Land Rover Discovery Sport review - Practicality & boot space

With seven seats available across a majority of the model range, the Land Rover Discovery Sport has the jump on the old Freelander, as well as many of its current rivals - even if the third row is only really suitable for kids.

Land Rover Discovery Sport interior space & storage

The Discovery Sport makes excellent use of its relatively compact dimensions – it's about the same length and width as a Skoda Octavia.  It’s easy to get comfortable, as the driver's seat adjusts for height and the steering wheel adjusts up and down as well as in and out.

The seats are comfortable and provide plenty of support, with up to a metre of legroom available in the second row, which can be slid back and forth to prioritise passenger or boot space as necessary.

This helps with space in the third row, with the second row sliding forward to give more space to the rearmost passengers. But even with this adjustment, the back row is really only suitable for adults on shorter journeys.

For buyers wanting a Discovery Sport with seven seats, it's worth noting they are now an optional extra, coming as part of a Third Row Pack, costing around £1,500 extra across the range. This also adds sliding and reclining second row seats, cooling vents for the third row and extra USB charging points. 

The rear doors open to almost 90 degrees, so climbing in is easy, while the second row of seats folds to allow access to the third row. However, if you're planning on using the third row of seats frequently, fully-fledged seven seat SUVs such as the Skoda Kodiaq or Kia Sorento might be more suitable.

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There are plenty of useful storage spaces in reach of passengers, along with numerous cup-holders and USB ports for all three rows, when optioned. The door pockets are deep, there's a large tray in front of the front-seat passenger and a storage box with a lid between the front seats. The glovebox can hold a 1.5-litre bottle of water.

Boot space

The boot measures 840 litres up to the roof with the third row of seats folded, but with all seven seats in place this shrinks to 115 litres, which is only really enough room for a couple of squashy bags. With all the seats folded, the boot space grows to 1,451 litres. Unfortunately, the space taken by the electric motor and battery fitted in the plug-in hybrid P300e means it's only available as a five-seater.

The two seats in the rear fold out individually in a single movement when you pull a sturdy fabric strap, making them easy to get into place. When folded, they fit flush with the floor to create a level surface. There’s no boot lip to lift luggage over, either, although you still have to lift luggage high due to the Discovery Sport's tall stance.

The boot is well thought-out, with few intrusions to get in the way of bulky cargo. While there’s no underfloor storage, you can specify a system of adjustable rails to hold luggage in place, while a number of handy hooks, a 12v power socket and USB chargers are offered.

Towing

There’s little the Land Rover Discovery Sport can’t tow, with a maximum capacity of up to 2,500kg. The manual models can pull 1,800kg, while petrol engines can haul 2,000kg. This increases to between 2,200 and 2,500kg for the D200 model depending on the number of seats fitted. Trailer Stability Assist is standard on all models, making hauling loads that little bit safer.