There are few things better than the feeling of getting off your luxury SUV. The comfort and utility they provide you are unparalleled. One of the most famous brands in the market for luxury SUVs is Land Rover. If you are in the market for one, you should positively consider one from this manufacturer. Today, we are going to help you decide whether you should go for the Range Rover Evoque or the Discovery Sport – two of their best-selling cars.

To give you a summary, whether you go for the Discovery Sport or the Range Rover Evoque, they are practically the same car. The Sport is a little more rugged and the bigger of the two. Whereas the Evoque is slightly smaller and a little bit more polished/posh. The Evoque is a 5-seater car while the Discovery sport can, theoretically, house 7. Otherwise, these cars are almost the same in every other aspect as you will read below.

Exterior and Design

Range Rover Evoque: While both cars look very similar, especially their 2020 builds, the Evoque is slightly smaller than the Discovery Sport. However, it looks like it is built for the urban environment. It has new LED lights and a nice macho front grill.

Discovery Sport: The Sport on the other hand looks significantly bigger than the Evoque. While it looks equally luxurious, you do get the feeling that it would be better off-roading. We will explore this more in detail later. One thing is for sure, it maintains the same iconic look that its previous builds did.

Interiors

Both cars boast an equally luxurious interior with leather interiors and seats. But, if you want, you can opt for the vegan-friendly option. Both come with Apple Car Play and Android Auto as well which can be used on a 10-inch infotainment screen. While the screen is quite good, it can sometimes lag for both models.

Range Rover Evoque: The thing that sets this car apart from the Sport is the two touch screens that you get for the infotainment and the Climate Control. However, people have complained a lot about how the touchscreen sometimes doesn’t make sense since the glare from the sun makes everything invisible. Similarly, the touchscreen controls on the steering wheel can be rather hard to get used to.

Discovery Sport: This car has its counterpart beat in terms of space. This car can technically house 7 people compared to the 5 of Evoque. However, the rear two seats are rather questionable. It is most suited for children. Unless you are a contortionist, then you can probably fit too. On the plus side, the middle row can be reclined unlike the one in the Range Rover. Though this model does not have the touchscreen climate control, the buttons for this are quite versatile and super easy to use.

Powertrain

Both these cars come with turbocharged 4-cylinder engines. There are both Diesel and Gasoline powertrains available. There are various versions for both of them with the Gasoline one topping up at 250 hp.

The petrol version also has a 3-cylinder plug-in hybrid version available with an 80kW electric motor. The battery pack can add about 41 miles on the Evoque and about 38 miles on the bulkier Discover Sport. Except for the D165 variant, all the other engines can reach 62 mph in under 10 seconds.

All of them come with the option of an automatic transmission or a manual one. However, in the case of the Evoque, you do get the paddle shifters for your gearbox in most of the variants. On the other hand, only the R Dynamic version of the Discovery Sport gives you this feature. Otherwise, you must use the plain old gear knob.

Driving

Both cars provide a comfortable experience while driving in an almost noise-free environment. It damps out the engine noise and even the wind noise so you can focus on enjoying the luxuries inside the car. Moreover, the front row of seats is super comfortable. With the seat being as adjustable as they are, you would be able to enjoy a good view of the road while you are on long road trips.

Range Rover Evoque: The Evoque, despite being an SUV is relatively lighter than the Discovery. This leads to a rather nimble driving experience that you wouldn’t normally expect of the car. It has a decent turning radius, certainly better than the Discovery Sport making it easier to drive through narrow streets. Another advantage is the higher fuel mileage that this car can offer owing mostly to the lighter weight.

Discovery Sport: While the sport is also a luxury to drive, you can feel that you are lugging the weight around slightly. Moreover, the larger turning radius is something that you can undeniably feel the pain of turning in city streets. Moreover, parking can also be a bother on narrow streets sometimes.  

Utility

Coming to the most important part, the Utility of a Sport Utility Vehicle. Both cars are extremely spacious and can be used for off-roading easily. They have smart all-wheel drive modes that recognize when power needs to be delivered to all 4 wheels and activate the power only then. This can help save fuel when extra power is not required. Otherwise, the cars are both front-wheel drives. Finally, both models also have a nice ground clearance of 212 mm or around 8 inches.

Range Rover Evoque: This car has a superior break-over angle of 20.7 degrees and even a higher departure angle of 30.6 degrees. However, it does lose out on the approach angle which determines how steep you can climb. The Evoque has a wading height of 600 mm, or about 2 feet. Moreover, you can even opt-in for sensors under the rearview mirrors that tell you how deep the water in front of you is. This is quite good considering that the car is made mostly for the streets.

When it comes to cargo space, the Evoque has slightly less space. This is in both conditions – with the middle row folded (1156 liters) or with people sitting there (472 liters).

Discovery Sport: As mentioned above, the Sport has a superior approach angle of 25 degrees compared to the 22.2 of the Range Rover. While it does lose out on the departure and the break-over angle by only slightly (30.2 and 20.6 degrees respectively), it boasts the same wading height of 600mm or about 2 feet.

In terms of cargo space, the sport is, without a doubt, the winner. It has more space with both the middle row folded (1451 liters) and occupied (840 liters). However, if you do choose to have the third row of seats too, then the storage reduces to a measly 115 liters. Then again, that wouldn’t be a fair comparison.

Final Verdict and Value for Money

Choosing whether you should buy the Ranger Rover Evoque, or the Discovery Sport is extremely hard. One final important metric to measure is the cost of each car. The Evoque starts at $51,000 while the Discover Sport has a starting price of $48,200. Clearly, the premium feeling of the Evoque comes at a price.

Ultimately it comes down to what you prefer more. If you want a more premium everyday car that you mainly keep on the roads, the Evoque is probably your best bet. On the other hand, if you want extra seating (possibly for your kids or pets), and are intent on having some fun off-road, you might want to choose the Discovery Sport. Hopefully, this article has made the choice a little bit easier.