Land Rover Discovery Sport Toasts Icelandic Winter

KALDIDALUR HIGHLAND TRACK, Iceland – This northbound section of gravel track in the highlands of Iceland winds out of the Pinvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on its way to a 9,000-year-old Skjaldbreiour volcano nicknamed “the Broad Shield” for its low, sprawling rise from the earth.

Any other time, especially on this bleak January midday of blowing snow and temperatures unseasonably low even for a place called The Cold Valley, the scenery would be priceless.

But the horizon is imperceptible without an occasional jut of basaltic rock from the hillside. So our eyes stare straight out the windscreen of a ’15 Land Rover Discovery Sport, hands gripping the “10-2” position to stay on the crown of a spit of roadway and away from loose gravel edges certain to suck us into an ice bank.

The rule of the road under these conditions is a complete stop when opposing traffic approaches; except no one in their right mind, save our Land Rover Expedition group, would sanely breach these roads today. We practice a low-speed lead-follow with a dozen other Discovery Sport CUVs, fresh from the factory in Halewood, U.K., and an equal number of support crew, for a punishing test of Land Rover capability.

It is a far cry from the cozy suburban parking lots of the U.S. that most Discovery Sports will call their stomping ground.

Discovery Sport traverses closed roads.

How remote is this stretch? It is so inaccessible this time of year that Land Rover custom-built a pair of ice huts as a roadside pit stop so we could perk up with coffee and pastries. The ice huts will be donated to a local search-and-rescue group for future use, part of the Land Rover Expedition philosophy to take your tracks with you when you leave.

The new Discovery Sport is a more leisure-oriented version of the bigger, more rugged Discovery (LR4 in the U.S), but it does not shy away from the challenges of Southeastern Iceland. The 5-passenger, premium CUV, which includes an optional plus-2 configuration to make it the only 7-seater of its size in the U.S., sure-footedly negotiates the frozen Kaldidalur.

For example, when the sun makes a surprise afternoon appearance, its warm rays betray our expedition by melting a thin sheen of water over the icy trail. But with a Gen 5 Haldex all-wheel-drive unit underpinning Land Rover’s Terrain Response system, as well as a beefy set of studded Pirelli winter tires, our $45,000 Discovery Sport HSE Luxury grinds along like a mountaineer in crampons.

The Terrain Response system comes with 4-wheel-drive versions of the Discovery Sport (why anyone would buy a Land Rover without 4WD is beyond us, but a 2-wheel-drive system and an active all-wheel-drive option also are available), and it tailors vehicle dynamics such as the steering, throttle response, gear shifts, braking and the stability system to the individual conditions of snow and mud, sand and ruts, and normal conditions.

Count us as a big fans of the technology. It never let us down once.

Haldex AWD Technology

The Terrain Response system combines with the latest 4WD technology from Haldex. The lightweight system works electronically, rather than mechanically, on the Discovery Sport so it reacts quickly to wheel slip. It increases driver confidence on-road, too.

The Discovery Sport’s off-road capability also benefits from high approach, departure and break-over angles relative to its class, as well as a sound suspension system. The extra clearance means the front, middle and rear of the CUV can climb, clear and descend obstacles that likely would bring its competitors to their knees.

We experienced that capability firsthand crossing the River Hvita. A nearly vertical plunge into the river was followed by waves lapping to the midsection of our Discovery Sport. Exiting the water saw the CUV eagerly claw up an icy embankment with the enthusiasm of a Labrador.

Crossing icy River Hvita.

An interesting Wade Sensing technology helps drivers perform such maneuvers by relaying water depth information via sensors in the wing mirrors to a display page within the infotainment center. Audible signals alert drivers to changes in the water’s depth. It’s an innovative use of the advanced sensing equipment proliferating in vehicles today, and a perfect complement to Land Rover’s rugged image.

Hill Descent control further underscores the Discovery Sport’s all-terrain credentials. Land Rover engineers tinkered extensively with this now-ubiquitous off-road technology, dialing it down to speeds below 5 mph (8 km/h), which allowed our Discovery Sport to creep safely down steep, snowy grades surrounding the massive geothermal fields that pump 26,417 gallons (100,000 L) of hot water for sustainable energy every minute to Reykjavik some 28 miles (45 km) away.

