BASED on the gob smackingly good Range Stormer concept, the original Range Rover Sport never quite matched the vision presented of a svelte and sporty SUV.
Looks-wise, for me at least, it ended up being more like a slightly squashed Range Rover than the kind of car that was going to seriously rival the Porsche Cayenne.
That said, it was a capable enough performer - being a consummate off-roader and the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 certainly ensured the sort of performance that made for a thrilling drive.
Crucially for Land Rover, it also sold by the bucket-load.
Since then another new member has been added to the Range Rover family, as Land Rover seeks to divide its range into three distinct product lines - Range Rover, Discovery and Defender.
That was of course the Evoque, a vehicle which has helped revitalise and redefine the Land Rover brand.
It has been a huge seller and almost single-handedly has propelled the firm into the next stage of a massive expansion drive.
The second generation Range Rover Sport, launched earlier this year, certainly had a tough act to follow in the wake of the Evoque, but also replacing the undoubtedly popular Sport was a tricky business.
It needed to offer something new, yet at the same time not alienate the kind of buyers who loved the original.
Land Rover seem to have managed to pull it off. The new model certainly looks great - far more sporty and sleek than its predecessor, with a few design flourishes that actually echo the Evoque.
This latest Sport is certainly slimmer and more purposeful, everything a sports-oriented SUV should be.
The attention to detail is impressive and every inch and corner seem to have been created with the intention of delivering a vehicle that is good to look at first and foremost.
That said it's also bigger in pretty much every way compared to its predecessor. Most notably it is longer - by 178mm in total.
The other big change is a weight-saving regime that would see it win any slimmer of the year award going.
While the original Sport was actually based on the then Discovery platform, this version shares its underpinnings with the latest Range Rover.
It means a steel hybrid monocoque has been dispensed with in favour of an aluminium platform.
The weight-saving benefits are immense - somewhere in the region of 300kg compared to the last generation model.
While not quite sitting in the Range Rover proper country club on wheels category, the interior is suitably swish and opulent, featuring well-laid out and high-quality switchgear and instrumentation that is also characterised by a high user-friendly factor.
It's classy, comfortable and beautifully finished, though there were a couple of things I wasn't too keen on.
I'm still struggling to get used to Land Rover's new style electric windows, with the switches located immediately below the window rather than lower down on the door's armrest.
It also feels a little cluttered in the front seats, as a result of trying to create Range Rover style comfort levels.
The armrests to the left of the driver and right of the passenger make for a more claustrophobic feel than in the Range Rover and need to be lifted just to get the seatbelt in.
Mechanically the Sport is a great reflection of Land Rover's evolution, one that continues to combine on-road dynamics and refinement with off-road capability.
The suspension set-up features aluminium double wishbones and multi-links, along with height-adjustable air springs and continuously variable dampers.
On the engine front there's a choice a 3.0-litre six-cylinder diesel or a 4.4-litre V8. For those who want to maximise sporting capabilities to the full there's the smooth and sweet 5.0-litre supercharged petrol V8.
Engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox and there's also a stop/start system to maximise economy.
On paper it promises a combined economy figure of 37.7mpg, though over the course of a week I was managing mid to high twenties most of the time.
On the road the latest Sport feels noticeably good, with the 3.0-litre diesel definitely being the best all-rounder. A sublime ride is combined with dynamics that belie its size, height and bulk. Roll is kept to an absolute minimum and for a big beast it really does offer an engaging drive, something maximised with the Terrain Response system in Dynamic mode.
It serves as a versatile and comfortable family motor too, with space-a-plenty throughout the cabin, a large boot (784 litres or 1,761 litres with the rear seats folded down).
It might not be cheap, with prices ranging from £61,250 for a HSE diesel V6 to £93,450 for the blisteringly quick SVR supercharged petrol model, though overall it still undercuts the Range Rover by some considerable distance.