Used: Range Rover Sport

But over the years it has also grown, both in size and in the perceived age of those who might own it. So Land Rover slipped a new model into the range below the full-size Range Rover and above the Land Rover Discovery 3.

This Range Rover Sport owes more of its parentage to the Discovery 3 than it does the Range Rover. But Land Rover Sport would not have had the same ring to it as Range Rover Sport so a Range Rover it had to be.

At the top of the Sport Range is a 4.2 litre supercharged V8, an engine you can also have in the Range Rover. But this is really just an image maker and a tool to sell the car in the United States although since we started our recession demand for it has actually risen here, too. In dear old Blighty it was mainly the 2.7 litre turbodiesel V6 that stole most sales until the newer 3.6 litre V8 diesel launched to wipe the floor with both the others. It’s so good there’s no need for the supercharged car at all.

I have to say that when I first set eyes on the Sport I was very disappointed. Land Rover had teased us all with a very racey two door concept at the New York Motor Show and everyone was eager for the company to build it. I’ve since seen it at the Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon, next door to Land Rover’s HQ, and it looks brilliant.

But the fact that the Sport turned out to be a more staid five door hasn’t diminished its success. A, B, and C list celebrities were apparently forming a queue at Land Rover’s front door to get the first cars, which promptly commanded premium prices. It’s very different today!

Under the skin of the Sport is the Discovery 3 platform which brings with it some excellent features. Not least among these is a control for selecting the programme you need for the 4x4 system, starting with on-road and ending in rocky terrain. In between you get snow and ice, mud and ruts, and desert and it’s all done with nothing more difficult than twisting a knob on the console.

Off-road, the Sport is superb, as you might expect. This knowledge will be enough for most owners, who will never show their car anything more severe than a grass verge. It’s just nice to know what it could do if it had to. Sadly I had one when all the snow was on the ground. I say sadly because after 100 miles in salt and slush the fancy suspension collapsed – I’m afraid Land Rover’s electronic systems are far from robust, so be warned.

There’s no left pedal, as every model is automatic, and driving is a dream if everything keeps working. Despite its bulk, and this car is noticeably smaller than a conventional Range Rover, it’s easy to drive. It also handles and rides very well, if a little more harshly than the standard model.

What impressed me most, though, was the fuel economy when I first tried the 2.7 litre V6. It may not sound a lot to you, but the 27 mpg I achieved was outstanding. So the fact the later V8 can match this while feeling as brisk as a petrol car explains why they are in such demand.

Running one of these is never going to be cheap and as they age the prospects for huge repair bills grows exponentially. I certainly would not want to take one on once the warranty was out unless it came with a cast iron guarantee from someone else. Service intervals are 15,000 miles but insurance is amazingly low at Group 13 for the 2.7 diesel, rising to only Group 17 for the supercharged.

Prices have fallen through the floor of late and even though a supercharged model on an 05 books at £24,600 you’d have a job to find someone to pay it. The V8 diesel HSE on an 08 plate, the most desirable of all these Sports, is only £38,700 with 11,000 miles under the wheels – it was more than £55,000 new less only a year ago at most!