Sector: Premium SUV Price: €59,600-€99,200 Fuel: 7.3-12.8l/100km CO2: 194-298g/km

The question has been posed quite often since the advent of the Range Rover Sport, that why would you ever need to buy the full fat Range Rover?

And with the new Sport, which is plusher, more spacious and more efficient than the last one, you might well ask that question with even more vehemence.

Perhaps only when you have the sums necessary to buy such machines – more than €60,000 for the Sport and €90,000 for the big car – might you be able to make that judgement. Taken in the context of its competition from other brands such as Porsche, Audi and BMW though, and the Range Rover Sport looks a compelling proposition for its ability to brook no compromise, whether it be flashing along a motorway, dancing down a country lane, or up to its door mirrors in pond.

The car, which looks like a beefed-up Evoque, will come with a choice of three engines: TDV6 with 258hp (early next year), SDV6 with 292hp and the 510hp supercharged 5.0-litre V8 petrol seen in performance Jaguars. This petrol engine is staggering in the performance it can muster, but it’s no corporate choice.

The immensely refined and practical diesel is the obvious option, especially now it is mated to the same brilliant ZF eight speed auto gearbox that sees service in so many supercars. Add in that thanks to aluminium architecture and lightweight technology there’s up to a 420kg weight saving over the outgoing model, and the result is a huge improvement (relatively speaking of course) in efficiency of as much as 24%, with CO2 emissions dropping to under 200g/km. There will be a diesel hybrid version next year too, bringing that figure down significantly further still.

But Range Rovers have never been about efficiency, and this Sport’s real selling point is the way it can deliver a brilliant drive in fantastically sumptuous surroundings. While the last model felt more like a posh Discovery, this feels more like a slightly scaled down Range Rover. The cabin is much better trimmed and more spacious: while retaining dimensions that contribute to its sporting character – overall length has grown by only 62mm but it is still nearly 15cm shorter than a Range Rover – its longer wheelbase has allowed for the option of an additional third-row of occasional rear seats.

It also drives superbly. Put it in a mode that stiffens the springs and it is genuinely nimble, while in more relaxed travel it just wafts along, making it a superbly adaptable machine. And that adaptability of course extends to off-road.

The initial line-up will comprise five equipment grades – SE, HSE, HSE Dynamic and Autobiography Dynamic with standard specification giving leather upholstery, automatic headlights and wipers, DAB digital audio, a power tailgate, intelligent stop-start, two-zone climate control, heated front seats, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, HD navigation, four-corner air suspension with automatic levelling, Terrain Response and voice control.

Prices start from €59,600, which is significantly more than the outgoing car, but Land Rover’s reasoning is that nobody bought a base one anyway: they were always specced up. So instead the entry point is now where the real transaction price has always been.

Verdict:

The Sport has been a tremendous success for Land Rover, and with the new model being lighter, quicker, refined, more efficient and engaging to drive, the Sport has it all.