2023 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Arrives With Sleek Styling, Plug-In Hybrid, and Full EV by 2024.
Land Rover just announced the arrival of the third-generation Range Rover Sport. Like its big sibling, the Range Rover, the Sport’s design is more evolutionary than revolutionary, maintaining a familiar silhouette with significant changes hiding in smaller details. Upfront, the new Sport is characterized by the slimmest LEDs ever fitted to a Range Rover, complemented by a narrower grille. Overall, this styling choice makes the front of this SUV appear more chiseled and tall. While there are plenty of intakes in the front, subtle dark styling elements help blend them into the rest of the front’s design.
You’d be forgiven along the sides for thinking that it looks identical to the outgoing model because it does at first glance. However, it continues that theme of sleekness with flush door handles, a high shoulder line, and subtle curves along the doors. It may not be a brand new take on the Sport, but it’s still a good one.
The rear is where you’ll notice the most changes. In keeping with the theme of slim LEDs up front, the rear taillights have shrunk. However, they’re connected by a single trim piece and the Land Rover script. The rear hatch has been simplified with a style Land Rover calls “reductive design.” Overall, this SUV trades outlandish bulging muscles for a sleek design that looks elegant.
The New Range Rover Sport Debuts By Climbing A 1000-Foot Spillway
In terms of power, the 2023 Range Rover Sport offers a choice of three engines. The first is a mild hybrid 3.0-liter inline-six developing 355 horsepower and 396 foot-pounds of torque found in the base P360 SE trim level. Step up to the P400 SE Dynamic trim, and that same engine gets a power bump to 395 hp and 406 lb-ft. The P440e Autobiography trim features a plug-in hybrid version of the same inline-six. However, it now features a 105 kW electric motor and 31.8 kWh battery bumping its total output to 434 hp and 619 lb-ft while delivering an estimated electric range of 48 miles. Lastly, we’ve got the P530 First Edition and its 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 producing 523 hp and 553 lb-ft. All engines come standard with a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. A fully electric variant is expected to arrive sometime in 2024, but its range and power figures have yet to be published.
The 2023 Range Rover Sport received significant updates to its chassis on the performance side. It now rides on a mixed-metal architecture (MLA-flex) that Land Rover claims results in 35 percent higher torsional stiffness when compared to the outgoing model. Land Rover fitted the Sport with a new air suspension system that features switchable-volume air springs to capitalize on these chassis improvements. Thanks to multiple chambers within the air springs, this suspension setup can vary the pressure to improve ride quality. In layman’s terms, this setup, along with Dynamic Response Pro, allows the Sport to control body roll via a 48-volt electric active roll system. It can apply up to 1,000 ft-lb of torque across each axle.
Aside from reducing body roll, Land Rover took significant steps to ensure the new Sport handles well by including all-wheel steering, torque vectoring by braking, and an active electronic differential. The rear wheels can turn up to 7.3 degrees. The goal is greater maneuverability at slow speeds and better stability at higher speeds.
The new Sport features Land Rover’s latest Terrain Response 2 system on the off-road front, with features such as adaptive off-road cruise control and multiple terrain driving modes.
Inside, the Sport remains as luxurious as ever. However, it is now more connected as well. This latest version supports over-the-air updates made possible by Land Rovers Electrical Vehicle Architecture. In the center of the dash, you’ll find a 13.1-inch screen featuring the latest version of the brand’s Pivi Pro infotainment system. A larger 13.7-in digital instrument cluster now sits in front of the driver with a configurable layout.
In terms of pricing, the base P360 SE trim starts at $83,000 while the P400 SE Dynamic commands $90,000. The P440e Autobiography starts at $104,200, while the P530 First Edition and its powerful V8 begin at $121,500. The new Sport is currently available to order at your local dealership.
Image Source: Land Rover
