Land Rover’s new Discovery Sport has had a nip/tuck since it first arrived in 2014

IT’S not the Land Rover that grabbed all the headlines in the summer and got 4×4 fans drooling.

But it is just as important as a new Defender because it walks tall as the firm’s best-seller.

Five years on from the 2014 original, the Discovery Sport has had a nip/tuck, and a major nip/tuck too, if you look beyond the obligatory new headlights and bumpers.

In fact, 3,500 of the 5,000 parts of this car have changed – it’s just not until you get in, get comfortable and get moving that you’ll begin to figure this is, quite probably, true.

Grab the steering wheel, bejewelled with fancy haptic touch buttons, and you feel like you’re gripping a Range Rover.

Which in effect you are, as the wheel was lifted straight off the plusher Evoque. As is the rad tech behind the now generously glazed touchscreen – it’ll even show you what’s underneath the car as you crawl your way to Costa for a chai latte.

The leather-trimmed dash is raised up, looking and feeling distinctly more high-end, but the old rotary gear dial has since found its way to the parts bin, replaced by a more traditional trigger stick.

That decision was something to do with making it feel more sporty. Hmmm.

For me, nothing sporty should have seven seats. Nor should it be blessed with generous, family- friendly storage, as this car is.

Right now, there are five 2-litre engine options on offer – two petrols (250hp and 200hp) and three diesels (240hp, 180hp and 150hp).

And while distinctly unsporty, they are all notably more muted and refined compared to the model this replaces.

And while you can’t plug any of them in, all but the base diesel engine are now hybrids – in the mildest sense possible – which improves fuel efficiency by seven per cent, helps smooth the turbo lag and aids the CO2 emissions.

That base diesel model – a front-wheel-driven manual – marks the cheapest way into Land Rover ownership at £31,575.

Of course, competition has never been stiffer for the supple-riding, comfy Disco Sport with the likes of Mercedes GLC, Audi Q5, BMW X3 and Volvo XC60 all delivering premium SUV goods in style.

But this is British, remember, and it’s hands-down more capable, more practical, than the lot of them, especially when it comes to getting properly muddy off-road.

The plug-in hybrid version should be with us this time next year.

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