A luxury SUV you can charge up at home and use to trundle about silently is not a new thing. Porsche's first plug-in Cayenne arrived back in 2015, a Range Rover Sport fed by cable as well as pump was only two years later.
Others are available from Audi, Mercedes, Volvo, BMW, Bentl... you get the picture. Hybrids are now the biggest sellers in the range. They're low tax and - if used properly - cheap on petrol.
These two also pitch a curveball: they're sporty. Porsche genuinely believes buyers want the Cayenne to handle like a sports car. Range Rover believes different; that the appearance of sportiness is what they actually want, so what matters is attitude. The Sport is the Range Rover that hints the shotguns in the back are sawn-off.
Or it did. The edges, as we shall see, have been somewhat chamfered. And not just the visible ones. This all-new version is based on the same underpinnings as the new Range Rover. Same chassis, same running gear for this P440e that teams a 3.0 straight-six with an electric motor that draws power from a 31.8kWh usable battery.
The claim is 70 miles of EV range. The Porsche's 14.3kWh battery promises just 25 miles.
Porsche is waiting for its next big technological leap. Mercedes has brilliantly integrated hybrids with great range, and so now does Range Rover. The Cayenne must wait its turn while Porsche is busy with the Taycan, plus the electric Macan and Cayman.
Make your own mind up, but for us the Sport isn't as successful a piece of design as the Range Rover. It's anonymous and the fake vents jar. Both have what LR calls 'reductive' design treatment. It's a good line and accurately describes the clean, modernist appearance. But it doesn't reflect what's going on underneath.
Reductive design, meet additive engineering. This Range Rover Sport weighs 2,860kg.
This story is from the February 2023 edition of Top Gear.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 2023 edition of Top Gear.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO SAAB
From greatest hits to lowest moments, everything you ever wanted to know... and a fair bit you didn’t
BEHIND CLOSED JOORS
A new book gets unfiltered access to BMW Design’s cutting room floor. These are the projects that could have been...
THE LAST OF US
The Audi R8 is no more. TG was there to witness the final build, and we couldn't help but get involved...
GRAND DESIGNS
CEO RJ Scaringe is ready to take Rivian from plucky EV startup to global powerhouse... we meet the man and the new models his master plan relies on
SOUND OF THE UNDER GROUND
Stig's secret subterranean lair is the perfect place to make a lot of noise. And that's exactly what we've done. Welcome to TopGear Tunnel Run
The big test: small electric SUVs
Things are looking bright with the arrival of the latest electric Volvo but the existing crop of electric crossovers has something to say too
FUTURE PROOF
The Chinese auto industry is moving at pace. And it means business
HOW TO WIN THE ICONIC DAKAR RALLY
Three years ago, Audi set itself the seemingly impossible challenge of winning the world’s toughest desert race. Here’s how the famous four rings made motorsport history
PURE KLASSE
Last year saw the saloon version of BMW’s Vision Neue Klasse, now here comes the SUV...
INFINITI EX VETTEL EDITION
The list of special edition road cars bearing the name of F1 world champions is short, but not short enough.