Range Rover Sport review

The Range Rover Sport provides generous space for long-legged people up front. There’s plenty of elbow room too. Less impressive, though, is the car’s outright head room, which isn’t in the same league as you'll get in a larger Range Rover, or as generous as that of key rivals. It’s not scant enough to cause concern among all drivers, but if you are particularly tall, you might be more comfortable in a Volvo XC90.

There are two cupholders on the centre console that can be neatly covered by a sliding lid and are big enough for larger paper cups and 1.0-litre bottles. The glovebox and centre cubby are also a good size, although the door pockets are quite slim.

The Range Rover Sport isn’t the most commodious car in its class for rear passengers, but few will find it restrictive. There’s good head and knee room in the back, so a couple of six-footers are unlikely to feel cramped. A middle passenger might do, though, as the middle seat is relatively narrow. It’s fine for children or smaller adults on short hops, but if you want a car to seat five adults for any length of time, you should shop elsewhere.

Like those in the front, the rear door pockets are quite small but will each swallow a 1.0-litre bottle and the front seatbacks are fitted with small nets for more storage. 

The Range Rover Sport is a five-seat car as standard, but you can pay extra to add two seats in the boot, although they're nowhere near as usable as the ones you can have in the Land Rover Discovery and Mercedes-Benz GLS. They're awkward to get into and only suitable for children or small adults. The option isn't available in the P400e plug-in hybrid, D350 or SVR.

The second-row seats slide forwards and backwards, as well as reclining to several set positions. The two outer seats can be tilted forwards just enough to let passengers step past to reach the optional third row of seats but, annoyingly, don't revert back to their upright positions by default.

The third-row seats, if fitted, can be raised and lowered individually with buttons at the rear doors and just inside the boot opening. It takes a while for the electric motors to get the seats up or down. 

Depending on the trim level you choose, the front passenger seat gets either 16 or 18-way electric adjustment, both getting adjustable lumbar support as standard. The SVR is the only model with lightweight Supersport front seats, which offer more lateral support than the standard ones. Heated front and rear seats are standard, and a cooling function is available if you pay a little extra.

Here, too, the Range Rover Sport is good but not outstanding. Its standard hands-free electric tailgate is a neat touch, but lacks the useful split tailgate that some rivals offer. 

The boot itself is wide and fairly tall. Straight sides and a broad opening grant you easy access and make it simple to load bulky items. Some rivals have a boot that’s deeper from front to back, and there’s no underfloor space if you add a third row of seats. The latter is true of the P400e, too, because of its bulky battery packs. 

Whichever model you go for, though, dropping the rear seats reveals a huge load area that’ll take practically anything you throw at it. You can secure your load to the lashing points in all four corners of the boot, and you’ll find load space stowage rails with divider bars on the options list.