Opposites Attract

Motoring journalist Juliet mcguire shows you the best of both worlds with two cars on either end of the scale

- Juliet Mcguire

You might think that being a motoring journalist involves driving fast and fancy cars. While this is the case some of the time, most of the time you’re stuck behind a computer screen, typing up articles such as this one. But one of the reasons I love my job is because I’m not only exposed to the premium products most of us could only ever dream of buying; I also get to go from one extreme to the other. In one week, I went from driving a million-Rand car to one that could cost you less per month than your cell phone bill.

LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SPORT

PRICE FROM R749 500

This is Land Rover’s fastest-selling vehicle and a mid-sized compact SUV that offers more than just being a school runaround. It’s capable off-road as well and it’s this that makes it so appealing.

It recently received an update, although you’ll be forgiven for not being able to see the difference right away. To be honest, I had to read the press release to see what was different from the outgoing model. There are new headlamps at the front and rear, as well as a new bumper and grille. You can also opt for 21-inch wheels. But that’s pretty much it in terms of the design changes.

What really interests me are the changes you’ll experience once you’re inside the Disco Sport. Although the cabin isn’t vastly different to the outgoing model, it has had some refreshing updates that make it feel even more premium than before. For example, the terrain response dial, which allows you to switch between different off-road driving modes, such as comfort, sand, grass/gravel/snow, mud/ruts, is now integrated into the climate control console. At the press of a button, the temperature dial turns into the terrain response dial and it all looks very slick and fancy.