Al Suttie takes the luxury SUV over hill, dale and through Glasgow’s Low Emission Zone to see if it’s still ahead of the game.

Range Rover Sport P550e Autobiography

List price (BiK): £113,995 (5%) CO2: 17g/km Economy: 377.9mpg Test efficiency: 32.2mpg

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Monday

Road testing can be a lot like comedy – it’s all in the timing. Sometimes, I end up with the most inappropriate car for the weather conditions, but this week it all came together perfectly. As the forecast predicted cold, wet and snowy conditions, the ideal car hoved into view in the shape of a Range Rover Sport. A welcome sight at any time, in my book, but especially so when peering out of my office window.

Tuesday

First challenge for the Sport this morning was defrosting itself for an early start. No problem here – a heated windscreen, door mirrors and washer jets with this Autobiography spec car saw to it in a jiffy. All this happened as I dialled up the heated seat and steering wheel, which takes a little working out as it’s all operated via the rotary temperature control dial. Still, simple once you’ve sussed it.

Wednesday

A trip into Glasgow this morning has me feeling just a wee bit smug. Some might frown on a large SUV for city use, but this P550e is a plug-in hybrid and I’ve saved the electricity for town driving. Once into centre of Glasgow, I switch to powering the car by electrons and glide silently and cleanly through the low emissions zone. Job done, it’s back on the motorway and I get most of 30-mile journey home on battery power, too.

Thursday

The route to a photo shoot this morning takes me on a mix of A-roads and back lanes, and the Sport is ideal for all of it. I had worried it might feel a bit wide on some of the smaller tracks, but it feels jus the right size. It also copes admirably with the tighter turns thanks to the rear-wheel steering that makes such a big car feel genuinely agile. On the way home, it’s also fun through some flowing corners to warrant the Sport name.

Friday

A happy side effect of the P550e’s hybrid set up is its colossal 550hp that takes care of 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds. That is rapid in anyone’s book, never mind when you’re sat in a luxury SUV. However, the Sport is happier when being driven a sumptuous SUV where rivals like a Porsche Cayenne or BMW X5 err towards the zippier end of the scale. The Range Rover approach suits me fine as this car is eerily refined even when making full use of its power.

Saturday

It sounds obvious, but there really is nothing to touch the feelgood factor of looking out at the world from the cabin of a Range Rover. The Sport’s interior is superbly made and looks cleanly modern yet also just functional enough that you don’t worry about driving in welly boots. A week into using this car and I’m wondering how life will be without it – it’s one of the very few cars to make me think this way.

Sunday

The Sport is a superb car in almost every way, though I have found one niggle. The rear view camera is too easily covered in road grime, which then obscures the view on the screen when you select reverse. An average economy of 32.2mpg on petrol is decent given the car’s power and weight, and this is easily offset by making more use of the battery than I had the opportunity for. Yes, the Sport is expensive in this trim but, blimey, it’s good.