Land Rover Discovery Sport Si4

The vast majority of bush-bashing vehicles are diesel-powered units. However, it’s not a given that all 4x4s use diesel; some do indeed use petrol while still being no-nonsense off-road vehicles. A classic example of this is the Land Rover Discovery Sport Si4.

To look at, the Land Rover Discovery Sport Si4 looks like a classic Land Rover SUV – which it is – with seating capacity for seven people and plenty of ground clearance (212 mm) as well as the sleeker looks demanded of today’s SUVs. After all, if you’re going to invest in an SUV which can do everything and go anywhere from the Mt Buller skifield to the posh foodie sites of King Valley to Emporium Melbourne, you want to look respectable as well as have the ability to handle the slopes and hairy conditions. However, the Land Rover Discovery Sport Si4 runs on petrol power.  Being the entry model, the Si4 is available in SE guise.

The petrol unit inside the Land Rover Discovery Sport Si4 is the most powerful of the Discovery Sport lineup, packing a peak of 177 kW. As is usual with petrol units, it lags a little behind its diesel brothers in the torque stakes but still manages a very respectable 340 Nm at very low revs (1750 rpm), which is comparable with older diesel vehicles. The extra power means that this is the swiftest of the Discovery Sports, with a top speed of 200 km/h (not that you need to go that fast if you’re going off road!) and a 0–100 km/h time of 8.2 seconds, in contrast to the 10.3 of the TD4 Diesel.  Economy-wise, the Land Rover Discovery Sport Si4 doesn’t do too badly for a large vehicle, managing to get 8.0 L/100 km (combined figures) with five passengers or 8.3 L/100 km if there’s seven inside. The transmission is automatic (nine speeds) with paddle shifters.

As a 4×4, the Land Rover Discovery Sport Si4 has what it takes to tackle most terrain that the typical driver would care to put it over. It can manage an approach angle of 25°, a ramp angle of 21° (20° for seven seats) and a departure angle of 31°. The wading depth is 600 mm, and there’s an alphabet soup of of driver aids to make the job of driving on-road or off-road a lot easier, such as the Terrain Response drive mode selection, the hill descent control, the hill start assist (that ticks a big box for me – I hate doing hill starts without help), the trailer stability assist, the trailer stability control, the electronic traction control, the dynamic stability control and the roll stability control.  In short, the Land Rover Discovery Sport Si4 is a surefooted beast!

Land Rover Discovery Sport Interior

Other driver aids and assistance supplied in the Land Rover Discovery Sport Si4 are more useful when driving around town, such as the automatic headlights and rain-sensing wipers, the stop–start function, the ABS brakes with EBD and electronic brake assist, the automatic emergency braking, the lane departure warning, the rear parking assistance and the SD card-powered navigation system.

Many people consider investing in an SUV like the Land Rover Discovery Sport Si4 if they have a growing family.  As a family vehicle, it certainly is likely to be a success. The second row of seats has ISOFIX child seat preparation on the outer two seats (which are the only ones you’d really want to seat a toddler in) and there is storage galore – and seat belt warnings for all three-point seat belts just in case some fiddle-fingers unbuckles him/herself in the middle of the journey. A 10-speaker sound system with the works (CD, radio, iPod & USB) will also help keep the family entertained, as will the 8-inch colour touch-screen that backs up the 5-inch driver information screen.  The 12-V power outlet on the centre console where the middle row passengers can get at it is also handy for plugging laptops in (there’s another power socket in the boot). Dual-zone climate control, Bluetooth connectivity and grained leather seats with electric lumbar adjustment for the driver complete the comfort and convenience features.

Style should never be overlooked in any vehicle, so it’s good to see that the Land Rover Discovery Sport Si4 doesn’t sacrifice anything here for the sake of go-anywhere capability, comfort and practicality, all of which is has in buckets. It’s big and chunky like an SUV should be but it still has the sleekness and sophistication that derive from the aerodynamics. Eighteen-inch nine-spoke tyres and front fog lamps complete the picture.  Most of the selection of 11 exterior colours aim for muted natural tones of white, black, grey, blue and green; however, Phoenix orange and Firenze red are also available for those who want to make a bit more of a splash… or to blend in with the earth tones of the Red Centre.

In short, if you’re looking for a combination of petrol power, great practicality for a fun-loving family and off-road capacity, the Land Rover Discovery Sport Si4 is a real winner!

Current model series include:

• Land Rover Discovery Sport Si4 SE

For any more information on the Land Rover Discovery Sport Si4, or for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quotes requests out to our national network of Land Rover dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!