Land Rover Discovery Sport practicality and boot space

• Spacious interior for five
• Rearmost seats tight for adults
• Large boot and lots of interior storage

One of the key strengths of any SUV, Land Rover Discovery Sport practicality is particularly impressive. The second row of seats slide and tilt for extra passenger comfort, plus the centre armrest folds down to create a load-through hatch.

>> We rate the best seven-seater SUVs for 2020

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Occasional adult passengers or young children can be accommodated in the third row seats that also fold flat when not in use. These are optional, though, and we’re not sure we’d bother unless you really need them – they’re really only big enough for very occasional use, and those who need a genuine seven-seater would be better served by a larger SUV.

Boot space is a very impressive 829 litres, though that grows to 981 litres with the second row seats slide fully forward.

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There are four 12-volt power points and up to six USB charging points can be specified to keep tablet and smartphone owners happy. Passengers up front secure two cupholders and a cubby hole under a sliding cover, while the front and rear door bins offer storage space of nearly 14 litres each.

Safety

• Five-star Euro NCAP safety rating
• Plenty of kit as standard
• Should prove a safe family car

The Land Rover Discovery Sport scored a full five-star Euro NCAP safety rating when the pre-facelift model was tested. There’s nothing to suggest the latest car would fare any worse, and it still has an impressive roster of safety kit – with standard autonomous emergency braking, lane-departure warning and even a bonnet airbag to help cushion pedestrians should the worst happen.

There are three isofix points available, with one on the front passenger seat and two on the second row seats.

Land Rover’s filled top-spec cars with technology, too. Highlights include the ground-view camera which essentially makes the bonnet ‘invisible’ ideal for off-roading but even more ideal for avoiding kerbing your wheels in tight cities. It’s also fitted the ClearSight rear-view mirror, which displays a camera feed of what’s behind you in the interior mirror. This is tough to get used to but after a few hours it works brilliantly, providing a really wide field of vision that’s unsullied by rear passengers, headrests or luggage.

The optional Advanced Tow Assist should reduce the strain from low-speed manoeuvres, while the maximum towing capacity is 2,500kg.