4 things to know about driving the 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport off-road

The 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport is more than just the latest family-friendly luxury SUV from the British brand. It also goes above and beyond (see what we did there?) when it comes to tackling off-road terrain that would have most other sport-utility vehicles in its class breaking out the maps to try to find a paved road around.

The fact that the Discovery Sport is so effective on road and off, without compromising daily driving comfort, is an impressive accomplishment, and also a big part of what differentiates Land Rover from its German rivals.

Let’s take a look at 4 things you need to know about taking the 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport off-road.

Clearsight Ground View Makes Things Easier

The new 2020 Discovery Sport is not short on tech. The 360-degree surround camera system more than proved its worth throughout the rough and tumble Spanish outback section, while ClearSight GroundView system takes full advantage of the 12.3-inch high-definition full color screen for an omnipotent look of the path ahead. The camera tech’s ability to essentially render the bonnet invisible was a welcome X-ray-like vision through the body of the SUV.

Terrain Response 2 Takes Care Of Things

Land Rover’s Terrain Response 2 system – standard in the 2020 Discovery – takes a lot of the guesswork out of off-road driving by giving you five specific settings intended to customize the SUV’s capabilities for the challenges it’s facing. In addition to the ‘auto’ mode that is balanced to respond to changing conditions, there’s ‘grass, gravel, and snow,’ ‘mud and ruts,’ ‘sand,’ and ‘rock crawl.’ Accessible via a dial on the center console, Terrain Response 2 affects things like torque split for the four-wheel drive system, suspension management, throttle response, braking, and stability and traction control so as to best parse the path ahead.

Turbodiesel Torque Helps On The Trail

Our steed for this excursion is powered by a 132kW of power, turbocharged 2.0-liter 4 cylinder engine. The diesel engine is a benefit in off-road driving for three reasons: its reduced throttle sensitivity makes it easier to modulate wheel spin, its low-end torque delivery gives you the power you need almost immediately, and its better fuel efficiency lets you stray farther from civilization thanks to a boost in driving range.

All-Terrain Progress Control Takes Your Foot Off The Pedal

For those just getting used to off-road driving, it can be overwhelming to have to deal with the small throttle adjustments, incremental steering inputs, and braking demands that come with slowly picking your way forward on a difficult trail. The Discovery’s All-Terrain Progress Control system functions like off-road cruise control, letting you set a very low speed that the SUV will keep too while you focus on positioning the truck properly. It removes several crucial factors from the equation of not getting stuck, and simplifies things for rookies and experienced drivers alike.

Tshegofatso Harmonix Phiri contributed his legendary photography work to this feature.

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#Jaguar Land Rover South Africa #Land Rover #Land Rover Discovery Sport

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Papi Mabele

Papi Mabele has a marketing background, he is a digital marketing expert with extensive experience in launching and building global brands in the emerging markets. Papi is also an avid tech writer, enthusiast and all round tech junkie. As a freelance writer and analyst he has been numerously published in Popular Mechanics (SA), GQ South Africa, Premier Magazine, Driven Magazine, Bloem News, Courant, The Weekly, Enthooze Magazine and PiE magazine amongst others.