Compare the2023 Land Rover Discovery SportVS 2023 BMW X4

Both the Discovery Sport and X4 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Discovery Sport has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The X4’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

Both the Discovery Sport and the X4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The Discovery Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 11 lbs.-ft. more torque (269 vs. 258) than the X4 xDrive30i’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Land Rover Discovery Sport higher (7 out of 10) than the BMW X4 (5 to 7). This means the Discovery Sport produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the X4 every 15,000 miles.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Land Rover Discovery Sport, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the X4.

For better stopping power the Discovery Sport’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the X4:

The Discovery Sport has a standard full size spare (not available on 7-Passenger) so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the X4; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare or run-flat tires, either of which has mileage and speed limitations.

For better maneuverability, the Discovery Sport’s turning circle is 1.1 feet tighter than the X4’s (38.7 feet vs. 39.8 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Discovery Sport has a greater minimum ground clearance than the X4 (8.3 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Discovery Sport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Discovery Sport is 6.6 inches shorter than the X4, making the Discovery Sport easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Discovery Sport offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the X4 can only carry 5.

The Discovery Sport has 1.2 inches more rear headroom and 2.6 inches more rear legroom than the X4.

The Discovery Sport’s cargo area provides more volume than the X4.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the Discovery Sport uses the Dynamic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The X4 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Discovery Sport has a much higher standard payload capacity than the X4 (1515 vs. 937 lbs.).

The Discovery Sport has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the X4 (1670 vs. 937 lbs.).

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Discovery Sport has a standard rear wiper. The X4 doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Discovery Sport offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The X4 doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the Discovery Sport has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The X4 doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Land Rover Discovery Sport has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the X4.

Insurance will cost less for the Discovery Sport owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Discovery Sport will cost $1130 to $3400 less than the X4 over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Land Rover Discovery Sport will be $2552 to $8317 less than for the BMW X4.