MOTORS A new Range Rover Sport

The Ultimate SUV? Range Rover Sport

It’s ferocious on-road, capable off-road and luxurious inside. With wild performance, it’s little surprise that the Range Rover Sport is one of Land Rover’s best selling vehicles...

Earlier this year, Land Rover released a brand new flagship Range Rover. Hot on its heels is its slightly smaller, less expensive and more road-focused Range Rover Sport. Further down the model lineup is the Velar – which is looking increasingly lost in the range given that its stylish touches like flushdoor handles have now filtered through to the rest of the company’s lineup – and down the smallest model, the Evoke. There are now many different models in the company’s lineup, and further competition from Land Rover’s own Defender and Discovery models. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to determine which Land Rover or Range Rover is right for you. However, we do know that the Range Rover Sport outsells pretty much all of the company’s other models, and that more expensive vehicles are also more profitable… so arguably, the Sport is the most important car in its range. Furthermore, with the larger Range Rover sold out for at least 12 months, many will look to purchase a Sport instead. The all-new model is available with 3.0V6 diesel badged D300, a 3.0V6 petrol badged P400 and a plug-in hybrid 4.0V6 petrol badged P440e. The latter is pricy, but the immediacy of the extra shove suits the car’s sporty nature, and if you keep it plugged in and charged up, or run the car as a company vehicle, it’s ideal. At the top of the lineup are a P530 4.4V8 and a P510e PHEV too. Trim-wise there’s the availability of SE, Dynamic SE, Autobiography and First Edition versions. We think that SE versions are well-enough equipped, though. Whilst prices for the new Sport start from just under £80,000 and top out at £115,000, peerless off-road ability, low-range gears and air suspension help to justify the car in terms of value and breadth of capability. The new Sport is evolution, not revolution, but its changes update the car’s technology, and will ensure that it continues to be one of the most desirable fast SUVs on the market. n

THE DETAILS Range Rover Sport SE D300

Price: £79,125 (on sale now). Powertrain: 3.0V6 300HP, twin turbo, automatic, all wheel drive. Performance: 0-60mph: 6.3 secs. Top speed 135mph. Equipment: 20-way electrically adjustable seats, heated, leather. Adaptive cruise, 3D camera, front/rear parking sensors, wireless CarPlay, keyless entry, powered tailgate, navigation, DAB radio, low-range gearboxes, air suspension.