IT TAKES THREE (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Would you really want a three cylinder engine in a Land Rover Discovery Sport? In the case of this PHEV version, Jonathan Crouch rather thinks you might...

Ten Second Reviewword count: 104

For quite a few customers of Land Rover's Discovery Sport, this P300e PHEV plug-in hybrid derivative will make more sense than the conventional petrol and diesel variants. It mates a three-cylinder 1.5-litre petrol unit putting out 197hp with a 107hp electric motor and can offer an electric driving range of up to 37 miles, with CO2 emissions of just 35g/km. As with all plug-ins, there's an inevitable price premium to pay for the extra technology and the electrified packaging means you can't have a third seating row. But you do at least get all the same off road ability as with the standard car.

Backgroundword count: 96

One of the main reasons that Land Rover went to all the trouble of fitting a completely fresh 'PTA' or 'Premium Transverse Architecture' front structure to its Discovery Sport SUV was so that it could create this variant, the P300e PHEV version. The Solihull maker's existing Ingenium four cylinder 2.0-litre petrol unit was too old to be converted to a PHEV format, so a completely fresh three cylinder 1.5-litre Ingenium turbo petrol engine had to be created for it. A huge engineering effort's gone in to bring this variant to market. How does it stack up?

Driving Experienceword count: 247

The Discovery Sport PHEV is the quickest variant in the line-up, able to manage 62mph from rest in just 6.2s and reach 84mph on electric power alone. Above this speed, the electric motor is decoupled to reduce drag and the car reverts to front wheel drive. Obviously, if you use this model's reserves of performance too often, you'll very quickly deplete the all-electric driving range, WLTP-rated at 36 miles. Mated to an eight-speed auto gearbox, this model's three cylinder 1.5-litre engine puts out 197bhp, its efforts further aided by a 107bhp electric motor mounted on the rear axle which delivers AWD capability and creates a total system output of 296bhp, with 540Nm of torque. The electric motor is powered by a 15kWh lithium-ion rechargeable battery pack. The 1.5-litre engine has been designed with an optimised exhaust gas flow system which improves turbo response and Land Rover claims that there's no refinement downside with the switch to a three cylinder format. Finally, the brand reckons that the PHEV system's seamless control between the front and rear axles makes this plug-in variant even better than a conventional model off the beaten track. Certainly, you'll damage any direct rival if you attempt to take it anywhere near what this Discovery Sport can do 'off piste'. That's thanks to 212mm of ground clearance, 600mm of wading depth capability and an evolved 'Terrain Response 2' driving mode system which sets the car up perfectly for the type of ground you're travelling over.

To see the full road test text contact us on 0330 0020 227