2018 Land Rover Discovery Sport Review
Pros & Cons
- Above-average off-road and all-weather capabilities
- Available third-row seating
- Plenty of passenger and cargo space
- Below-average fuel economy
- Cabin is well-made but less luxurious than those of rivals
- Active safety features and driver aids are pricey extras
Other years
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2018 Land Rover Discovery Sport appraisal values can range from $20,234 - $25,522.
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Which Discovery Sport does Edmunds recommend?
The Discovery Sport HSE includes some extras that most luxury shoppers will be looking for, such as a power tailgate, leather seats, proximity entry, and front parking sensors. We also think a few important packages are worth considering: The Vision Assist package bundles blind-spot monitoring with a surround-view camera and upgraded headlights; the Cold Climate package adds heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, and a heated windscreen; and the Intelligent Dynamics package adds an adaptive suspension and a fuel-saving driveline.
Edmunds' Expert Review
Driving
We were impressed with the Discovery Sport's handling and braking performance. Our biggest issue was the lackluster engine, which should be remedied by this year's changes. While the Sport is not as rugged an off-roader as other Land Rovers, its traction system makes it competent in the dirt.
Comfort
The new seats and optional adaptive suspension for 2018 should address some of our biggest concerns. The ride on the standard suspension was sharp, brittle and out of place in this class. There's also more road noise than in some competitors.
Interior
With lots of room for passengers and easy entry and exit, the Discovery Sport is a good people mover. It also gets high points for visibility and materials quality. Unfortunately, the interior design doesn't feel especially luxurious, and the infotainment system can be laggy and too complicated.
Utility
The Discovery Sport offers a lot of cargo space for the segment, and it also has an impressively high towing capacity. But there's not a lot of storage space for small items in the cabin.
Technology
There's a lot of available technology if you're willing to spend the money to add it. Active safety features and driver aids are available but pricey. The infotainment system is a weakness; while it's customizable, it's also sluggish to start up and can be slow to respond and complicated to use.
Consumer reviews
Read what other owners think about the Used 2018 Land Rover Discovery Sport.
Most helpful consumer reviews
Roberto,11/29/2018
HSE 237 HP 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 9A)
I bought this car for my wife, expecting it to be a great vehicle, being a Land Rover and all. What a disappointment. It is a very expensive car for what you get in return. First off, air conditioner presented problems with just 2K miles on the odometer. Went to the shop, took 3 days to fix. Same problem at 4K miles. Back to the shop, another 3 days. Same problem at 6K. Back to the shop, 3 days again. This is unacceptable for a brand new 50K car. Now car is at 8K and problem has not presented itself again so far. Motor is very weak, gear change is slow. Entertainment interface is poor. Trunk space is small. Forget the 3rd row seats, its cramped. Safety sensors surrounding the car go off all the time with nothing even close to the car. This car needs a major makeover to be worth the money. There are much better options out there for this price range. I can't wait for the lease to end for me to get out of this mess.
Joe,08/13/2018
SE 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 9A)
We loved the style , size, and overall appearance. We were going to lease the SE version(lowest end version). We ended up getting another vehicle because most of the safety features and driver assist technology was absent on the SE model without spending very much more money to have them on this model. Even the interior was sub par unless we jumped up to the HSE model. We eventually decided against this vehicle because we would have paid as if we were driving a Land Rover while essentially getting a shell of a Land Rover. One would expect a vehicle priced around 40K would be equipped with at least as many safety and driver assist features as a vehicle costing 10-15K less. However, my wife's Mazda CX5 Touring has far more safety/driver assist features and drives just as nicely. The Discovery Sport could be everything we wanted IF we were willing to pay in the mid 40K area. It is nice but very overpriced for what you get.
Rdesai,08/31/2019
HSE LUX 286 HP 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 9A)
This is a real SUV with all the bells and whistles. I hate folks who buy a SUV and don't take it out. I've been off roading nothing serious but just fun trails. Lots of fun, great to drive with big back seats.
Laura Nelson,07/10/2020
SE 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 9A)
The Land Rover discovery sport is a cut from a different cloth. Environmentally friendly, fast, powerful, elegant and relatively simple. The thing I love most is the comfort. It’s roomy and tons of space for driver and family. The back can seat 3 quite comfortably and there is enough cargo room for our basic needs. Also, this car comes equipt with all wheel drive and surprising 4x4 options- there are several settings when in 4-wheel drive. Remarkable.
Safety
Our experts like the Discovery Sport models:
- Autonomous Emergency Braking
- Applies the brakes automatically to avoid a front collision.
- Blind-Spot Monitor
- Detects cars in adjacent lanes and warns the driver of their presence during lane-change maneuvers.
- Reverse Traffic Detection
- Alerts the driver to the presence of approaching traffic behind the vehicle when reversing.