Auto News 5

Our first chance to drive the new Range Rover Sport has come sooner than we might have expected. It had its world debut at the New York auto show less than a month ago, yet here we are in the UK at Land Rover's Gaydon test track, looking at a prototype with its driver's door open and engine running. While we'd reiterate our usual reservations about driving a prototype on a test track in circumstances controlled by its manufacturer, two things reassure us. First, if you were presented with this late "tool-test" prototype at your dealership in a few months time, you'd sign the check. Fit and finish was perfect. Second, the character of the Range Rover Sport is so different to that of the Range Rover that even a drive on the confines of a test track is immediately, abundantly informative.