Discovery sport vs Evoque, opinions please!

[FabioandFreddy]

Looking for peoples opinions as looking to buy one of these as our towing car. Won't be new, looking from 2017 onwards secondhand. Obviously bit of price difference between the 2 depending on spec, mileage etc. Would also be used for our 2 dogs, Dachshund and Springer Spaniel so either would have ample boots space.
Towing wise we have an Ifor Williams 510 and only carry one horse, 16.1 cobxID.

Opinions welcome!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I would rather have a Discovery for towing the Evoque don't compare at all in my opinion they are just like cars that look like tow vehicles, we had one as a courtesy car and it was awful I don't think they are that powerful enough in comparison.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

When I was volunteering at Blair on the bun run a good few years ago, there was a discovery sport and a different model.

We had the sport so they told us to stick to the flat areas of the course because the sport didn't enjoy the hilly off road bits of Blair

Not sure if that helps.

 

[blitznbobs]

Well the disco sport tows 2.2 plus and the evoque only 1800 kg so probably legal but probably lacks grunt — the rangy sport you could put an extra pony in and the evoque definitely not.

The evoque is however a lot cheaper and cheaper to run — but probably wont have as many bells and whistles

 

[dominobrown]

the discovery sport is basically a Freelander. the evoque is more like a Nissan qashqui etc, personally I wouldn't be happy to tow with it, but as blitznbobs mentioned it only has 1800kg towing capacity so you need to be very careful that you are under the legal weight. think the caravan club website has a bit you can check towing capacity's as different models may vary.
You will need a proper disco for two horses in a 510

 

[Melandmary]

The disco no question, the evoque is just a “towny” 4x4

 

[Rumtytum]

Husband has a 2017 Sport diesel and stepson had a 2018 Evoque. The Sport was bought to tow a covered race car trailer weighing around 3.5 tons laden. We had the biggest Landcruiser before, husband says Sport is better. Wouldn’t recommend the Evoque for what you want to do. Hope that helps!

 

[CaptGinger]

I had an evoke as a courtesy car and couldn’t easily fit my dogs in the boot - they were pretty squished in. They are both Lurchers but at the time one was only a pup so not huge

 

[TPO]

A sample size of one but by friends discovery sport spent more time in the garage than on the road and cost thousands in (mainly electrical I think) faults.

 

[meesha]

You can't get 2 full size suitcases in an Evoque boot, friend has one ..when we go away we have to use my car lol... Don't think they have good reputation for towing either !!

 

[DressageCob]

An Evoque is only good as a Chelsea tractor for taking little Sebastian and Persephone to their tennis lessons. Not their cello lessons though; the boot will only fit a violin.

 

[9tails]

Personally, I wouldn't own anything with a Land Rover badge because of their reliability issues. A friend owns a Disco, great tow car when it's working but she could have bought an island with the amount of cash she's thrown at it. If a gun was held to my head, definitely the Disco Sport in this instance.

 

[Fransurrey]

Personally, I wouldn't own anything with a Land Rover badge because of their reliability issues. A friend owns a Disco, great tow car when it's working but she could have bought an island with the amount of cash she's thrown at it. If a gun was held to my head, definitely the Disco Sport in this instance.

This.

 

[Fran'sMum]

I have just got rid of my 2016 Discovery Sport after numerous problems costing thousands. I would recommend looking at the Discovery Sport forum.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

The Disco Sport is the new Freelander 2 but I’ve been told they’re less reliable than the Freelanders.. that was by an independent LR garage.

Have a look at the owners reviews of both. I have a SD4 2013 Freelander 2, that’s been brilliant in the last 13 months of ownership covering 12,000 miles and had no issues (towing 1 and commuting) it’s also pretty good off road, muddy fields and ground clearance isn’t bad. Could be worth test driving one.

LR aren’t as reliable as other makes but nothing really compares to a LR, IMO. Shoguns are good, but thirsty. I like the Disco 4s but they’re known for cranks snapping.

 

[Annagain]

Honestly? I'd buy the very last of the Freelanders. Not much older and they'd perfected it before renaming it the Disco Sport and changing nearly everything that was good.

The Evoque is tiny with a lower towing capacity. I struggled to get in the back when we had one on test (OH is a Landrover nut so gets invited to test stuff) and I'm not that tall! The Velar might be an option but is more expensive again.

ETA - I know people complain about Land Rover reliability but I've had many Landrovers over the years (see comment about OH), everything from a Freelander to a Range Rover and had very few issues. I've had my Defender for 10 years from new and it's only been in the garage twice (a broken intercooler and master cylinder) other than routine servicing.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Honestly? I'd buy the very last of the Freelanders. Not much older and they'd perfected it before renaming it the Disco Sport and changing nearly everything that was good.

The Evoque is tiny with a lower towing capacity. I struggled to get in the back when we had one on test (OH is a Landrover nut so gets invited to test stuff) and I'm not that tall! The Velar might be an option but is more expensive again.

ETA - I know people complain about Land Rover reliability but I've had many Landrovers over the years (see comment about OH), everything from a Freelander to a Range Rover and had very few issues. I've had my Defender for 10 years from new and it's only been in the garage twice (a broken intercooler and master cylinder) other than routine servicing.

I have had both, the Velar has the same size back seat space as the Evoque just a much larger boot. I have a petrol Evoque as a company car, I really like it but I haven't towed with it. I think the boot is a good size, nice to drive and quite pokey but I would definitely recommend the Disco to tow.

