Should you buy one?

This is an amazingly capable car – it can go off-road, handles on the road with the best of them yet remains incredibly comfortable and cossetting. It’s hugely desirable, but also comes at a huge price – both to buy and to run. In many ways, it’s 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.

With that in mind, you’ll find it doesn’t really lack in any area – even on the luxury front, which previous generations have given over to their full-sized siblings to deal with. This model’s just as spacious in the back as the big Range Rover, and so there’s fewer reasons to opt for the full-sized model – 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-handling balance in this car is exceptional – it’s a real feat of engineering how Land Rover has managed to imbue the Sport with almost as much comfort as its larger sibling yet still more 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 wide number 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 X6 and X6.