The Discovery Sport’s multilink rear axle is a new design. Land Rover engineers boast of its ample wheel travel and axle articulation, which permits class-leading off-roading. The entirely independent suspension also leverages a host of lightweight aluminum parts to reduce unsprung weight, so it handles bumps awfully well. Struts use impact-reducing hydraulic rebound stops to reduce cabin booms, which made the hours we spent on rough terrain more bearable.

Torque Vectoring by Braking is another big element of the Discovery Sport’s drivability. It delivers torque to the wheel with the most slip, which greatly enhances traction off-road. But it’s a great addition out the pavement, too, as we discovered while circling the famous Hvalfodur whale fjords after a brief rain shower. The technology allowed us to sprint through the hilly switchbacks of the former Allied navy base and whale fishery without a lick of understeer.

Steering on the whole feels relatively solid. The CUV’s variable-ratio electronic power steering system is light at low speeds and heavier at higher speeds, but felt as if it lacked the sort of travel from lock-to-lock we would expect in Land Rover.

Torquey 2.0L 4-cyl.

A proven powertrain provides good grunt to the CUV. The 2.0L turbocharged direct injection gasoline 4-cyl. offers a seemingly peppy 240 hp, although it takes some high revs to pull the full output, and at highway speeds the unit is not overly impressive.

But the entire 250 lb.-ft. (340 Nm) of torque comes as early as 1,750 rpm to make a good impression as we tipped in and out of the throttle along the trail, and at midrange speeds through the whale fjords it delivered a lively drive.

A 9-speed ZF-sourced transmission boosts fuel economy to a peak European Union-estimated 23 mpg (10.2 L/100 km) in the combined cycle. That’s what we recorded on paved roads during a 45-minute sprint, and fuel economy was, predictably, much poorer off-roading.

Two diesel options are available outside the U.S.

Inside and out, the styling of the Discovery is spot-on.

Discovery Sport intreior bucolic retreat from Icelandic winter.

The interior looks wonderfully contemporary, marrying the distinctively open and endless-headroom sensation of all Land Rovers with clean, modern surfaces. The Windsor-leather-covered seats prove both comfortable and supportive through nearly 10 hours in the saddle, while other modest luxury appointments such as mood lighting make the cabin a bucolic retreat from the relentless weather. Although ubiquitous to the CUV segment, the Discovery Sport’s panoramic roof add new levels of awe while passing downtown Reykjavik’s glimmering Harpa opera house.

Two key elements of the interior are a new infotainment system for the brand and available 5-plus-2 seating.

The central feature of the infotainment unit is an 8-in. (20-cm) high-resolution touchscreen that uses the touch-and-swipe surface technology of a smartphone. It features the usual cache of navigation, audio and vehicle settings, but also adds Land Rover’s InControl Apps to link with an owner’s smartphone and a wide range of applications. The screen also takes on the appearance of the linked phone.

With the option to add a pair of seats to the cargo area of the Discovery Sport, it becomes the only entry in its segment capable of seating seven passengers. We jumped in the rear of the sole 5-plus-2 model available, and two minutes in the jump seats were enough to confirm the feature adds some flexibility to the CUV but is hardly practical for anyone out of grammar school.

The exterior of the Discovery Sport shines, too, even in the half-light of an Icelandic winter. The CUV has great proportions with short overhangs. The 20-in. wheels of our test models filled their openings to give the CUV a go-anywhere appearance, while the tapered roof and spoiler extension combine with a swift beltline to impart an air of sportiness.

We particularly enjoyed how the unique light of Iceland played on the Barolo Black paint of our tester, as well as the starry spectacle created by the signature LED lighting of a dozen Discovery Sports heading off into a dark morning.

On its own, the Discovery Sport is a smashingly capable luxury CUV. As a replacement for the aging LR2, it is out of this world. And if it can toast the heart of an Icelandic winter so thoroughly, imagine how easily it will conquer the malls of America.

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2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport Specifications