New Lexus RX vs Range Rover Sport: practicality
These plug-in hybrid SUVs both combine great luxury with the potential for low running costs. But which of them does it better?...
Space and practicality
Front space, rear space, seating flexibility, boot
It goes without saying that these are big cars, and neither will leave you wanting for space. Even if you’re the tallest basketball player on your team, you’ll have plenty of leg and head room up front, and their wide interiors ensure there’s no danger of the driver and front passenger banging elbows.
In the rear, though, differences start to appear. You see, while there’s more than enough leg room in the Range Rover Sport to prevent passengers from feeling short-changed, the Lexus RX offers even more. Even sitting behind someone six feet tall, lanky passengers have loads of space in which to stretch out.
If the RX were in a lower trim level, it would fare well when it came to head room, too. However, the Takumi’s standard-fit panoramic glass roof means that space above your passengers’ heads is disappointing at best. In fact, even those of average height will be close to ruining their hairdo on the rooflining, and they’ll be rubbing their head on the ceiling if they sit in the slightly raised middle seat. These aren’t issues that even your tallest friends will have in the Range Rover, despite it also having a standard panoramic roof.
When you need to use either for carting around luggage, both have rear seats that split in a versatile 40/20/40 configuration and can be folded electrically using handy buttons in the boot, to create a huge load area. You’ll only need to do that when you’re carrying particularly large items, though, because with the seatbacks in place, both the Range Rover and RX have large boots that can accommodate eight and nine carry-on suitcases respectively under their tonneau covers.
The RX maximises this space by giving you a small cubby underneath the floor for storing your charging cables, whereas the Range Rover requires you to stash them in the main load bay. However, the latter does have a flip-up partition that can be used to keep things separate, or as a backrest for a makeshift bench seat.
Boot space
Lexus RX
Boot capacity 461-1678 litres Suitcases 9
Range Rover Sport
Boot capacity 647*-1491 litres Suitcases 8
* Measured to the roofline rather than the parcel shelf
