2023 Range Rover Sport Review

For all intents and purposes, the new Range Rover Sport is a textbook posh SUV. It’s not exceedingly grand like the full-size Range Rover or too compact like the Evoque. But it’s got a dignified road presence, an impressive interior, and best of all, Land Rover’s off-road tech that makes it truly capable for all terrains. Even though it’s only a five-seater, making it not the most versatile SUV around, there is a sort of grandeur to it, which is missing in the other SUVs in the same space.

Underpinning the new Sport is the same platform as the full-size Range Rover. So naturally, you get more real estate. In fact, the 2023 Sport is 67mm longer and 17mm higher, while the wheelbase has been extended by 74mm. These aren’t exactly incremental improvements and the difference in the real world is quite palpable.

Better still, it’s how the Sport looks in the midst of upright albeit substantial SUVs that does it for me. It’s flamboyant yet dignified with clean lines, steeply raked glazing, and minimal layering to the bodywork. Look closer and you will see how Land Rover has cleaned up the Sport’s minimalistic design further by adding flush door handles and hiding the railing over the waistline.

If you find the Range Rover Sport’s design striking on the outside, the interior is most likely to please. So, the flamboyant theme extends to the cabin, which mimics the bigger Range Rover. Of course, you also get the commanding Range Rover driving position despite sitting 20mm lower than the full-size model. The cabin on the previous Sport was quite nice but it was starting to look its age next to its far newer rivals. Unsurprisingly, Land Rover has brought the cabin up-to-date with this 2023 Sport, which infuses technology with old-school luxury in a good manner.

You get multiple digital screens – the main 13.1-inch infotainment display which sits next to the 13.7-inch instrument cluster. Both offer good clarity, and the main display is especially soothing to look at with its aesthetic graphics although it’s a little slow to respond at times. The steering wheel also gets feather touch buttons for that clean look. Lastly, there are no less than four circular knobs below the main display for those who prefer good old physical buttons. This ensures that tactile feel rather than integrating everything within the touchscreen display.

The front seats are large and properly fulfilling with ample support for people of all sizes. There are spades of headroom and shoulder room, too. Moreover, finding the most comfortable driving position is easy, thanks to so many adjustments. Once you are set, you will be able to spend long hours behind the wheel comfortably. As for the all-important rear accommodation, there is nothing to complain about other than the fact that you get manual sun blinds, which do not go well with the price tag.

The seat itself is large and supportive with a great deal of contouring for that ‘seated in’ rather than ‘on it’ feel. Besides that, the generous headroom and knee room, coupled with adequate thigh support and a backrest that can be electrically reclined, make it a very nice place to be in.

In the most expensive variant, you get 22-inch wheels, heated and auto-dimming ORVMs, and soft-closing doors. Inside, you have a 22-way adjustment for the front seats with massage along with heated and ventilated function, four-zone climate control, a heads-up display, a premium 23-speaker Meridian sound system, a wireless charger, a panoramic sunroof, configurable cabin lights, and a 360-degree camera with 3D function. In addition, you can spec your car with optional extras, including a refrigerator compartment, a hot/cold climate pack, or even a domestic plug. There’s also something called the ‘clear sight’ interior rearview mirror, which changes the IRVM into a rear camera display. As for the safety features, the Sport comes with Level 2 ADAS, including emergency automatic braking, driver condition monitor, lane keep assist, and traffic sign recognition as standard across the range.

On the road, the new Range Rover Sport displays the exact same manners we have come to expect from a luxury SUV with a sporty twist. It's smooth and comfortable, no doubt, but it’s also rather quick. Now, let's be clear, this isn’t the P400 version that gets a sweet-sounding straight-six turbo petrol engine. It’s actually the D350, which comes with a 3-litre, straight-six turbo diesel engine with 350bhp and 700Nm of torque.

The Sport, then, is nothing short of a slug when you go hard on the throttle. It picks up speed from low revs with purpose and poise and there is always more than enough pulling power for everyday driving. This engine is pretty free-revving as well, offering a strong shove at around 2,500rpm, where it pulls this mammoth of an SUV with a great degree of spirit. The automatic gearbox, meanwhile, is typically decisive and complements the engine well. There are various drive modes and as one would expect, the gearbox reacts differently as you go through the modes – in Eco, it upshifts quite early and allows the engine to coast off the throttle, whereas, in Dynamic, it hangs on to lower gears and upshifts at around 4,000rpm. The throttle response, too, is dull in Eco but gets suitably crisp in Dynamic mode.

Equipped with air suspension on all four ends, the Range Rover Sport simply glides over imperfections, including some really damaged roads we could run it through. In Comfort mode, the ride is absorbent to the point of feeling floaty, whereas, in Dynamic, the firmer setting ties the springs down for better composure and stability at high speeds. That said, it doesn’t feel invincible over deep potholes or major imperfections mainly because you can hear the suspension working even if you happen to play music. Like a lot of other air suspension setups, the Sport’s system is quite audible from within the cabin.

The new Range Rover Sport does a lot of things better than its predecessor, especially when it comes to that all-important feel-good factor. It delivers an experience that is akin to the full-size Range Rover, with the way it looks on the outside and how it makes you feel once you are in it. Better still, it has all the things you love a good old Range Rover for – dignified road presence, plush interiors, and comfortable road manners. At well over Rs. 2 crore on-road, the new Sport could have been more affordable, though I suspect for people looking to buy it, the high price wouldn’t be a deterrent given how impressive the car is.

Pictures by Kapil Angane