G-WagonvsRangeRoverSVR—at£170,000,whichisthebettercar?

On paper they're chalk and cheese. In the used market, however, they sit at almost identical money — and the buyers asking us about one will often also be considering the other. We spent a week with both to find out which one actually deserves the spend.

The G63 is the apex of the G-Class line. Twin-turbo V8, 577 bhp, 627 lb-ft of torque. Solid axles, ladder chassis, three locking differentials. It looks like it was designed in 1979 because most of it was. It weighs nearly 2.5 tonnes and does 0-60 in 4.4 seconds despite that, which tells you most of what you need to know.

The Range Rover Sport SVR is the on-road counterpart. Supercharged 5.0-litre V8, 567 bhp in the late cars, 575 in the Carbon Edition. Independent suspension front and rear, air springs, dynamic anti-roll. Sharper steering than any 2.4-tonne SUV has a right to have. Does 0-60 in 4.5 seconds and feels quicker.

Driving the G63 is an experience that doesn't translate to numbers. The seating position is high, almost commercial. Visibility is unmatched. Acceleration is brutal and the noise is louder inside the cabin than it has any right to be. Body roll in corners is significant — this is not a sports car. But on a motorway, on a school run, anywhere it doesn't matter, it's unmatched.

The SVR is the proper driver's car. Lower seating, sharper turn-in, better balanced when you push it. The chassis copes with sustained fast driving in a way the G63 simply cannot. On a B-road, the SVR is genuinely entertaining. The G63 is genuinely terrifying.

Inside, the G63 still wears its commercial heritage — heavy switchgear, upright dashboard, materials that feel agricultural in places. The latest cars (post-2018 W463A) are much better than they used to be, but next to the Range Rover the cabin feels rugged rather than refined. The Range Rover is the more luxurious place to spend three hours.

Running costs are similar. Both will return high-teens MPG if you're gentle, low-teens if you're not. Service intervals are 12,000 miles for both, costs around £700–£1,000 per service. Tyres are expensive on both. Insurance varies but expect £3,000–£5,000 a year for a forty-year-old driver with a clean licence. Depreciation has been steeper on the SVR — it's lost more value per year than the G63.

Which is the better car depends entirely on what you're going to do with it. If it lives in central London and does 8,000 miles a year between the school run, the gym, and a country house at weekends, the G63 is the answer. If it lives in the country, does longer journeys, and you'll occasionally use the way it drives, take the SVR. The G63 is the better object. The SVR is the better car. We'd take the SVR.