Test drive a car around the block and you’ll spend most of the time grappling with strange controls and learning little in the process. Persuade the showroom to let you drive it for longer, though, and you’ll discover so much more.
With some cars, it takes time to appreciate the true depth of what is on offer and I’ve now notched up several hundred miles in the stylish Land Rover Discovery Sport, in a bid to find out what lurks beneath the skin of the compact, seven-seater model that replaces the Freelander. First, it went to the firm’s rugged off-road proving ground at Eastnor, where it dazzled in tough, boggy conditions.
Then I crammed it to the gunwales with food, children, coats, cameras, boots and wine for a break in the wilds of Wiltshire to see if it performs as a family vehicle. It does. The boot is big, well proportioned and easily accessible.
It didn’t flinch at the extra weight, the refined 2.0-litre diesel pulling strongly through the smooth nine-speed automatic gearbox, the handling still taut, the steering still sharp, the ride even more supple, but the engine returned just 30.6mpg — short of Land Rover’s claimed 53. On the motorway, we discovered that it cruises effortlessly and quietly.
Dislikes? The rearmost seatbelts fail to remain stowed when not in use and the driver’s lumbar support has insufficient adjustment. But on dark roads, the automatic headlight dipping system works brilliantly.
So next time you are test-driving your prospective new family car, insist on a proper weekend drive,not a shuffle around the block.
You never know what you might discover.
