Living with a Range Rover Sport: the curious case of mysterious disappearing door handles

Updated: 23 August 2024

► We live with the Range Rover Sport
► Hidden door handles make access tricky
► Read month 1 here

The door handles on our Range Rover Sport sit flush to the door. In daylight, fine: they glide out if you press the key fob or a button on the handle itself. But the button is at the opposite end to where you’d put your thumb on a normal handle, plus you still need to pull the handle, adding an extra step to door opening.

In rural darkness it’s a struggle to see or feel them, so I tend to use the fob, which rather undoes the benefit of keyless entry. 

They should deploy and/or illuminate on approach.

Handles are hidden in the interior trim too. Easy when you know how, but two friends got stuck back there on a night out. Thankfully they knew each other well. But not ideal in a worst-case scenario…

Read month 1

Read month 2

Read month 3

Read month 4

CAR magazine's Range Rover Sport long-term test

Logbook: Range Rover Sport D300 SE

Price: £83,620 (£94,785 as tested)
Performance: 2997cc turbodiesel six-cylinder, 296bhp, 6.6sec 0-62mph, 135mph
Efficiency: 36.9mpg (official), 31.1mpg (tested), 200g/km CO2
Fuel cost: 23.0p per mile
Miles this month: 1296
Total miles: 20,872

By Piers Ward

CAR's deputy editor, word wrangler, historic racer

Comments