you’d never guess it weighs over 2.5 tons, so ably does it pile on speed

The aim, as Land Rover’s engineers tell it, was to gently lift the Range Rover Sport’s game. And lifted it has indeed been in many areas. On the looks front, though the appearance changes for all 2010 Land Rovers are pretty slight, the Range Rover Sport is perhaps the easiest to tell apart from its predecessor. There's a two-bar grille, LED headlights and new front fenders. The wheel arches have been redesigned to improve aerodynamics and highlight the 20-inch wheels.

If the exterior is an evolution, the interior design is a revolution. As owners will spend a lot more time inside the Range Rover Sport than admiring the outside, so it makes sense that the majority of the design upgrades are in the cabin, particularly as the old car’s interior was such a letdown. We’re happy to report that the Range Rover Sport now looks as upscale as its price suggests, with a bunch of classy interior touch-ups. Also, the entire infotainment system is a lot more intuitive and half of its buttons have been eliminated. The seats are more comfortable, too.
This is a subtly and thoughtfully enhanced SUV-albeit one that is significantly faster in this guise. The 0-100kph time has had a massive 1.3sec lopped from it, yet at the same time it's quieter and smoother.

You’d never guess it weighs over 2.5 tons when you gun it in a straight line, so ably does it pile on speed - there’s a seismic rumble from the V8 and you get the feeling that it will keep on pulling endlessly. This is a civilised luxury SUV with a hint of bare-knuckle boxer.

The engine is shared with the Jaguar XFR, as are, more surprisingly, the Bilstein continually variable active dampers. These automatically adjust to suit your driving, and for the most part they handle the country roads just fine. Being air-sprung, there’s an underlying firmness to the Rangey’s ride, but wheel control and body composure are good enough to give you the confidence to build purposeful cross-country pace. However, the revised RRS is no Cayenne in the twisties. Cornering lean may be minimised by the active dampers, but there’s zero feel through the light helm and the technology soon fails to disguise the car’s bulk. Having been lulled into a false sense of security by the snappier gearbox, opulent new cabin and outrageously gutsy V8, you’re soon reminded that this sports SUV isn’t actually that sporty. But Land Rover makes no claims to that effect, billing it a ‘sports tourer’. Treat it as such and the Range Rover Sport makes a lot of sense.