Range Rover Sport D350 – Review
By Liam Bird, March 2026
I’ve been trying to work out quite where the Range Rover Sport fits in, by which I mean within the current Land Rover line-up, as well as in life in general I suppose. If the Defender is the working tool: the boots and overalls one; the full-size Range Rover the go-anywhere limo: the chosen land yacht of the landed-gentry; and the Discovery is the do-anything, seat everyone, tow anything, carry the Labrador, upper-middle-class family-wagon, where exactly does that leave the Range Rover Sport?
I once likened the original Range Rover Sport to being like a fat bloke in a tracksuit. Harsh perhaps, even by my standards. Nevertheless, there is a certain irony to how the older Sports seem to have attracted a very similar and sartorially clad clientele. Like second-hand Jaguars once used to, well-used Range Rover Sports definitely have more than a whiff of back-street pub landlord/scrap dealer done well/sorry, we only take cash about them; something that a bargain buy full-size Range Rover or Discovery never quite managed to develop.
But then again, who wouldn’t want to conduct their business, legitimate or otherwise, from within a lofty leather-lined SUV that just happens to be able to hit 60mph from a standstill faster than your average panda car, cross an untended wasteland, or wade through up to three feet of water while you’re at it? Handy things, Range Rover Sports. Or so I’m told.
“Everything is just so effortless”
Last week it was me who was tooling around in the new Range Rover Sport, the latest twin-turbo, 3.0-litre diesel version to be exact. All £100,920 of it. And that’s before you add any options. I’m sorry if that makes me sound a little smug, but that’s partly how being behind the wheel (and it’s a heated wheel) of a Range Rover Sport makes you feel. Everything is just so effortless. Hop up into the now near button-less cabin, pull the door shut, and immediately you’re cocooned and away from the riff-raff.
With 350bhp on tap, and with what feels enough torque to pull a row of terraced houses down, the straight-six diesel — assisted by its mild-hybrid system — and the accompanying 8-speed automatic gearbox make light work of anything you care to point the Sport’s trademark clamshell bonnet at. There’s a faint woofle, a gentle rise in revs as a lower ratio is softly selected, but rarely a drop in pace. It never feels strained, regardless of incline, terrain, or whatever it is you decide to either carry or tow (which can be up to 3.5 tonnes in the diesel’s case).
Performance-wise, think brisk rather than out-and-out quick. Although, a 0-62mph time of 5.5 seconds is swift in anyone’s book, and especially so in a near two-and-a-half-tonne SUV. What’s even more mind-bending perhaps is that, if driven sensibly, this four-wheel-drive blunderbuss can regularly return 37 mpg. And, it’s got the turning circle of a mid-size hatchback. If, that is, you spec the handling pack.
“Bend the laws of physics”
It costs an extra £5,330 (I’ve paid less for whole cars!) but it adds four-wheel steering. Now, four-wheel drive is all well and good, but I almost guarantee you that on a day-to-day basis you’ll feel the benefits of four-wheel steering on something this size a lot more: the turning circle is now smaller than that of an Evoque. That clever rear axle also aids both stability and agility. You can hustle the Sport down your favourite road with a newfound confidence. Don’t get too carried away though, you can only bend the laws of physics in something this size so far.
The ride isn’t perfect either. Proper Range Rovers usually offer near flying-carpet-like smoothness, whereas the 23-inch rims fitted here don’t. And remember I mentioned the button-less dash? On rough tarmac, you’ll be left hopelessly poking at a touchscreen that doesn’t always respond to your demands. Range Rover heated seats get incredibly hot! It would be far more comfortable all-round if there was a simple button to activate or deactivate their elements, rather than the prod, hope, and risk potential infertility solution that’s currently on offer.
“Slightly edgier one”
All of the terrain response options and off-road modes are controlled via said touchscreen too. As a result of such things, I predict the majority of Sport owners — who no doubt will delight in telling you just how capable their car is every time the weather turns sour — will never actually bother to trouble them. Don’t tell anyone: the default auto mode does all of the complicated work for you.
The Range Rover Sport then, is the slightly edgier one, the slightly more aggressive one; the slightly more urban one. Like its customer base, it’s the one, you suspect, that favours box-fresh white trainers and expensive sportswear over a well-worn Barbour and a pair of Hunters, or a properly tailored Savile Row suit and a bespoke pair of brogues. The Range Rover Sport simply can’t quite shake off the fact that it’s perceived as being all a bit Premier League; all a bit nouveau riche.
Which is a bit of a shame. Because if you spend some time getting to know it properly, not only is the Range Rover Sport an extremely capable vehicle, it’s actually a very likeable one too.
Range Rover Sport Autobiography 3.0 litre Diesel MHEV
Engine: 2997cc straight-six 24V Twin-Turbo Diesel
Transmission: 8 speed auto, four wheel drive
Power: 350 bhp @ 4,000 rpm
Torque: 516 lb ft @ 1,500 – 3,000 rpm
0-62mph: 5.5 sec
Max Speed: 145mph
CO2: 200g/km
MPG: 37.0 (WLTP combined)
Price: From £100,920 (as driven: £122,070)
Liam Bird first stepped into automotive journalism in 2009, and since then has gone on to write motoring-related content for numerous titles. A former approved driving instructor – he also holds a motorcycle, and a HGV licence – Liam is a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers and, despite being born on the other side of the border, is treasurer of The Welsh Motoring Writers. He lives in the South Shropshire Marches with his partner Rebecca, her VW Up!, and his ever increasing collection of cars both large and small. When he’s not writing, more often than not, Liam can be found test-driving something worryingly expensive.
@bird_liam
