The all-new Range Rover Sport slots into the Land Rover line-up between the compact Evoque and limousine-rivalling Range Rover. This all-new vesion ditches the heavy steel platform of its predecessor in favour of a much lighter aluminium chassis, used on the 2013 Range Rover. Clever active anti-roll bar techonolgy and adaptive dampers aim to deliver agile handling without sacrificing comfort, while a hefty reduction in weight means even stronger performance from the familiar line-up of petrol and diesel and engines. It doesn’t feel as engaging to drive as the Porsche Cayenne, but it’s definitely more refined and comfortable over long distances. In fact, it’s so impressive in this respect that it makes you wonder why you’d need to splash out an extra £20,000 to upgrade to the Range Rover.
Styling
If you fed the designs of the full-size Range Rover and compact Range Rover Evoque into a computer and asked it to come up with an average of the two, the result would look a lot like the Range Rover Sport, striking a good balance between the sporty aggressive stance of the later and the elegance of the former. The new car has bigger dimensions than its predecessor, thanks to a move away from its Discovery running gear to the Range Rover platform. But the Sport is both lower and longer than the standard Range Rover, which helps it look a little more dynamic. However it is a bit more colour-dependent, with dark colours failing to do the imposing shape justice. We would recommend opting for a contrasting roof to brighten things up. Entry-level SE models don’t get foglights, while the grille is a slightly darker metal than on HSE models. Go for HSE Dynamic or Autobiography Dynamic and you get a gloss black grille and aggressive red brake calipers. The new Range Rover Sport looks a lot sleeker than its big brother, with a rounded nose that combines the two-bar Evoque grille with the Range Rover lights. Raised bonnet corners are a very familiar design touch, and they are complimented by fake vents in the front wings. The windscreen is raked at a shallower angle than the Range Rover and the side windows narrow to an angled rear screen, just like the Evoque.The interior is as stylish and elegant as the Range Rover’s, while the number of dashboard buttons has been drastically reduced, which helps make the slickly designed dashboard easier to use. Material quality is excellent and all models come seats trimmed in soft leather. All versions also get sat-nav, a DAB radio and parking sensors, while the top of the range Autobiography adds a whole host of desirable extras, including even high quality leather trim for the seats and adaptive cruise control. The sat-nav graphics – as with other Land Rover and Jaguar models – look old-fashioned and are in need of an update.
Driving
The Range Rover Sport 2014 is based on a modified version of the Range Rover’s aluminium platform and has managed to shed 420kgs from the previous model’s kerbweight. That makes it feel a lot more responsive and agile than the previous car, particularly in a straight line. The SDV6 model is our pick, with this 288bhp launching the Sport from 0-62mph in 6.8 seconds – a full two seconds quicker than before. It’s also incredibly smooth, although the SDV8 model is arguably a little smoother still. If neither of those are quick enough for you, there’s always a supercharged petrol V8 at the top of the range. The ride is a little firmer than the standard Range Rover but still incredibly comfortable, while refinement on the motorway feels like a match for some of the quietest cars in the class. The Range Rover Sport comes with a full suite of electronic and engineering solutions to help keep it feeling agile in the corners, and it all works well. An anti-roll system stops the body from leaning in to bends, while torque vectoring on some models helps to slingshot you round a corner. It’s still a heavy car, though, and grip runs out sooner than you might expect. Performance is aided by the eight-speed gearbox that is standard on all models. You can change gear yourself with the lever or with steering-wheel mounted paddles and no matter how you drive, the box does a good job of finding the right gear.
Reliability
The Sport hasn’t been tested for safety by Euro NCAP yet, but it should perform just as well as the standard Range Rover, which scored a full five stars and an impressive 91 per cent for adult occupant protection. Hi-tech safety options include adaptive cruise control and blind sport monitoring, while off roading extras include a surround view camera system and wade detection set-up, which warns the driver of deep water. Reliability has always been a slight issue with Land Rover models, with the manufacturer finishing 25th out of 30 in the 2013 Driver Power survey for customer satisfaction. Land Rover is promising that things are changing, though, and the Evoque and all-new Range Rover have both proved themselves to be pretty reliable so far. And with a range of tried and tested petrol and diesel engines under the bonnet, the Range Rover Sport is unlikely to let you down.
Practicality
The back seats aren’t as spacious as those in the Range Rover, but you can just about fit tall adults in them without their legs brushing the seats in front. Like the BMW X5, the Sport is available with an optional seven-seat layout. It’ll cost you £1,500 and adds a pair of occasional rear seats that fold out automatically from the boot floor. Even Land Rover describes the set-up as more of a 5+2 rather than a full seven-seater, so they’re probably best reserved for small children on short journeys. It also means you don’t get a spare wheel mounted underneath the boot floor. Boot space measures in at 784 litres, while folding down the rear seats liberates 1,761 litres of space. Seat up, that's more space than the Mercedes M-Class boot, however the Mercedes has more room when the seats are folded.
Running Costs
There’s no getting away from the fact that the Range Rover Sport is a big, powerful car with four-wheel drive, so it’s still quite costly to run - lease rates and company car tax bills won't be cheap. Yet thanks to significant weight-savings over its predecessor, the SDV6 model promises to return a respectable 37.7mpg and puts out 199g/km of CO2 – that’s a 15 per cent improvement over the old car. A Mercedes ML350 or Porsche Cayenne Diesel are cheaper to buy and company car tax bills are lower. A slightly less powerful and slightly more efficient TDV6 model is due to arrive early in 2014, while a diesel-electric hybrid with CO2 emissions of 169g/km will make its debut at the end of 2013. With a list price that starts from around £51,000, the Sport is almost £20,000 cheaper than the Range Rover and is predicted to hold on to its value almost as well as the bigger, more expensive model. The Sport is well-equipped, too, so its price shouldn't be pushed up too far by accessories, despite their being plenty of extras on the options list.
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