Range Rover Sport SUV (2013-2022) - Interior & comfort

The interior of the Range Rover Sport is one of its defining attributes. It’s exceptionally well built and the use of high-quality materials lend it a luxurious air akin to the larger Range Rover. Its overall design has admittedly been overtaken by the Volvo XC90, which has a far more modern feel, but its desirability hasn’t waned.

Occupants sit high up with a commanding view of the road. The seats are comfortable, but more impressive is how quiet the Sport is inside, with very little noise from either the engine, tyres or wind. The ride is comfortable, too, especially at higher speeds, but can’t quite match the cosseting feel of the Range Rover.

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Range Rover Sport dashboard

The Sport’s dashboard is superb – it's well put together, covered in leather and there are half as many buttons as the first-generation Range Rover Sport. It’s far more user-friendly as a result, as well as looking tidier.

The centrepiece is a two-tier infotainment system inspired by the one in the smaller Velar. It uses a 10-inch touchscreen for media, communications and navigation duties, with a second screen mounted below to control comfort and convenience features, as well as other vehicle settings. The system also incorporates an on-board wi-fi hotspot and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity but feels dated compared with Land Rover's latest Pivi Pro setup that made its debut in the Land Rover Defender.

Equipment

The Range Rover Sport is a luxury car and no model is anything less than well equipped. Even the entry-level HSE model has bright xenon headlamps, automatic lights and wipers, cruise control, 20-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, heated front and rear seats, parking sensors and cameras, sat nav, Bluetooth phone connectivity and a DAB digital radio. There's also a heap of driving aids, designed to help with both on and off-road travel.

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The standard HSE trim is now only available with the D250 engine, with standard equipment including 20-inch alloy wheels, ambient interior lighting, Matrix LED headlights and a rear view camera. Above this, the HSE Silver spec adds larger 21-inch alloys, tinted windows, black veneer interior trim, a heated steering wheel and a fixed panoramic glass roof. Choosing the HSE Dynamic or HSE Black trim levels bolsters the spec list further still to include 21-and 22-inch alloy wheels and a series of enhanced driving aids.

Step up to Autobiography Dynamic and you upgrade to front seats that are cooled as well as heated and have additional adjustment, a three-zone climate control system, adaptive cruise control and an upgraded Meridian stereo system. There’s also the choice of a fixed roof with a contrasting exterior colour or a panoramic glass roof with an electric blind.

The top-end, high-performance SVR is identified by a carbon-fibre bonnet with aggressive air intakes, as well as bumpers that channel cooling air to the brakes. A set of 21 or 22-inch alloy wheels can be chosen and there are sports seats in both the front and the rear. A notable addition to this most extreme model in the range is a button that can enhance the noise coming from the exhausts – similar to the one found on the Jaguar F-Type sports car.

Options

If the standard equipment isn’t enough, the Range Rover Sport also has a long options list. You can add massaging rear seats, a heated steering wheel, four-zone climate control, soft-closing doors, remote unlocking or heated and cooled front and rear seats.

There’s also a heap of electronic driving aids available to improve the Range Rover’s performance on and off the road, along with additional parking aids, a surround-view camera and the Stealth styling pack, which adds 21 or 22-inch wheels and a bodykit. The SVR can be dressed with a carbon-fibre exterior pack, which includes a grille, side vents, mirror covers, tailgate and front bumper trimmed in the expensive, lightweight material.