The Discovery Sport P300e shares its basic powertrain with the newly launched Evoque P300e. That means a 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine driving the front wheels, and 107bhp electric motor on the rear axle, delivering four-wheel drive when required. There’s 15kWh battery, too - enough, Land Rover claims, for the car to travel up to 38 miles on electric power alone. With a Benefit-in-Kind tax rating of 10 per cent, that should make this Disco Sport a hefty chunk cheaper for company car choosers than any of its siblings.
The adoption of the part-electric powertrain doesn’t affect the Disco Sport’s four-wheel drive credentials; the electric motor on the back axle is always on standby for slippery conditions and off-roading, even if the official battery capacity is at zero. It does remove the possibility of the Disco Sport’s occasional third-row seats, sadly - but the boot capacity beyond the second row is still cavernous, at 963 litres.
If you’re wondering if a three-cylinder engine-based powertrain can have enough shove to cope with such a practicality-focused model, you needn’t worry. The instant torque from the electric motor allows the Disco Sport to glide around town without much effort at all. It would feel quite at home completing a week’s worth of short school runs on EV power alone, frankly - and the ability to go from zero to 80 per cent of battery capacity in less than 90 minutes on even a 7kW home wallbox would make overnight recharges very easy indeed. The car’s behaviour on the open road is a slightly different matter. We’ve been impressed with the P300e powertrain’s smooth transitions in the Evoque and that trait is present and correct here too, we’re glad to report. Keep the Disco Sport in Hybrid mode and should you extend the system to the point where the engine kicks in, you’ll barely notice the start-up. In this area at least, Land Rover’s is among the best set-ups that we’ve experienced.
The engine itself, though, is definitely more vocal in the Disco Sport than it is in the Evoque. It doesn’t appear to be revs-related either, but there are harmonies and chirps allowed through to the cabin in the Disco that simply aren’t present in its smaller, style-focused stablemate. We’re bemused by this - the installation ought to be damn-near identical - but perhaps there’s a layer of soundproofing that gets applied to Range Rovers but not to Land Rovers.
Land Rover Discovery Sport PHEV Specifications:
▪ Length/width/height/wheelbase – 4,597/2,069/1,727/2,741 mm
▪ Ground clearance – 172 mm
▪ Approach/breakover/departure angle – 25.0/19.5/30.2 degrees
▪ Kerb weight – 2,168 kg
▪ Cargo volume – 897 litre
▪ Engine – 1.5-litre (1,497 cc), 3-cylinder in-line, petrol
▪ Max system output – 309 PS (227 kW) at 5,500 rpm
▪ Max system torque – 540 Nm (398 lb-ft) at 2,000-2,500 rpm
▪ Transmission – 8-speed automatic, AWD
▪ Battery type/capacity – Lithium-ion/15 kWh
▪ 0-100 km/h – 6.6 seconds
▪ Top speed – 209 km/h
▪ Fuel consumption – 2.0 l/100km combined
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