 

[BallyJ]

We looked at the Discovery Sport, but landed on a VW Touareg we could get a newer model, still in warranty for a similar price it hasn't missed a beat!

Really do recommend you have a look, we also like that its not as showy as a LR and a little more inconspicuous (in our opinion).

i wouldn't tow with an Evoque, as others have said they're Chelsea tractors.

 

[madabouthehorse]

I posted in the club house a while ago about this, the reviews on the evoque were horrendous with a lot of people commenting that they fare very poorly in RTA's. I looked at the disco sports which I liked, but electrical and engine issues put me up (I work in engineering). I have gone for a Volvo XC60, still good fuel economy, 2t towing capacity and 50mpg.

 

[sarcasm_queen]

We’ve got the disco, much better than the old freelander

 

[FestiveG]

I had an elderly disco, as the "dog car" when it reached the stage that it spent more time with the mechanic than at home, I replaced it with a ssangyong rexton. The mechanic warned against a newer land rover, as he said they were all unreliable. He replaced his with a vw double cab.

 

[honetpot]

The disco no question, the evoque is just a “towny” 4x4

You look at it and think, why?

 

[honetpot]

I posted in the club house a while ago about this, the reviews on the evoque were horrendous with a lot of people commenting that they fare very poorly in RTA's. I looked at the disco sports which I liked, but electrical and engine issues put me up (I work in engineering). I have gone for a Volvo XC60, still good fuel economy, 2t towing capacity and 50mpg.

Now that's an idea.

 

[SilverLinings]

I have a 2012 Freelander which has been more reliable than the other (non-landrover) cars that I've owned. I've had an Evoque as a curtesy car a few times and hate how small and dark they are inside, and you can't see much out of the rear windscreen, whereas the Freelander visibility is great.

The local Landrover dealership said they are fed up with customers asking them to bring the Freelander back and ditch the disco sport (and bring the old discovery back instead of the new one), as it is out of their hands, but they wish head office would listen to the customers. The dealership mechanics, AA mechanics and other garages I've spoken to all say that the electrical problems on the new models are a nightmare, and it is a lot easier to repair the freelander, old-style discos and old defenders).

If I were you then I'd go for a Freelander 2, old-style Defender (not the current model) or look at different makes entirely, and I say that as a bit of a Landrover devote; sadly they are not as good as they used to be, and haven't been for the last 7/8 years or so.

 

[Tiddlypom]

You look at it and think, why?

I think that I posted on the other thread that Evoques are great for whiling away the time laughing at their ridiculous rear profile if you get stuck behind one at traffic lights

 

[9tails]

You look at it and think, why?

I look at an Evoque and wonder what fell on its roof.

 

[honetpot]

I think that I posted on the other thread that Evoques are great for whiling away the time laughing at their ridiculous rear profile if you get stuck behind one at traffic lights

I think it's the modern equivalent of the knitted toilet roll dolly, it tells you someone has questionable taste and judgement. My next gripe is the modern mini, I had the old mini van, cheap basic, but drivable, I could jump start it on a slope. The cr*p mini I have sat on my drive, is just pimped like a tart but is s!!!! But they sell

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

You look at it and think, why?

Much cheaper, smaller version of the bigger 4x4 offering for those that either just want to drive round farm tracks/through fields (it's surprisingly good at off roading) but don't need a huge, juicy car or don't want to sit in the tiny RAV4 or Jimmy. Solid, slightly higher on the roads than a saloon, has a Range Rover badge for those that care about status, or those that think they need a status car/4x4 but have no intention of going anywhere near the country, and when they don't it nips around town and is easy to park/fit on a driveway. Not to mention that price wise, it's more attainable for those who don't have £60k to spend on a vehicle, or might be younger and thus in a higher insurance category.

I'm not a Land Rover fanatic or anything close, I have it as a company car as it's what was available the soonest, but it's not hard to see how it plugs a gap in the market that LR's other vehicles don't.

 

[Aleka81]

Husband has a 2017 Sport diesel and stepson had a 2018 Evoque. The Sport was bought to tow a covered race car trailer weighing around 3.5 tons laden. We had the biggest Landcruiser before, husband says Sport is better. Wouldn’t recommend the Evoque for what you want to do. Hope that helps!

That's a worry. As max tow on a Discovery Sport is 2.5ton. So assuming you mean a Range Rover Sport.

 

[SilverLinings]

Much cheaper, smaller version of the bigger 4x4 offering for those that either just want to drive round farm tracks/through fields (it's surprisingly good at off roading) but don't need a huge, juicy car or don't want to sit in the tiny RAV4 or Jimmy. Solid, slightly higher on the roads than a saloon, has a Range Rover badge for those that care about status, or those that think they need a status car/4x4 but have no intention of going anywhere near the country, and when they don't it nips around town and is easy to park/fit on a driveway. Not to mention that price wise, it's more attainable for those who don't have £60k to spend on a vehicle, or might be younger and thus in a higher insurance category.

I'm not a Land Rover fanatic or anything close, I have it as a company car as it's what was available the soonest, but it's not hard to see how it plugs a gap in the market that LR's other vehicles don't.

Although they aren't to my taste, I agree with you, and they clearly appear to a section of the market. I just think it was a shame that in the recent re-designing of the brand Landrover seem to have lost their original USP as a manufacturer of proper workhorse vehicles, and in the process they have ditched a very large number of lifelong devoted customers.