Range Rover Sport Dynamic SE 2024 Review

It’s not the very lowest rung on the ladder, but the 2024 Range Rover Sport Dynamic SE D300 is the third-cheapest model of the 10 available locally and the most affordable way to get into the ‘Dynamic SE’ trim level rather than the entry ‘SE’.

List price is $156,050 plus on-road costs, having taken a slight tick up for model year 2024, however a smattering of options on our test car – covered in a moment – brought the as-tested price to $170,456 plus ORCs.

The usual competitors apply, such as the BMW X5 30d (from $134,900) and the Mercedes-Benz GLE 450d (from $166,900), though the Land Rover Defender 110 D300 X (from $148,420) offers the same powertrain at similar money in a more rugged package.

We can deal with the extras on the 2024 Range Rover Sport Dynamic SE D300 in a moment, for whereas most manufacturers group certain features together in packs to reduce ordering and production complexity, Range Rover still allows the selection of individual options.

This will be music to the ears of those who like to individually specify their cars, selecting only what they want or need, but it does make it quite complex to explain so bear with me.

Happily, even in standard guise the latest Range Rover Sport is quite well equipped. Keyless entry/start, dual-zone climate control, electric tailgate, heated seats front and rear (the fronts 20-way power-adjustable with memory), pixel LED headlights, 21-inch wheels (with full-size spare!), air suspension and lotsa leather.

Or not leather in the case of our test car, as one of the extras was a full non-leather interior at around $3500 if you include the steering wheel, too. This doesn’t mean it’s made from cloth or stone or clay, it still feels like leather (and very nice leather at that) but is made from non-animal sources.

Strap in and we’ll go through some of the many options if you’re speccing your Range Rover Sport. One solid and eight metallic paint colours are no-cost options, two grey premium metallics $2220 and the SV satin grey $13,531.

As mentioned, 21-inch wheels are standard and 20s are no-cost options, whereas upgrading to 22s is at least $2080 and 23s $4160. Impressively, even with the largest rims you can spec a full-size spare ($770).

The other big-ticket item our test car had was the $4420 sliding panoramic sunroof, but the rear seat entertainment screens ($4150), SV bespoke full extended leather interior ($5781), Meridian Signature stereo ($6414), cabin pre-conditioning ($3470) and quad-zone climate control ($3370) will also quickly empty your wallet.

In an effort to tempt you into the next model grade, the Dynamic HSE D350 priced from $174,000 plus ORCs, the following gear becomes standard: 22-inch wheels, head-up display, soft-door close, Meridian 3D surround sound stereo, ventilated rear seats and park assist, in addition to a more powerful engine.

Land Rover’s standard warranty is five years/unlimited kilometres with roadside assistance for the same period. A five-year fixed-price servicing plan is also available for $3200 while intervals are 12 months or a whopping 26,000km – handy if you do a lot of driving.

ANCAP applied a five-star safety rating to all Range Rover Sport variants in 2022 with impressive scores of 85 per cent for adult occupant protection, 86 per cent for child occupant protection and 84 per cent for safety assist, with a slightly lesser 69 per cent for vulnerable road user protection.

Plenty of airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind spot assist, adaptive cruise control with steering assist, traffic sign recognition, lane keep assist, rear cross traffic alert and a 3D surround camera all work to keep you out of harm’s way.

Jaguar Land Rover has been through a number of infotainment systems in recent years but seems to have predominantly nailed it with the latest Pivi Pro system. Large screen, nice and responsive, quite easy to navigate and incorporates wireless smartphone mirroring – it’s all there on the 2024 Range Rover Sport Dynamic SE D300.

It’s worth noting, however, that for MY24 all the physical controls have been removed from the centre console (volume, seat heating/cooling, air-conditioning/recirculation) which is, well, annoying.

Land Rover claims that 80 per cent of functions can be accessed within two taps of the home screen, but that’s still two taps instead of one. It’s doubly confusing because the buttons have been replaced with blank space.

There’s also a large digital instrument display with multiple screens available and plenty of information at your fingertips, but it would be nice if the head-up display was standard at this price point as it’s a handy feature that minimises distraction.

CarPlay also wouldn’t show up in the instrument display of our test car; the system would be working, but it would be a black screen, which was unfortunate.

