Land Rover Range Rover Sport Pre Model 5.0 V8 Supercharged Autobiography Sport 5dr Car Review - February 2012

This Sport model comes with a 5 litre, V8 supercharged petrol engine. The engine gives 503 bhp and a torque figure of 461 lb-ft making this a car with some serious muscle. 0-62 mph is dealt with in 6.2 seconds and top speed is 140 mph which is brilliant for a heavy 4x4. All cars are fitted with a new, efficient eight-speed automatic gearbox which is operated via a Jaguar-style rotary dial.

This is a heavy car weighing in at two and a half tonnes but it doesn’t dampen the speed or the handling, driving like a well kitted out saloon car. All occupants, front and rear, sit lower down in the cabin compared to the normal off-roader and the centre of gravity is lower than that of the bigger Rangey.

This V8 model has Adaptive Dynamics which monitors the suspension and optimises its setup depending on the road surface. When you take a corner in this car, the suspension stiffens on the outside corners. This minimises body roll making for a composed and controlled ride. Steering is accurate but is a bit lifeless in comparison with the Porsche Cayenne.

Despite the huge 20-inch alloys and wide tyres, the suspension is good enough to minimise the effect of bumps and imperfections in the road. The Sport model covers miles with ease: on-road it’s a great grand tourer, off-road it tackles mud, sand and snow with ease.

The Range Rover Sport 5.0-litre V8 is built on the Land Rover Discovery chassis but sits lower down. Following revisions in 2009 and 2011 you now get LED daytime running lights in gloss black surrounds and the wheel design and front grille vary between models.

The cabin is very luxurious and the cockpit surrounds the driver in the same way a sports car would, making the car feel less like a 4x4 and more like a sports car to drive. Leather interior, in a choice of colours, mood lighting and redesigned seats make the car more comfortable, even for longer journeys. There is also a new information screen and dial cluster.

Equipment includes technology to stop mis-fuelling, air-suspension, leather seats, climate control, electrically-operated tailgate, xenon headlamps, 20-inch alloy wheels, lighting to aid entry and exit of the car at night, five-inch colour infotainment screen operating a hard disk drive music server, iPod connectivity, electric drivers’ and passengers' seat, rear parking sensors and camera, Dynamic Pack offering advanced suspension setups, TV, electric passenger seat, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beam lights, bespoke badging and interior trim and a heated leather steering wheel.

Drivers will be grateful to know the added sportiness hasn’t been added in sacrifice of practicality. The boot of the Range Rover can hold 958 litres with the boot up and a huge 2,013 litres when the seats are folded down: giving it lots more luggage space than the Freelander and only a few litres less than the Discovery.

The Range Rover Sport lacks the seven seat option of the Discovery and doesn't have a split tailgate like the larger Range Rover models.

The Sport model is a premium car and has a huge price tag £74,595. The model is also very expensive to run and maintain with a replacement tyre easily costing £200.

Fuel efficiency is a low 19 mpg and the car's high CO2 emissions of 348g/km push it into the highest tax bracket - M.