Should you a Range Rover Sport?

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 is it?

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This is the smaller and sportier brother of the full-sized, maximum-luxury, Parkers award-winning Range Rover. Both cars share engines, tech and interior fittings, which means the Sport could well be the best Range Rover of them all, as it’s cheaper, more agile and packed with cutting-edge SUV technology.

The latest, third-generation Range Rover Sport was launched in 2022. We’ve driven it many times since then in the UK and Europe – one of our testers took one on a road trip to the south of France. Check out how we test cars at Parkers to reach the conclusions given in this review.

The latest Range Rover Sport takes a massive step up from its predecessor, making it a serious contender for cars like the BMW X5 and BMW X6. There’s also the far sportier Porsche Cayenne to consider, and the Audi Q8 which is a more rakish alternative. However, the Sport approaches things differently to its German rivals, refusing to sacrifice luxury in its effort to provide greater dynamism.

The result is a car that may not be overtly sporty as its name suggests but is still very satisfying to drive. In fact, it’s up there with the very best luxury SUVs. There’s a plethora of engines available, including mild hybrid petrol and diesel straight sixes, a petrol V8, the 635hp SV, and a pair of plug-in hybrids.

The main difference between the Sport and the big Rangey is its simpler, less ostentatious interior, and the lack of a seven-seater option. That makes the Sport a tempting option if you don’t have a large family to cart about, especially as it costs about 20% less than big brother.

Different trim levels are available depending on what engine you opt for – they’re called SE, Dynamic SE and Autobiography. Even the entry-point SE comes well equipped with leather upholstery, 20-way heated seats, a Meridian sound system, Matrix LED headlights and 21-inch wheels. 

Standard features and trim become increasingly lavish the further up the range you go. And the specification can be bolstered in just about any way you fancy. There are numerous options for interior upholstery and trim, an array of eye-catching exterior colours and the options list includes everything down to Land Rover-branded pet bowls to keep your canine companion happy in the boot.

Over the next few pages we’re going to score the Range Rover Sport in 10 key areas to give it an overall rating out of five. Those scores include the driving experience, how pleasant the interior is, the practicality on offer and what it’ll cost you to run. We’re also running one over an extended period for the full testing experience, and if you want to know how we conducted our testing, head on over to our how we test cars page to find out everything you need to know.