[DrJJC]

The descriptions are in the manual and on the display in the car, but I thought it may be valuable for real information from those who kniw from experience to be shared about the various modes. It can be quite confusing!

Eco mode (actually pressing the button)
Drive (no program)
Sport mode

I just began playing with Eco as I read another member (sorry I can't find the post) state it helped with the lag. It actually does and the shifting is different.

Sport mode also helps with the lag in my opinion.

Then I got real crazy and pressed Eco with Sport mode. What it does... Not sure. But I will continue to play around to learn how to best adapt the drive of my vehicle.

Hope to hear other's real experiences with the modes.

BTW - I used sand mode on a really dry and deep sandy beach and the Disco Sport performed better than I expected! Really cool to have a luxury vehicle that can go offroad.

 

[Bill F]

I had read your post a while ago and decided to give the different modes a chance, well basically the eco mode.

I found that eco is the smoothest for driving but car is like driving a low powered Asian car. Car shifts at very low RPM. No turbo lag because I don't think the turbo has a chance to spool up.

Drive mode shifts a little higher and does seem sportier but turbo cuts in suddenly. driving Turbo cars since the 80's and most spool up faster. I think because of the off road capabilities they don't want high turbo boost when going slowly in bad terrain.

Ahh ! Sport mode higher shift points, smoother shifts than "D" faster response and an more satisfying experience. I have the feeling that the car will always do what I want, when I want.

Fuel prices in my area are the highest prices in North America ( yes all 3 countries) but saving a few cents, or nickels (no pennies in Canada) does not make for driving pleasure.

 

[USER.000]

I am a convert of Regular gas now. I experimented to see if there was any differences in gas mileage between the various gasoline types (each w/ 10% Ethanol): Premium 92 vs Plus 89 vs Regular 87. With a full tank of gas, they all pretty much came out to approx. 400miles (±4miles) before I need to refuel. I also tested between the various driving modes: Standard "D" (w/ Auto Stop-Start ON) vs Eco Mode (w/ Auto Stop-Start ON) vs Standard "D" (w/ Auto Stop-Start OFF) and they ALL achieve approx. 400miles as well. (Footnote: I did NOT test in Sport mode as I can't stand driving w/ two hands on the wheel and changing gears w/ either hand; they should have a Tiptronic as a stick shift.)

However, it is unclear what the outcome of the engine will be when using Regular gas for an extended period of years. We shall revisit this conversation in 8yrs time. (That's when I usually purchase a new vehicle.)

 

[petcha]

I am a convert of Regular gas now. I experimented to see if there was any differences in gas mileage between the various gasoline types (each w/ 10% Ethanol): Premium 92 vs Plus 89 vs Regular 87. With a full tank of gas, they all pretty much came out to approx. 400miles (±4miles) before I need to refuel. I also tested between the various driving modes: Standard "D" (w/ Auto Stop-Start ON) vs Eco Mode (w/ Auto Stop-Start ON) vs Standard "D" (w/ Auto Stop-Start OFF) and they ALL achieve approx. 400miles as well. (Footnote: I did NOT test in Sport mode as I can't stand driving w/ two hands on the wheel and changing gears w/ either hand; they should have a Tiptronic as a stick shift.)

However, it is unclear what the outcome of the engine will be when using Regular gas for an extended period of years. We shall revisit this conversation in 8yrs time. (That's when I usually purchase a new vehicle.)

Interesting. There was some commentary a while back about this engine, considering Ford cars with the same base engine don't require premium, really not needing premium fuel at all.

Also, you don't need to use the paddle shifters to drive in sport mode. If you switch to sport, you can just drive normally and the paddles only activate if you flip one of them. I drive sport mode a lot and rarely ever use the shifters.

 

[DrJJC]

My salesperson voluntarily told me I did not need to use premium in my Disco.

However, I personally felt less responsiveness in the accelerator (if this is even possible and not in my head) when I filled up with non premium grade fuel.

I am bringing my Disco in this week to have the fuel Guage checked out. I only get 280 miles before refueling and it says I am getting about 22+ miles per gallon. (Guess I need to do the math myself to check this).

 

[2Rovers_and_a_dog]

for hot >87F or >28C days I'd recommend premium for turbo charged cars to prevent knock and pre-detinition. For low or 87 Octane, would be OK for winter. for <20C to <27C or spring and fall environment, mid grade would be OK. The bad combination to avoid is 87 Octane, high turbo air charge temperatures (ei 165F), knock, and aluminum pistons...it'll destroy an engine in few seconds. There aren't any available details to know if the Discovery or Evoque pistons are Aluminum, Aluminum with Nickel Silicon coating & treatment or cast iron pistons.

 

[USER.000]

I shall test the Sport mode (w/ manual shifting DISABLED) w/ the various gas types. I need to wait for the timing as I am running various errands these days. My test conditions must all be the same as I only drive it to/from work for the tests. Pls stand by for results in the up coming few weeks!

 

[USER.000]

UPDATE:

Here is a baseline of my driving results w/ the various fuel type and driving mode combinations. I pretty much use the same route to/from work each day (which incorporates approx. 50% highway and 50% city), however, keep in mind traffic congestion may be heavier on certain days. I was hoping Eco Mode would result in better gas mileage but no.

 

[sportsound]

I just started driving Eco+Sport and the turbolag jumpiness in traffic has been reduced significantly. Much smoother. It feels as if the turbos spool up later, and just late enough that I can move smoothly.

 

[Terry]

Penny drops – all you folks talking about transmission problems and turbo lag seem to be driving petrol (aka "gas") engines. Happy to report that a diesel Discovery Sport with the 9 speed auto drives beautifully, if a little differently to other cars I've known.

You don't get instant response off the line with this one. In normal driving the car starts in 2nd gear and if you want more than a gentle push you have to allow half a second for it to spin up some torque and engage the rear wheels. After that initial hesitation it kinda leaps forward.

Re the off-road driving modes, I can relay what I learned in the Land Rover Experience day and my experiments since then.

Gravel/Grass/Snow is focused on avoiding wheel spin as the main concern. You get a very gentle throttle response and gear changes kept as smooth as possible. The key word is "slippery".

Sand mode is aggressive off the line and holds lower gears longer for increased torque. The car is reluctant to apply brakes to limit wheel spin – instead it tries to maintain forward momentum. If driving on actual sand it's recommended to turn off the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) because that program can mis-interpret the feeling of turning on sand as losing control on the bitumen, and the "corrections" it makes can get you into trouble. Apparently the law requires it to be on by default, so you have to turn it off yourself. The instructors also said that if you want to race somebody from the lights on bitumen, switch to sand mode first. (But leave DSC on!)

Mud/Ruts I don't quite get. I think it's got a more aggressive throttle response like Sand mode, but it also tries to minimise wheel spin. Haven't used this one myself, though thinking I probably should have this weekend when a gravel track turned into a bit of an up-and-down rock crawl. The key words from the manual are "soft" and "uneven".

 

[Jsquared]

I use dynamic mode only and I find it incredible.

 

[DrJJC]

I use dynamic mode only and I find it incredible.

Not everyone has access to that awesome mode.

 

[agarabaghi]

i only seem to get about 300miles before needing a fill up.... and averaging 19mpg in the city...

which means when i filled up 16.9g x 19mpg = 321gals...

what is your MPG that you are getting 400?

 

[Jsquared]

Not everyone has access to that awesome mode.

That's right...I just remember now that was an option we added. Doh!! (I am very new to this brand haha)