Price from £79,125 Understudy to the full-sized Range Rover will be big on comfort, refinement and efficiency
POP QUIZ: WHAT do the Range Rover Sport and the Koala Bear have in common? Answer: they both have misleading names.
Yes, Australia’s second most famous animal isn’t really a bear at all; it’s a marsupial. And similarly, the Range Rover Sport has never been particularly sporty to drive, with the exception of the high-performance SVR variants.
Now, this is unlikely to change with the new, third-generation model, but then that’s not such a bad thing. Our research shows that most buyers of cars of this type are far more interested in comfort, refinement and luxury.
The fact that the new Sport is closely related to the latest version of the full-fat Range Rover bodes well for its ability to deliver in all of those areas. Indeed, its interior design is lifted almost wholesale from that car, even if you do sit a little lower.
The Sport also follows in the footsteps of its bigger brother when it comes to engine options; it, too, will be offered in fully electric form from 2024. However, at launch buyers will instead get to choose from a broad selection of mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) engine options.
Particularly interesting is the most powerful PHEV variant (badged P510e) With a fully charged battery, it can officially travel for up
