Used Land Rover Range Rover Sport 4x4 2005 - 2013 review

Don't be fooled by the 'Sport' name. Although there's no denying this is a sharper drive on-road than a standard Range Rover, it's still no match for a BMW X5 or Porsche Cayenne.

On the other hand, it's every bit as good as you'd expect of a Land Rover off-road, with a bewildering, but very effective, array of electronic aids to get the best out of it.

Although the car sits a little lower than the standard Range Rover, you still have a commanding, high driving position, and the centre console is angled towards the driver to give a more sporty feel.

The space inside is at least as good as an X5's, with room for four, and even five at a pinch. Although the shape of the rear doors does make getting in and out rather awkward, there are no complaints about the size of the boot.

Buying and running a Range Rover Sport is a costly business. It's expensive as a new car and, because of its relative youth, there aren't many used examples around. Most of them are still at Land Rover dealers, as well, so it's an expensive used buy.

To keep costs as low as possible, you have to go for a diesel version although, as we've said, it's hardly sporty. Not only are the diesels the cheapest to buy, they also have the best fuel economy and the lowest insurance groups. Also, it is the only engine available with the most basic S trim.

The Sport is at least cheaper to buy and run than a Porsche Cayenne. However, next to a BMW X5, the fuel economy of the Sport looks very poor, as do average repair costs and labour rates at Land Rover dealers.

The Range Rover Sport is so big and heavy that even the 295bhp 4.4 V8 petrol struggles, and needs working very hard, which is difficult because the standard automatic transmission often sits in too high a gear.

Instead, our favourite is the supercharged 4.2 V8, the most powerful engine in the range, but the only one to give you something approaching sporty performance - albeit with a hefty price to pay at the fuel pumps.

For better economy you could plump for the 2.7 TDV6 diesel, but performance is sluggish. The TDV8, found in the Range Rover, was a late addition to the Sport range, and is extremely rare on the used market.

Whichever trim you go for, you'll get plenty of equipment. The 'basic' S is anything but, and includes plenty of safety and luxury equipment. However, we'd be tempted to upgrade to SE or HSE, which add equipment such as metallic paint and sat-nav.