The Land Rover Discovery Spor… wait. The Discovery Sport… wait. The Defender Discovery Sp… Ok, we’re no longer sure what this model is called. No one is. More on that in a moment. First, the headline — the artist formerly known as the Land Rover Discovery Sport has a solid reputation as a luxury SUV with serious off-road chops and on-road comfort. It’s getting its first major update since 2020, which should up the ante with new cabin tech and a tastefully restrained interior design.
What Exactly Is This Thing Called Now?
About the name — the company that was once Jaguar Land Rover recently renamed itself JLR, like a pop singer pitching a lackluster fifth album. The rollout of the new name is not going entirely smoothly.
At the time, Jagu… JLR… said it intended to become a “House of Brands.” It would keep the Land Rover badge on its SUVs but rename them, branding some showrooms as Discovery dealers and others as Defender dealers. It wasn’t entirely clear when the new names would go into effect.
This week, the company sent us details on the 2024 Discovery Sport. We had guessed this one would go under the Discovery brand. Most of the material refers to it simply as the “Discovery Sport.” But the press release carries a Defender logo on top, and the website for the car is still located at landroverusa.com.
For simplicity’s sake, we’ll call this the 2024 Discovery Sport. But only because we never figured out how to pronounce the Prince symbol. (May he rest in purple. “Controversy” is underrated).
Back to the Car
Changes for 2024 are almost entirely limited to the cabin. The exterior gets some new wheel designs, and the powertrain is unchanged.
Prices begin at $48,900, plus a $1,175 destination fee.
Inside, though, the design is a triumph. It’s not wildly different than last year’s edition. But, somehow, small tweaks make it seem far more elegant.
The 2023 model used a 10-inch flat central touchscreen between two chrome pillars in the center of the dash. The 2024 edition gets an 11.4-inch curved screen set on top of those same pillars. The change is subtle but looks like the difference between a journeyman’s work and a certified master’s.
It sits above a smaller, more elegantly sculpted shift lever. The driver now gets a fully digital screen instead of the traditional gauge cluster. The steering wheel has gone from four spokes to three. Interior options include leather (which the company calls DuoLeather, saying it’s tanned to resist wear better than traditional hides). “Clients who do not wish to opt for leather can choose Suedecloth paired with the luxuriously soft, non-leather Luxtec, made from recycled polyester microfiber,” the company says.
Which Model Year Should You Buy?
Confining the changes almost entirely to the interior means no one will be able to tell whether you’re driving a 2023 or 2024 model.
Dealers sometimes accept lower offers for last year’s model once the new model year is on the lot, so we wouldn’t blame you for buying the outgoing one if you could negotiate a better deal for it. But the 2024 version’s cabin seems better executed.
Whatever it’s called.
