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Favorable CO2 emissions

The Dutch Land Rover importer can rub its hands together as Jaguar Land Rover throws itself fully into developing plug-in hybrids. These PHEVs have very low CO2 emissions on paper, which means you have to pay significantly less BPM penalty in the Netherlands. What effect a plug-in hybrid version has on prices becomes well evident with the arrival of the new Land Rover Discovery Sport P300e. In fact, it is immediately the most economical Discovery Sport in the lineup.

Prices Discovery Sport P300e

Driving can start at 65,716 euros. That is almost 6,000 euros more economical compared to the Discovery Sport D165. On that diesel variant, there is thick 23,000 euros in BPM versus 986 euros for the plug-in hybrid. Without BPM, the less complicated diesel version would be more advantageous, but in the Netherlands we are stuck with that wretched BPM which makes cars unnecessarily expensive.

Either way, you get a lot of power right away with the plug-in hybrid, as the Discovery Sport P300e’s powertrain has, as its name suggests, a solid 300 horsepower. That is also considerably more than the P200 gasoline variant that costs a minimum of 78,544 euros.

A three-cylinder!

You might not expect it, but the Land Rover Discovery Sport P300e has a 1.5-liter three-cylinder turbocharged gasoline engine with 200 horsepower. The combination with an electric motor still creates a generous system output, namely 309 hp (227 kW) and as much as 540 Nm of tractive effort. The 0-100 sprint takes 6.6 seconds and the top speed comes out to 209 km/h. The three-cylinder stays neatly in the background while still bringing plenty of pace to the car. So don’t be put off by its small stroke volume, the ambition of this three-pitter is great.

Electric range

Thanks to a 15 kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the P300e version can travel 57 to 60 kilometers fully electric on paper. You may make about 40 to 45 kilometers of that in practice. Considering his weight of 2,168 kilograms, that is not a mere score. The batteries are neatly placed under the rear seat so no seating and luggage space is lost.

Smooth interplay

The interplay between the three-cylinder and electric motor is remarkably smooth. There is no jerking and, particularly due to the generous torque, this SUV accelerates eagerly even at lower revs. Of course, a plug-in hybrid requires you to charge to take advantage of the powertrain. Charging from 0 to 100 percent with a 7 kW AC home charger takes about 132 minutes. Via a 32 kW DC fast charger, charging from 0 to 80 percent takes less than 30 minutes. The charging point is located viewed from the rear to the left of the car. Refuel on the right.

Smaller fuel tank and towing weight

Not charging the battery is a waste, as this forces the three-cylinder to work unnecessarily hard, which is reflected in fuel consumption. The tank is also a bit smaller compared to gasoline or diesel. The PHEV has a tank capacity of 57 liters. Combined, this should allow you to get as much as 600 kilometers on a full charge of electricity and full gasoline tank. The more electric you drive, the lower your average fuel consumption. The plug-in hybrid is allowed to tow 1,600 kilograms of braked weight. Want more? Then you should take the D165 or P200. The diesel may tow 2,200 kilograms, the gasoline 2,000.

Wonderful chassis

Driving the Land Rover Discovery Sport P300e is by no means a punishment. In fact, it is delightful pastime. What a comfortable family SUV this is. A delightful suspension with fine damping pleasantly filters out short bumps in the road surface. In addition, you sit on fine seats, which unfortunately do have somewhat short seats. The steering feel is well done. There is a fine heaviness in the controls that gives you adequate feedback on your inputs.

High gloss black

The steering wheel is a bit on the large side, but on the other hand, that fits an adventurous SUV like the Discovery Sport. The dashboard is sleek in design. But the excess of high-gloss black plastic is not our preference. It also reflects in daylight which does not help readability. But beautiful it is, of course, although you will have to polish regularly to get rid of the greasy fingers and dust particles.

The ergonomics of the dashboard are well done. You also have two rotary knobs for operating the climate control. The rotary knobs have a dual function, as a short press and you can activate the seat heater. If you want the temperature control in view again, you have to do another operation. That takes some getting used to.

Pivi Pro

The Discovery Sport’s infotainment system is a very fine one, but again, the screen reflects in daylight. The car has the Pivi Pro system, also compatible with Android Auto and Apple Carplay. The display in this SUV is not as large as in
the new Range Rover
, but certainly should not be called small. A 12.3-inch Interactive Driver Display is available as an option, as is a Head-Up Display. Our test car did not have those options. Basically, you get a partially digital instrument cluster with two analog gauges. Fine reading by the way!

Plenty of space

The space of the Land Rover Discovery Sport is well done. Both front and rear seats are excellent, and the luggage space does not disappoint either. You can tell from everything that this is a car for families, because the car is full of conveniences, such as charging points in the luggage compartment and buttons for folding down the back of the rear seats all at once. There is still room under the luggage floor for storing the charging cable. The luggage space measures 963 to a thick 1,574 liters.

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Driver assistance systems

On the road, it is noticeable that this “Disco Sport” is also loaded with driver assistance systems. But you as a rider are “in charge” of which ones you want to use and which ones you don’t. For example, adaptive cruise control is disable so you can use normal cruise control as well. Very nice. Anyway, we are quite pleased with this Land Rover. It surprises with its practical ease of use, space on board and rugged looks. Highly recommended. Off-road, of course, this Land Rover is also capable, but the question is whether customers will actually do so. Should you seek out the blubber or a grassy field at the campsite, this Disco Sport stands its ground.

Conclusion driving test Land Rover Discovery Sport P300e

A particularly fine SUV, this Discovery Sport. It is one of the tastiest Land Rovers today. It sticks together nicely, is fully equipped and, as a plug-in hybrid, also has lower CO2 emissions, making it the most economical choice in the Discovery Sport lineup in the Netherlands. Its comfort, in particular, impresses. Family on board, dogs and luggage in the back and go. Do recharge occasionally, though, which is a must.