The Range Rover Sport: Why It’s Still My Pick for Australia
When I was planning our Australia trip, I spent a good amount of time thinking about the car. We were going to be covering a lot of ground — Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, Fraser Island.
The Range Rover Sport: Why It’s Still My Pick for Australia
When I was planning our Australia trip, I spent a good amount of time thinking about the car. We were going to be covering a lot of ground — Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast, Byron Bay — and I wanted something that matched the trip we were trying to take. Not a rental counter sedan. Something elevated.
I ended up going with the Range Rover Sport. And looking back, I’d do it again without hesitation.
Why Australia and the Range Rover Sport Just Work
One of the things about Australia — and this is something Americans will appreciate — is that the country is built for bigger vehicles. The roads are wide. The parking spots are generous. Things are spread out. You don’t feel like you’re squeezing around in a car that’s too large for the environment. The Range Rover Sport feels perfectly proportioned for the Australian landscape.
There’s also the climate. In Queensland, where we were based, the weather is warm and sunny almost all the time. You’re driving along the coast, windows down, pulling over to check out beaches or headlands you’ve never heard of. That’s an experience that benefits enormously from being in a car that’s comfortable, quiet, and has presence. The Range Rover Sport nails all three.
The Gold Coast highway — wide roads built for big vehicles
The Driving Position
This is the thing I keep coming back to. The driving position in the Range Rover Sport is — to me — the best in the business. You’re high up. You can see everything. You feel like you’re commanding the road without any of that tipsy, top-heavy feeling some SUVs give you.
And the seats. I’m not exaggerating when I say I could sit in those seats for eight hours straight without a complaint. We did exactly that on more than one occasion in Australia. Brisbane to Byron Bay, back up to Noosa, down to the Gold Coast — long drives, every one of them, and I never once got out feeling stiff or tired. That’s the mark of a car that was genuinely engineered around the person sitting in it.
The driving position in the Range Rover Sport is — to me — the best in the business. You’re high up. You can see everything. You feel like you’re commanding the road.
The Design
The Range Rover Sport has this ability to look expensive without being obnoxious. That’s a hard thing to pull off. A Lamborghini Urus is expensive, but it’s also screaming at you. A Mercedes G-Wagon is great, but everyone’s seen it. A Rolls-Royce Cullinan is beautiful, but it’s announcing wealth from a block away.
The Range Rover Sport is more subtle. It says “nice car” without screaming it. People notice it, but it’s not trying to steal the show. That’s the energy I tend to go for — looks good, clearly premium, but not in your face about it.
We had a white exterior with black trim, and I’ll tell you — during golden hour in Byron Bay, that combination was something else. The white and black against that warm light, maybe some beach in the background. Those are the photos you keep.
The kind of coastline that makes the drive worth it
The Tech
Range Rover loaded this thing with features. The 360-degree backup camera was a nice touch — made parking effortless even in tighter spots. The air suspension let you raise and lower the car depending on what you were doing, and it had multiple driving modes to play with. When you got out, the car actually lowered itself so you could step out easily. It’s a small detail, but those are the things that make a car feel premium.
The interior tech was intuitive. Apple CarPlay connected without drama, the screen responded well, and the sound system was solid enough that I actually enjoyed listening to music through it. Not all rental cars can say that.
From outback roads to coastal curves — Australia delivers on every front
The Verdict: Still My Pick for Australia
If someone asked me today what car to rent for a driving trip in Australia, I wouldn’t hesitate: get the Range Rover Sport. It’s comfortable enough to handle long days on the road, good-looking enough to feel special, and capable enough that you’re not worried about rough patches or gravel detours.
I’ve driven a lot of cars since then — including the Porsche Taycan, which I own and love — but the Range Rover Sport holds a specific place in my memory. It was the first time I really understood what a great car could do for a trip. Not just get you there. But make the getting there feel like the whole point.
That’s not something every car can do. The Range Rover Sport can.
Written by
Tarik Bob
Founder, Seren Mont