While first impressions are always important, they are not everything. That has been proven (honestly, I'm not as fat and boring, as I initially seem...) this week by the Land Rover Discovery Sport. While it looks all shark-nosed and sexy when you walk up to it, there is a palpable sense of disappointment - Land Rover expects this car to compete with the likes of the Audi Q5 and BMW X3, but its cabin is lacking the German's final touch of class and sophistication.
It's not bad in there. In fact, the essentials (comfy seats, good driving position, clear instruments) are all there, but it's an almost indefinable thing - the German cabins just feel and look classier. Perhaps it's a colour scheme thing, but I suspect it's more to do with the fact that Land Rover's last mouldings aren't as slick as those of the competition just yet.
Still, there are compensations. The Discovery Sport has super-sharp steering for instance - I suspect that it's more or less the same rack as you'll find in the Jaguar XE, so good does it feel. It's wicked fast on turn in, much sharper just off-centre than any tall, heavy 4x4 has a right to be.
Mind you, the Discovery Sport isn't actually all that big. It's barely any bigger than the old Freelander, and actually slightly smaller than the Q5 and X3, yet cabin space is simply massive. It's a shame that the third row seats in the boot are an option (and a €1,700 option at that on this SE model, whereas the UK Disco gets them as standard) but the upside is a massive 600-odd-litre boot with a full-size spare wheel underneath.
Slowly but surely the Discovery Sport has been working its way into my affections this week. It is hugely comfortable, refined (a terrific motorway cruiser) and the only dynamic flaw I can locate is that the low-speed uproar ride is too stiff-kneed over small, 'washboard' ripples. Even the cabin, which seemed so dowdy on Monday, is now starting to look classier and nicer and it has survived the pasting that my two small boys habitually hand out to all test car interiors. The new InControl infotainment system is a massive improvement too, with big, clear, bright graphics and a simple menu system. Pity some of the buttons are a bit of a stretch from the drivers' seat but that seems to be a traditional Land Rover oddity - the Range Rover suffers from it too.
Still, for a car I felt a little underwhelmed by on Monday when I collected it, the Disco Sport has slotted into Briscoe family life rather too easily. This is going to be a tough set of keys to hand back...
Key tech specs:
- Pricing: €51,845 for this one
- Engine options: This is the 190hp 2.2 SD4. A 150hp version is also available
- Emissions from: 157g/km for this one, but there is a front-drive 119g/km version on the way.