This 2026 Range Rover Sport S is a rare sight among JLR’s press vehicles; it’s a base model with hardly any options, and it might be my favourite so far, because it still looks and feels like a million bucks, despite costing almost exactly one whole zero less.

Context

Car journalists are often criticized for being out-of-touch fools, who only ever drive insanely loaded trim levels of cars that no one actually buys. I have to concede that in the case of Range Rovers, that could not be more accurate. My first Range Rover presser was a big-body, long wheelbase SV, with every option ticked, including a dedicated champagne chiller. It was more of a utility-shaped limousine than a sport-utility that people might use, and carried a sticker of over three hundred grand. I loved it, but that sticker gnawed at the back of my mind.

Last year I drove my first Range Rover Sport, the slightly smaller, more sensible Rangie. Even that “sensible” Sport model was an exceptionally sporty SV Edition Two, with chopped carbon trim, massive carbon brakes, a supercar-slaying 600+ horsepower V8, and the trickiest active suspension I have ever experienced. It was also not really normal sport ute either, but a truck-shaped supercar, and carried a supercar sticker of two hundred and twenty grand. I again loved it, and again found myself wondering if these are still as lovable as I want them to be in a slightly more sensible spec.

A quick note about the Sport in Range Rover Sport

As is the case with the Ford Bronco and Ford Bronco Sport, the Range Rover Sport is a smaller Range Rover. However, very much unlike the Bronco and Bronco Sport, which almost literally could not be more different, the Rangie and Rangie Sport roll on the same platforms, with the same powertrains, look very similar outside, are almost identical inside, and drive with pretty much exactly same signature sense of poise (read: impeccable calibration) that Range Rovers are blessed with.

It's bit of an oversimplification to say, but in practice, the only really distinct difference between the two is their size, and I such I tend to consider them in the same breath, even if the big-body, suffix-less Range Rover has sort of ascended to ultra-luxury status. Champagne chillers are not options on normal luxury cars.

money - A reasonable Rangie

Enter this Range Rover Sport S. It is not a limousine, and it is not a sports car. It is a mid-sized luxury sport utility vehicle with a starting price of $94,950. This tester has just a few, fairly reasonable options, in the form of a wireless phone charger, a solar attenuating windshield, thicker carpets, accent lighting, adaptive LED headlights, adaptive off-road cruise control, a two-speed transfer case, plus pretty Varesine Blue metallic paint, satin grey 22-inch wheels, black painted calipers and black painted roof, bringing the total to a quite-sensible $102,640, before delivery/dealer fees and a mild luxe-tax ding.

upscale style

This dark blue Range Rover Sport is less than half the cost of the dark blue Range Rover Sport I had last fall. You would not know it to look at it. It still looks like a very nice vehicle. With the handsome (standard) satin trim, tasteful wheel upgrade with a matching finish, contrasting black roof, and fetching hue of blue, it looks nearly every bit as expensive, without being nearly as expensive. I like it a lot.

Cabin accommodation

The value-priced Rangie has the same Cloud White leather interior as the last one I had, too. Instead of racy and expensive carbon, it has brushed aluminum trim, which looks and feels very nice. A panoramic glass roof is standard, adding light and levity to the already lovely cabin, and it’ll only cost you $200 more if you add the mechanism needed to open it.

The same gorgeous, impeccably smooth, polished metal trim that I liked so much on top-tier Rangies makes an appearance here, too, as does the lovely leather dash, and gorgeous modern minimalist layout. Minimalism always looks upscale when done well.

The seats aren’t carbon-backed, ventilated, or massaging, but they are powered, heated, beautifully trimmed, and exceptionally comfortable. There’s plenty of room in the rear seats, and an abundance of cargo space behind them. Every touch point looks and feels fabulous, including the 13.1-inch floating center screen running JLR’s Pivi Pro.

I will concede that it takes a little learning, but it’s generally simple enough feels intuitive once you’ve taken a beat to understand it, plus it’s quite slick and very pretty, which is important; nothing feels cheaper than lame software, and a Rangie mustn't feel less than superb. The base Meridian audio system is terrific, too.

Driving impressions

My colleague Ben pointed this out when we were talking Range Rovers at some point; they have incredible poise, and he’s right, poise is the defining word. They are impeccably well calibrated vehicles, with driver inputs, pedal responses, steering feedback, frequency tuning, all being perfectly fine-tuned and creating a distinct and distinctly excellent feeling that I’m happy to report prevails even down to this relatively inexpensive base model. It's also delightfully easy to park with the standard surround-view cameras that can stitch together a 3D image for tight confines.

Every single Range Rover since the 90s has come standard with adaptive air suspension, and this one is no different. It rides as if it’s gliding on air, because it is. Even with the upsized wheels, nothing upsets this vehicle, and it’s thoroughly well hushed from wind and road noise, too. It’s easy to place confidently in a corner, and the body is well controlled enough to feel appropriately sporty when you are. There are very few vehicles at any price point that ride and handle better than a Range Rover.

Powertrain and performance

This Range Rover Sport S is powered by Land Rover’s "P360" powertrain. It consists of their own “Ingenium” engine, a 3.0-litre, turbocharged inline-six, producing 355 horsepower and 369 foot-pounds of torque. Even among other straight sixes which are already favoured for their broad torque, sweet harmonics, and exceptional smoothness, this is a remarkably slick powertrain. 

At idle, you can’t tell it’s running. Getting underway, it is one of the quietest engines around, and it builds power perfectly linearly, with its peak torque being available from just above idle to almost redline; put more simply, it feels effortless. The ZF-sourced 8-speed automatic that’s mated to it is similarly sublime, with shifts that are almost totally imperceptible. If you’re in a hurry, it’ll hustle well enough to make a point, and it sounds just meaty enough to reinforce that point, without ever seeming or sounding like it’s broken a sweat.

It can even tow ~7,700 pounds, so it can be a good working truck if needed. It’s quite efficient too; I observed an average fuel use of 11.8L/100km. 

Value & Wrap it up

This is where Land Rovers pressers I’ve driven have (quietly) struggled (in my head), because I’ve largely only driven incredibly high-spec vehicles that are, to no one’s surprise, very costly. There’s always been the tacit knowledge that a comparable BMW would probably be able to deliver more features and/or performance for the same (...or less) money, while still being a very nice vehicle that drives wonderfully and looks just as at home in front of a country club. At that point, the argument in favour of a Range Rover falls on intangible fine points - and let’s be honest, the power of the name - to cover the gap and justify the additional outlay.

That gap is pretty much gone with this. It’s more or less the same price as a BMW X5, a vehicle that we all thought was pretty much untouchable in the bang-for-the-buck among luxury vehicles. The X5 remains an excellent vehicle and has its own advantages, but given the choice for the same money, I wouldn’t hesitate. Even this "base" 2026 Range Rover Sport S delivers refinement, style, and satisfaction that are in another league.