If you’re talking diesel-powered 2024 Range Rover Sport models then all score a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbocharged unit – though whereas the entry-level D250 SE makes do with 183kW/600Nm, the Dynamic SE D300 tested here lifts this to 221kW/650Nm.

All Range Rover Sport models are fitted with an eight-speed automatic gearbox and all-wheel drive.

It’s also worth noting that the Dynamic SE is also available as a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-petrol P400 or plug-in hybrid PHEV460 (same engine with hybrid gubbins) for roughly a $5000 and $20,000 premium respectively.

Even the diesel is no slouch, however, with a quoted 0-100km/h time of just 6.6sec.

The other benefit of diesel power is economy, with the 2024 Range Rover Sport Dynamic SE D300’s official claimed combined figure an impressive 7.2L/100km. Impressive for something that weighs 2315kg.

In our hands the average was around 9L/100km. As ever, this will fluctuate depending on the driving you do and your driving style, however, being diesel the upper limit is quite a bit lower than it would be with an equivalent petrol engine.

For the most part it’s very serene. The most impressive feature is the ride quality. Even on 23-inch wheels, the 2024 Range Rover Sport Dynamic SE D300 cushions occupants with uncanny compliance and feels every bit the luxury car.

The 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel is a willing partner, offering impressive and unstressed acceleration thanks to its mountain of mid-range torque.

Dynamically it’s better than it ever needs to be, with balance and composure until you start driving it in a fashion that no owner ever will. You can only battle 2315kg for so long, but even at a brisk pace the steering remains accurate and the body under control.

It’s a great way to cover distance and yet not so large as to feel unwieldy in the suburbs.

The one bugbear, presumably limited to this car, was ever-present wind noise from around the driver’s A-pillar, which did spoil the relaxed ambience somewhat.

It’s unclear how many buyers of the 2024 Range Rover Sport Dynamic SE D300 will ever venture beyond the gravel access road of their favourite winery, but stick one of these on 20-inch rims with suitably aggressive tyres and it’ll be as capable as virtually anything you can buy.

Terrain Response 2 can set the car up for various terrain, though it relies on clever traction control rather than locking differentials, air suspension for added clearance and 900mm of wading depth, though you need to spend extra for a low-range transfer case ($690), adaptive off-road cruise control ($460) and configurable drive programs ($754).

As well as a maximum 3500kg braked towing capacity, the 2024 Range Rover Sport Dynamic SE D300’s 6720kg GCM means even at full load it has 905kg available for payload.

Long story short, you can pack this thing to the brim for the family holiday with few dramas.

There is very little to fault inside the 2024 Range Rover Sport Dynamic SE D300. It may sit towards the bottom end of the range and lack some of the trinkets of the Autobiography, but the fundamentals are sound with lovely materials, plenty of space and a great driving position with lots of adjustment.

This sense of comfort carries over to the rear where the reclinable bench is very comfortable – the non-leather really feels very nice – with loads of space, though the catch on the lid of the fold-down centre arm rest was broken. Sun shades are also an optional extra.

The boot is also definitely on the larger side and the air suspension can raise or lower to help access. Land Rover really has thought about how to make this a useable and practical family SUV.

If I had to sum it up in one sentence I’d say the 2024 Range Rover Sport Dynamic SE D300 is a practical, desirable and very well-designed luxury SUV.

However, I have more than one sentence to play with.

Kudos to Land Rover for offering a car this polished and well-equipped right from (virtually) the bottom of the range. Yes, it’s still a huge amount of money and some optional gear should probably be standard, but there’s nothing you really couldn’t do without.

That said, the added niceties and more powerful engine of the Dynamic HSE D350 are very tempting.

Perhaps of more importance, though, are the little quality niggles in our test car. No doubt all would be quickly and easily rectified, but the fact they’re there on a near-$200,000 vehicle (especially one on a press fleet) is unfortunate, particularly given JLR’s reputation.

It undermines what is otherwise a very lovely car.

2024 Range Rover Sport Dynamic SE D300 at a glance:
Price: $156,050 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo diesel
Output: 221kW/650Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel-CO2: 7.2L/100km (ADR Combined)
C02: 190g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)

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