Land Rover Discovery Sport - best 7-seater cars

The Land Rover Discovery Sport is a luxurious compact SUV aimed at the same market as desirable models like the BMW X3 and Audi Q5. It’s essentially a replacement for the old Freelander, but the Discovery Sport moves the game up with a bigger, more upmarket body and a really versatile seven-seat layout.

Unlike many family-focused SUVs, the Land Rover Discovery Sport really will tackle the rough stuff if you need it to. That’s thanks to the firm’s clever Terrain Response system, which shifts the power to whichever wheel has the most grip. Just don’t expect staggering on-road performance – although the old 2.2-litre diesel was replaced by a far superior 2.0-litre ‘Ingenium’ unit, it’s no speed demon, instead preferring to focus on refinement and economy.

• Land Rover Discovery Sport review

The Discovery Sport has a comfortable interior, though the small size compared to other seven-seat rivals means the rearmost seats are only for occasional use. They’re still useful to have, though, and when folded down they leave a highly respectable amount of boot space.

Land Rover’s worked hard on the suspension of the Discovery Sport and it shows, with the car feeling agile and alert through bends. The steering is sharp and direct, although there’s not much in the way of feedback, and while forward visibility is great, you’ll miss having a reversing camera if you don’t spec one, as the rear window is small.

Best 7-seater cars 2017/2018

1. 1. Citroen Grand C4 Picasso
2. 2. Land Rover Discovery
3. 3. Renault Grand Scenic
4. 4. Volvo XC90
5. 5. Peugeot 5008
6. 6. Audi Q7
7. 7. Skoda Kodiaq
8. 8. Land Rover Discovery Sport
9. 9. Ford S-MAX
10. 10. Tesla Model X