Range Rover Sport
is a mix of high-end luxury and utilitarianism, much like the original Range Rover the Sport was aimed at emulating. This means rubber mats can often be found where you'd expect lush carpet and the centre console can be finished in more functional materials than the wood trim of some rivals.
Yeah, you probably want a facelifted car...
However, don't be fooled into thinking the Sport is anything other than a luxury SUV in its cabin. Leather is standard and many new buyers will have upped the specification with plenty of optional extras. Extras to look out for and covet include heated seats and steering wheel, upgraded stereos and a boot liner should you need to carry dogs or dirty gear.
All of this equipment comes with a caveat, though, and that is to check every last button, switch and dial works properly. The heated seats can fail due to broken connections and the central locking mechanism goes wrong, but only costs around £100 to fix at an independent specialist. Check all of the 12-volt sockets work and don't be surprised when the heating takes longer than expected to warm up on diesel models. There was an early recall for the front seat belt buckle not properly retaining the clip, but this was soon sorted and should not be an issue with any car you look at.
Much more likely to be a problem for many buyers will be the antiquated satellite navigation system used in the L320 Sport. Its display screen is basic and the sat-nav itself can be slow-witted, so many owners rely on an aftermarket sat-nav or use their mobile phone's system.
PHer's view:
"It looks like such a big car from the outside, but there are very few places to store anything. And it's impossible to reach the glovebox when you're driving."
Steve Montague