About the Land Rover Discovery Sport
Peter R purchased this Land Rover Discovery Sport new for $65,000 (including all on-road costs). Peter R would buy this car again because: “I would buy a Discovery Sport again, but would get a petrol rather than diesel. The vehicle itself was very nice to drive and the servicing i received from the Land Rover dealership was exceptional. They provided loan cars whenever requested and did a large amount of work under warranty – even (shortly) after the warranty had expired.”
How reliable has your car been? Tell us about any issues.
The car in general was very reliable. We did however have numerous issues with oil dilution and the diesel particulate filter. We had several unexpected, out-of-cycle, service requirements purely due to the diesel system and the amount of short drives we did, despite ensuring we did long drives most weekends.
What do you think of the ownership experience with your car?
We bought the car specifically to tow our caravan and it was the first diesel we had owned.
We found that it was quite quick off the mark and handled very well. We enjoyed all the features it had, in particular the front and rear sensors, reversing camera, blind spot monitor and heated seats.
The car towed the caravan beautifully, certainly easier than previous petrol cars we had owned. However the ownership experience was ultimately ruined by the diesel particulate filter.
My wife was driving 5km to work every day and despite me taking it on long drives most weekends the filter constantly filled up. After a software update that removed the warning light, meaning we only got an error code once the filter was full, we had to take it in to the dealer twice for a clean-out.
The final straw was a $6000 bill to replace the filter and several other part such as a clogged exhaust gas recirculation valve. Fortunately, JLR covered 90 per cent of the bill, but on returning car the service manager suggested we sell it… which we did.
How has the purchase and aftercare experience been with your car?
The purchase appeared good at the time, but later events showed that the salesman was less than truthful, as we asked specifically about driving the diesel short distances. The service on the other hand was first-rate and extremely helpful on each of my (many) visits.
Are you happy with the price and features of your car?
Yes, I was happy with the price of the car. It was a demonstrator model and we felt we received a very good deal. The car came with several optional extras, not all of which we would have paid for if ordering new. We also bought at the end of the financial year, which helped with the price.
What do you think of the performance and economy of your car?
The performance was very good, considering it was a diesel SUV. I was surprised at how well it handled. Economy around town was also quite good, certainly better than my pervious petrol six-cylinder cars. Economy on the highway and when towing was very good, better than expected.
What do you think of the technology in your car?
The technology was quite good. Safety features such as blind-spot monitoring was very useful as were front and rear sensors. The rear camera was extremely clear, especially at night and the lines turned with the steering wheel, which were useful.
I could change that line to a single line to assist in lining up the towbar when I was connecting the van. The sound system was very good and I enjoyed the ability to play music from a USB.
I would however have liked Android Auto or Apple CarPlay and digital radio.
What do you think of the ride comfort and handling of your car?
The ride was extremely comfortable and the handling excellent for a big car. One particular drive up to Mt Hotham (in summer) was particularly enjoyable as the car powered up the hill and handled the corners very well.
I enjoyed the paddle shifters on that drive, though didn’t use them much around town.
Do you have any additional comments about your car?
I really enjoyed the Land Rover Discovery Sport and if not for the issues caused by short drives (DPF) I would still own it, but unfortunately a sale was forced on us.
Keyword: 2017 Land Rover Discovery Sport TD4 (132kW) HSE owner review