FIRST DRIVE LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SPORT: Chic & Brawny

From the outside, it is easy to look at the 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sportand say that practically nothing has changed. But you’d be so very wrong if you do think that.

- Afzal Rawuther

This new Land Rover Discovery Sport is in fact all-new in more ways than one. Sure, the exterior design is decidedly similar with only visible changes being a reworked face and new lighting elements. But dig a little deeper and you’d learn that this Discovery Sport is in fact based on the new PTA architecture that all new Land Rovers will be based on.

The Discovery Sport has, since its launch, been the most affordable SUV in the Land Rover line-up but has never been something that has skimped on the core fundamentals that make it a Land Rover. It still looks brawny and muscular with great road presence and Land Rover’s off-road DNA. The strong shoulder lines, character lines and bulging haunches look like they have been accentuated by the redesigned headlights and tail lamps. The haunches house 18-inch wheels on this S variant that we reviewed.

It is on the inside, however, that you will see the biggest changes and they are evident the moment you step foot into the Discovery Sport. Materials on the whole are nicer to the touch. There are no plastic bits that you can easily reach in the cabin and almost everything you touch and feel is made of metal or leather. The biggest change is the infotainment system which now gets a thorough overhaul with the Touch Pro making an appearance on the Discovery Sport.