It soon became the office workhorse, carrying everything from families to old kitchen units

It may have freed up a huge space in the car park at Evo Towers, but BF58 EUR’s departure has also left a large Range Rover-shaped void in the lives of many of the evo staff. Art director Paul Lang will no longer be able to call on the rear screens and DVD player to keep his kids amused during long journeys, while both Ollie and Henry will have to find alternatives for carrying their two-wheeled steeds around the country. Me? I’ll miss its ability to ferry both me and my camera gear effortlessly along the motorways and B-roads of the UK and Europe.

Almost from the day it arrived the Range Rover was worked hard. In its first month it had to chase all of the road-test team across Wales and then down to the south of France for car of the year. After that it became the office workhorse, frequently loaded up with anything and everything from families to old kitchen units.

Whatever was being carried or towed, the Sport’s 3.6-litre turbodiesel V8 gave it a good turn of speed, while fuel consumption averaged a reasonable 25mpg. This seemed even more impressive after we put the Rangey on our scales and discovered that it weighed a hefty 2.7 tons. That tall, flat-fronted body surely isn’t the last-word in aerodynamic efficiency, either…

Its height did make it a fabulous cross-country machine, though, with the lofty driving position allowing you to see over all but the highest hedges and verges. The bulk was also well disguised, as the air suspension did a good job of allowing the Sport to be hustled around corners without too much drama.

Less impressive was the sat-nav. It was easy enough to use and programming it was a doddle, but no matter which routing option I chose it always took me off main roads and through cities or villages. Then there was the adaptive cruise control. I soon tired of its oversensitivity to lorries in the inside lane and the on/off feeling as it braked quite suddenly for other traffic. Maybe it just didn’t like the congested routes that I used. But these two niggles aside it was always a joy to step up into the cosseting cabin and enjoy the way the Range Rover ate the miles no matter how far the journey.

Less enjoyable were the inevitable costs of servicing and consumables that came along with this mile-eating ability. This included a new set of Continental SportContact tyres at 29,000 miles, plus two services. The first service at 15,000 miles cost a reasonable £327.76, but a flashing oil warning light soon after started a series of events that lead to the car going back to Marshall in Peterborough rather sooner than expected. A faulty oil filter was the cause, so the Rangey was soon back on the road again. The second service at 30,000 miles went much more smoothly, but replacing the front brake pads at the same time meant that the bill came to £776. However, apart from replacing a wiper blade that got ripped off by some debris on a motorway, these were the only costs during the 39,000 miles that we covered.

As a final hurrah, a couple of weeks before it went back to Land Rover the Rangey was called upon to act out another role, that of wedding carriage for one of my best friends. Adorned with ribbons it looked the part as it ferried groom and best man to the church. The transformation had another advantage too, because instead of the usual frosty reactions, the Sport got cheery waves and was even let out of junctions. So my top tip for any Range Rover driver is to get a set of ribbons and smile. It’s amazing what a difference it can make.