sunroof is amazing. Simply put I couldn't imagine buying this vehicle without it.

The Sport mode for the transmission is somewhat fun to drive...after the lag.

There's a feel in the interior that makes this still feel very much like a truck, which I like. The controls don't envelop or wrap around you like some other vehicles in the class do.

I've also been impressed with the service I've received from my dealer, but I imagine that's location specific.

Anyway, I'm not sure if there's an accepted format for these types of reviews, mine was more stream of consciousness. Just putting my $0.02 in.

Jeff