Should you buy one?

The Range Rover Sport is an amazingly capable car – it can go off-road, handles on the road with aplomb yet remains incredibly comfortable and cossetting. It’s hugely desirable, but then the cost is huge, too – both to buy and run. Still, it’s arguably a better all-round deal than the range-topping Range Rover, as it offers nearly all of the luxury and comfort for usefully less money.

It really isn’t lacking in any area – even on the luxury front, which previous generations have given over to their full-sized siblings to deal with. The latest version is just as spacious in the back as the big Range Rover, so there’s fewer reasons to opt for it – unless you absolutely need seven seats and a longer options list.

A Porsche Cayenne is a more ‘sporty’ SUV, and a BMW X5 offers almost as much luxury for less money. But if you want the best of the best and aren’t worried about paying for it, the Range Rover Sport sashays to the head of the luxury SUV pack.

What we like

The ride and handling balance is exceptional. It’s a real feat of engineering that Land Rover has managed to imbue the Sport with almost as much comfort as its larger sibling with sacrificing agile handling. The 440e and 510e plug-in hybrids brilliantly manage their battery power, and have a long electric-only range, making them a convincing option for a lot of buyers.

What we don’t like

The price – this is an expensive car to buy and just as expensive to maintain. It’d also be nice if the halo V8 car was a bit more engaging, but the SV looks set to put that right. We still also have concerns about long-term reliability, but that’s something we could also say about the Audi Q8, and BMW X5 and X6.