Insurance Group: N/A
MPG: 32.1
CO2: 230
0-62 Mph: N/A secs
BHP: 242 BHP
Range: 594 miles
PROS: Dramatic styling and ‘can’t be ignored’ looks, superbly comfortable, excellent diesel engine, as capable off-road as on-road.
CONS: The usual large 4X4 costs to run it, almost but not quite as spacious as the traditional Range Rover.
The Range Rover Sport has a commanding driving position, as you’d expect, with excellent all-round visibility. Finding the ideal driving position is easy thanks to seats with multiple adjustments possible. The interior has a nice upmarket feel to it using quality trim materials and technology normally reserved for high-end saloon cars.
This Range Rover Sport 3.0 TD V6 SE 5dr is powered by the much improved V6, 24-valve diesel power unit from Land Rover: now boasting 29% more power (242bhp) and also 36% more torque (442lb-ft) making it the best option in the range. Capable of a top speed of 124mph on the tarmac, and it still returns an average fuel economy of 32.1mpg.
Despite being in the large 4X4 category the Range Rover Sport’s handling is superb, with good body control when cornering and nice firm steering through the bends. Amazing grip is helped by its four-corner air-suspension system. The Sport also comes equipped with an adaptive dynamics system (ADS) which predicts the best setting based on the driving conditions – firmer when driving hard – and softer for cruising on motorways. It also benefits from better and more responsive steering and beefier brakes than the previous model. Off road capability is class leading with Terrain Response allowing the selection of a range of driving settings depending on conditions, and automatic-ride-height-adjustment for optimal driving performance.
The Range Rover Sport is tremendously comfortable when driving with only slight body roll when cornering. Accelerating and braking hard, it is not quite so composed, but in everyday conditions it’s poised and smooth. There’s space enough for five adults in luxurious armchair comfort and it’s hushed when cruising with practically no wind-noise or road- noise at speed.
Its looks will influence whether you buy a Range Rover Sport or not. It has more dramatic styling, a purposeful presence and it simply can’t be ignored. Interior changes in the cabin have also improved it and with nicely stitched leather upholstery, it now has an even more luxurious feel to it.
This SE model comes with 19-inch alloy wheels, climate control, electrically heated and adjustable door mirrors, stability control system, leather upholstery, MP3 connectivity, Bluetooth, satellite navigation, rear parking sensors, xenon headlights and rain sensitive wipers.
The Range Rover Sport has real practical space you can use. The boot space of 958-litres with the rear seats in place and 2,013-litres when they’re folded is impressive for it class and means you should be able to load it up with all you want. The boot is wide and it's easy to load weighty or large items. Up front storage and door pockets are equally good.
All Range Rover models have a maximum towing capacity of 3,500kg.
Euro NCAP have still to crash-test the Range Rover Sport but it’s fitted out with a host of safety features which include eight airbags, DSC (dynamic stability control) and ARM (Active Roll Mitigation) as standard.
Reports of reliability problems have been few since it was launched. Many of its components are shared with other Land Rovers, or indeed Jaguars, so they are well tried and tested. Land Rover has a serious commitment to reliability and continues to make improvements across the range.
The Range Rover Sport 3.0 TD V6 SE 5dr blends amazing off-road skills with on-road refinement and comfort in a way that is hard to beat in this large 4X4 class, so not surprisingly this model comes with a £48,795 price tag. However, comparable rivals such as Porsche’s Cayenne or BMW’s X5 are priced at about the same level.
A large 4X4 like this is never going to be cheap to run, but this 3.0-litre diesel engine provides a reasonable balance between performance and economy (32.1mpg average), with CO2 emissions of 230g/km (VED band L Road Tax). It also comes with an excellent level of equipment as standard and resale values are good for the popular 3.0-litre diesel versions.
The Range Rover Spot comes with Land Rover’s 3-year unlimited mileage warranty for peace of mind, and 15,000 mile service intervals.
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