Used test: Audi Q5 vs BMW X3 vs Land Rover Discovery Sport

The Contenders

Audi Q5 2.0 TDI quattro S line S tronic

List price when new £41,085
Price today £29,000*
Available from 2017-present

The one to beat, with a fine combination of practicality, comfort and quality

BMW X3 xDrive20d M Sport

List price when new £41,380
Price today £29,000*
Available from 2018-present

In acing the X3's driving experience, luxury, tech and everyday usability haven't been forgotten

Land Rover Discovery Sport 2.0 SD4 HSE

List price when new £44,095
Price today £31,000*
Available from 2014-present

The oldest car here but far from long in the tooth, plus our test car comes with the punchiest engine of the trio

*Price today is based on a 2018 model with average mileage and full service history, correct at the time of writing

Like that luxury holiday, dream job or perfect home, an upmarket large SUV is often something people aspire to have. Whether it be for the style, practicality or plush interior, there's no denying that they're sought-after cars. Now, sought-after cars tend to come with less sought-after prices, especially from new, but buy any of these cars used at, say, four years old as we're testing them here, and you can save a really healthy sum off the price of a new one. 

One of our go-to choices is the Audi Q5. It's an incredibly well-rounded choice, managing to successfully tick boxes in many areas, such as comfort and refinement, without much compromise to speak of. And with a saving of more than £10,000 by going for a used example, it's easy to recommend – although it would be even easier if it weren't for the excellent BMW X3 being vastly talented as well. With an almost identical saving to its name, this option gets you sharp handling, great tech and efficient engines. 

But wait, there's a third, because for a couple of thousand pounds more, you could have a Land Rover Discovery Sport. Being the only car out of the three that gets seven seats, it's ideal for large families. What's more, its dashboard is intuitively laid out, and it has the go-anywhere ability typical of Land Rover models. 

We've rallied the three together to see which is best. Read on to find out which is deemed victorious in this posh SUV face-off. 

Driving

Performance, ride, handling, refinement

When Land Rover’s 178bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine is fitted, we’ve often grumbled about the Discovery Sport’s performance; ‘just about adequate but well behind rivals’ sums it up. With 237bhp, this twin-turbocharged version addresses that problem splendidly. Sure, the nine-speed automatic gearbox’s hesitancy when pulling away from traffic lights or onto a roundabout neuters it at times, but the engine delivers plenty of punch once you’re up and running.

In fact, this unit’s extra 50bhp over the 187bhp 2.0-litre diesel engines of the Q5 and X3 makes the Discovery Sport the quickest car here. The difference isn’t like night and day, though; while the Discovery Sport will sprint from 0-60mph in 7.9sec, the Q5 is just 0.1sec behind and the X3 the same again after that.

The disparity in rolling acceleration from 30-70mph is slightly more significant, with the Q5 and X3 trailing the Discovery Sport by 0.3sec and 0.5sec respectively. But in truth, all three cars can whizz you down the motorway in a stress-free manner and are plenty gutsy enough to nip past dawdling Sunday drivers on a B-road.

We’ve already mentioned the Discovery Sport’s dim-witted gearbox, but it isn’t the only car here with foibles in that department. The Q5, which uses a seven-speed dual-clutch ’box (rather than the traditional automatics in the others), is a bit jerky in stop-start traffic and at parking speeds. Like the Discovery Sport’s, it changes smoothly once the car is on the move, though.

By contrast, the eight-speed automatic in the X3 is a gem. Smoother than the Q5’s at low speeds and more responsive than the Discovery Sport’s when pulling out of junctions, it’s hard to fault. All three give you the flexibility to change gear manually by pulling paddles behind the steering wheel; when you do this, the Q5 responds the most snappily.

Overall, the Q5 is the most cultured car here. Its engine is easily the quietest, it has by far the least wind noise – at most, you hear a light flutter at speed from over the door mirrors – and it is typically deathly quiet in terms of road noise. Over coarse surfaces, its tyres drone more than the X3’s, though.

The X3 runs the Q5 closest for serenity inside, but it suffers with a bit more wind bluster from its door mirrors and its engine is definitely grumblier. That’s true at idle or when accelerating, at which point you hear whistling from its turbocharger as well.

Both the Germans demonstrably outclass the Brit for refinement, though. The Discovery Sport’s engine is the most grumbly and there’s a lot more wind and road noise at cruising speeds.

While the Q5 will tow the most (2400kg, versus 2200kg and 2000kg for the Discovery Sport and X3 respectively), the Discovery Sport can handle off-road terrain with the greatest aplomb. To help you in the rough stuff, all three cars have four-wheel drive and hill descent control, but Land Rover’s system is more advanced, while its Terrain Response feature lets you optimise the four-wheel drive system for different surfaces, such as grass, gravel or snow. The Discovery Sport has the most ground clearance, too.

What about on-road handling? Well, the Discovery Sport’s fluid, accurate and nicely weighted steering is its highlight – the best here, actually. There’s less finesse elsewhere, though. It’s certainly surefooted, but it leans the most acutely through corners and runs out of grip soonest, being the tallest and heaviest car here.

The X3 is the opposite; by SUV standards, it’s quite fun to drive. Initially, the steering’s weight feels slightly inconsistent (our example happened to have the variable sport steering option fitted to it), but you quickly overlook this when you discover how balanced and relatively playful the X3 is along a country road.

And the Q5? Try threading it along a back road and you might find it less enjoyable than the X3, but that’s only because it’s so well sorted. It has the deepest reserves of grip and composure, so even when scything through an S-bend at speed, it remains the most stable. Its steering is the slowest, so you need to apply quite a lot of lock to get around tight corners, but once you do, the front end bites hardest.

Despite riding on big, optional 20in alloy wheels, our Q5 was also supremely comfortable – easily the best-riding of the three. However, its pillowy ride could be put down to the optional adaptive dampers that were fitted; the sport suspension option is noticeably firmer. When switched to Comfort mode, the adaptive set-up soothes you across rippled motorways and general road scars. True, it thuds a bit over cavernous potholes in town, but it never jars.

If you value ride comfort highly, we’d suggest you look out for a Q5 with air suspension instead. This rewards you by ramping up the cosseting another notch, making the Q5 one of the most comfortable cars in any class.

The X3 on test was upgraded with adaptive dampers, too, and on its smaller, 19in wheels, it rides pretty well most of the time, although not nearly as consistently as the Q5. It copes with most lumps and bumps ably but bobs up and down over dimpled surfaces at times.

Still, it’s better than the Discovery Sport. Despite also being on optional adaptive suspension, it displays the same fidget as the X3 but with more flex in its chassis, spawning a disruptive shimmy through the body as well. It’s also bounciest over undulations and will crash and bang over speed bumps unless you slow right down, whereas the other two waft. However, its ride, despite being the least resolved, is rarely uncomfortable.

Next: what are they like inside? >>

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