Iceland in mid-winter is not a welcoming environment. Snow streams horizontally into the windscreen on the back of a savage wind that sweeps straight off the icy glaciers. It’s relentlessly dark, too, the sun only peeking above the skyline – and barely – for a few hours around lunchtime.
If it can feel like the end of the world, then Land Rover's new Discovery Sport feels like a car that’s well-built for the apocalypse. This new Freelander replacement has clearly been influenced by its flashier cousin the Range Rover – meaner looks, bigger muscles, more attitude but at a size that doesn’t feel like you’re driving a stolen tank around (even though it can seat seven).
Inside there’s a plusher feel with a new 8in touchscreen and more USB ports than an IT help desk (seriously, there's one for everyone in the car).
It’s well-suited to the tranquil roads of urban England then, but this being a Land Rover, it’s still a car that needs to deliver out there. In the wild. Because it can. From loose tracks and slippy dual carriageways to snow-covered single-lanes and ice-packed hills, the Discovery Sport barely gave a murmur. A car that’s mouth as well as trousers.
Vital statistics:
Engine: 2.2 litre SD4 Turbodiesel
Power: 190bhp
Top Speed: 117mph
0–62mph: 8.4secs
Economy: 46.3mpg
Price... from £32,395
***
MORE CARS:
Meet The Ducati Diavel Titanium Motorbike
Google Has Started Building Self-Driving Cars
The 7 Coolest Movie Cars And What They Sold For
***
