Land Rover Discovery Sport P300e 2021 UK first drive

We liked the plug-in hybrid version of the Discovery Sport when it was launched towards the end of last year. Rather a lot, actually. There was little call for Land Rover to bring it back in for an early refresh, but still it has done, and so here we are reacquainting ourselves with the latest addition to Whitley’s electrified family. 

Launched alongside a mechanically identical Evoque PHEV, the Disco Sport P300e mates its new Ingenium 1.5-litre turbo triple with an electric motor on the rear axle for combined outputs of 305bhp and 398lb ft, and packs a 15kWh battery pack for a claimed EV range of 43 miles. A torquey rear motor is good news for off-road ability, too, which should please the purists, who no doubt are still struggling to reconcile the Discovery nameplate with a buzzy little three-cylinder engine. 

So there’s nothing new underneath. Well, newer, anyway. The main change for 2021 comes in the form of Land Rover’s much-ballyhooed Pivi Pro infotainment system, which made its debut on the Defender in 2019 and is now standard fitment on all but the entry-level version of the Discovery Sport and Evoque. The Discovery Sport and Evoque also have a revised line-up structure for 2021, topped out by high-spec Black and Autobiography editions, respectively.

We’ve been behind the wheel of the second-from-top Discovery Sport R-Dynamic SE, which is priced from a cool £51,895 outright when equipped with the P300e drivetrain, but promises improved economy and a lower benefit-in-kind tax rating than its pure petrol and diesel range-mates, so it all comes out in the wash (theoretically). Standard equipment at this level, aside from the aforementioned infotainment system, includes a slightly sportier bodykit, a raft of aluminium interior embellishments, dynamic indicators, an electronic bootlid, a panoramic (non-opening) roof and 12-way electronically adjustable, heated front seats.

Once you’ve wrapped your head around the concept of a three-cylinder Land Rover, it’s a very easy powertrain to get on with. The charmingly thrummy combustion element is more than gutsy enough in its own right and quiet at a cruise, its electric team-mate having whisked you slightly out of the cul-de-sac, through the suburbs and passed the baton once up to speed. The 0-62mph sprint is put at 6.6sec, which, let’s be honest, is bloomin’ quick in real-world terms, so there’ll be no moaning here about the inadequacy of that turbo triple. 

In fact, a combined power output of 305bhp makes this P300e both the smallest-engined and most powerful version of the Discovery Sport. Not to mention the most frugal: a WLTP rating of 175.5mpg puts it roughly on a par with the cheaper and more sedate Citroën C5 Aircross Hybrid, and because we know WLTP PHEV consumption figures are wildly unrealistic, we went for a 40-mile mixed-route jaunt and recorded an average in the high-30s, and that was with the battery running on (metaphorical) fumes. Not bad at all.