Range Rover Sport looks to redefine luxury

This prestige four-wheel-drive favoured by celebrities and sports stars will take on the finest European manufacturers have to offer.

2023 Range Rover Sport.

Wealthy drivers have turned away from sedans, toward high-riding prestige SUVs. The new Range Rover Sport is one of the best on sale.

Wealthy drivers have turned away from sedans, toward high-riding prestige SUVs. The new Range Rover Sport is one of the best on sale.

This is what success looks like

The Range Rover Sport is a smash hit for Britain’s luxury SUV brand. Smaller and more dynamic to drive than the full-sized Range Rover, the Sport is a luxury wagon designed to take on the likes of Porsche’s Cayenne and the BMW X5.

The Range Rover Sport ‘First Edition’ is a sharp-looking ride.

More than 1 million people around the world have parked one in their garage, including many celebrities and sports stars.

This third-generation model represents design evolution rather than revolution – you can spot it in the traffic by looking for pop-out door handles, slimmer LED lights, and cleaner exterior lines.

Success doesn’t come cheap

The new model starts from $139,610 plus on-roads, which is about $20,000 more than the outgoing model. Entry-level “D300” versions have a 183kW/600Nm diesel engine, while the range-topping SV model borrows a twin-turbo V8 from the BMW M5 to send 467kW/750Nm to the tyres for $360,800 plus options and on-road costs. A plug-in hybrid variant is on the way.

Slim lights and smooth bumpers feature on the new machine.

Our “D350” test car finished in Firenze Red splits the difference between the cheapest and dearest versions with a 258kW/700Nm 3.0-litre turbo diesel engine capable of reaching 100km/h in less than six seconds.

Launched in First Edition trim for $196,359 plus on-road costs (about $220,000 drive-away), this model adds around $26,000 in optional extras including $4150 rear infotainment screens and a $1670 fridge under the front armrest.

Our test car replaced traditional wood with modern carbon fibre.

It’s a modern kind of luxury

The new-look Range Rover serves up modern marble-look forged carbon fibre instead of old-school wood veneers.

But traditional luxury is laid on thick with sumptuous leather cloaking 22-way electrically adjustable front seats that are heated, cooled, and offer several different massage techniques to keep you fresh on long journeys.

Little touches include clever illuminated seat belt buckles that are easy to find in the dark, and a swish air purification feature that scrubs pathogens and odours from the atmosphere inside the cabin.

Rear entertainment screens promise to keep the kids happy.

A digital dash is augmented by a huge 13.1-inch central touchscreen with smartphone mirroring, sat nav and a broad variety of apps including a 360-degree camera that helps prevent you from damaging the car’s 23-inch alloys when parking.

The Range Rover Sport is smaller than the proper Range Rover, but spacious enough.

It passes the Range Rover test

Undoubtedly luxurious, the new Range Rover Sport promises to match or better the versatility of its predecessors. A smooth and powerful motor helps Britain’s wagon tow up to 3.5 tonnes of cargo – and do so without breaking a sweat.

Sophisticated all-wheel-drive traction linked to the brand’s “terrain response” drive modes should allow for progress in tricky conditions, helped by variable-height air suspension that promises 900 millimetres of maximum wading depth.

Variable height air suspension lends remarkable capability.

That’s more than the Ford Ranger Raptor, a working ute modified for maximum off-road performance.

We put the Range Rover’s off-road credentials to the same test most customers will apply during a week-long loan, which is to say that its wheels did not leave sealed roads at any point.

Just as your average Ferrari driver is unlikely to re-enact Michael Schumacher’s greatest hits on track, we suspect most Range Rover owners are unlikely to cross rivers in their $200,000 investment.

The new Range Rover Sport is comfortable on dirt and tar.

And is surprisingly agile on the road

Modern tech has done wonders for the dynamic ability of huge SUVs. Active air suspension, electromechanical anti-roll bars, high-performance tyres, torque-vectoring differentials and rear-wheel steering help make two-tonne behemoths turn with an agility that was simply not possible in years gone by.

The machine shapes up as a competent all-rounder.

Range Rover customers need to spend nearly $15,000 on a handling pack to get all of the above, but doing so returns a surprisingly engaging driving experience. It feels more like a sports sedan than a teetering four-wheel-drive, inspiring confidence with a dexterity that was recently impossible in cars this size.

Range Rover’s luxury is hard to beat.

Composed ride comfort joins impressively hushed wind and road noise suppression to leave you with an indelible impression that this is a particularly well-sorted machine.