Range Rover Sport Autobiography (2023 - )

Sit the Range Rover Sport alongside its larger Range Rover sibling and it’s easy to see why it justifies its ‘Sport’ label. It looks dynamic when approached from any angle but still boasts the same exceptionally strong road presence.

Despite its larger-than-life size, it maintains a reputation for delivering outstanding driving dynamics and can venture deep into rougher terrain if owners are brave enough to take a £100k vehicle off-road.

Customers can select from a wide choice of generously-equipped trim levels called S, SE, Dynamic SE and Autobiography and there is also a choice of powertrains with the Range Rover Sport available with petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid engines. Every version features an automatic gearbox and the Range Rover Sport has all-wheel drive as standard. 

We opted for the Range Rover Sport in Autobiography trim powered by a 3.0-litre diesel engine for our test drive. 

If you’re the sort of person that shies away from attention, then the Range Rover Sport may not be for you. That’s because this is a vehicle that makes a statement with bold styling, sporty curves and a very strong road presence.

And just to emphasise that point, our test car featured dazzling Firenze Red paintwork with a black roof that really looked the business. Eye-catching features include plenty of black trimmings such as the grille, badging, vents, brake calipers and 23-inch alloy wheels, also in black.

There is a panoramic sunroof, soft close doors with flush deployable door handles, digital LED headlights with signature daytime running lights and privacy glass.

The interior is clutter-free and oozes elegance and sophistication at every turn with the finest fixtures and fittings throughout, plus light cloud and ebony-coloured seats crafted from semi-aniline leather. These boast 22-way adjustment and can be heated, ventilated and even offer a massage function.

The steering wheel, which can be heated too, is power-adjustable so finding the perfect driving position is a simple process and there are memory buttons to save your preferred settings.

The nerve centre of the car is a 13.1-inch infotainment touchscreen offering access to the built-in navigation set-up, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity, DAB radio, sat nav, 360-degree camera and plenty more besides. There is a wireless charging pad, voice control, along with a head-up display to keep an eye on the speed.

In addition, the 13.7-inch driver information display offers all the vital data with clear dials that can be personalised to taste.

Back seat passengers are not forgotten either as they benefit from heated seats, along with two 11.4-inch high-definition screens to watch movies on the go. 

Powering our Range Rover Sport was the company’s excellent Ingenium 3.0-litre, six-cylinder, turbocharged diesel mild-hybrid engine, delivering 350PS and 700Nm of torque. It could sprint to 62mph from a standing start in just 5.9 seconds and maxed out at 145mph.

Out on twisting country lanes, it was deceptively agile despite being a full sized family SUV complete with high sides. It gripped the road no matter how enthusiastically it was pushed into tight curves and there was minimal sign of body sway along the way.

On faster dual carriageways, the vehicle cruises effortlessly at 70mph and it’s exceptionally quiet inside the cabin with barely a sound filtering through. And special mention to the highly effective dynamic air suspension set-up that smooths out even the harshest of road undulations.

Stretching just shy of five metres in length, the Range Rover Sport does feel quite a sizable vehicle to manoeuvre in busier town centre traffic, but it is agile enough to cope and boasts all manner of cameras and sensors to help get you safely parked in the tightest of spaces.

There are drive modes called Eco, Comfort and Dynamic and these alter the characteristics of the car, along with steering wheel mounted paddles that allow you to take control of the gear changes, although the eight-speed automatic transmission is perfectly timed if you fancy sitting back and letting the car do the work.

With the elevated seating position, the all-round driver visibility is excellent and the Range Rover Sport comes with the reassurance of all-wheel drive to combat any of Mother Nature’s unexpected mood swings.

With its high sides, yet dynamically-styled lines, the Range Rover Sport stretches 4,946mm in length, is 2,209mm wide with mirrors out, 1,820mm tall and has a wheelbase of 2,997mm. The vehicle weighs in at 2.4 tonnes and can tow a trailer or caravan weighing up to 3.5 tonnes making it the ideal vehicle for adventure holidays. And its exceptional off-roading ability means it will never be fazed by boggy conditions either.

Cabin space is excellent with bundles of room for a couple of six-foot-plus adults up front, plus a trio of equally-tall people in the back.

There are storage options galore throughout the vehicle, including a double glovebox, chilled central cubby, seat back pockets, door bins with space to store a water bottle, a wireless charging pad, front and rear cup holders and some practical trays.

The boot is accessed via a powered tailgate and can accommodate 647 dry litres of luggage, increasing to 1,491 litres (also dry) with the 60:40 split-folding rear seats dropped flat (835 to 1,860 wet litres).

To help prevent items rolling around, there is a pull up partition and the rear seats can also be lowered automatically via controls in the boot.

And it’s always worth reminding ourselves that this is a Land Rover so possesses outstanding 4x4 capability. For example, it can wade through water up to 900mm deep, has an off-road approach angle of 29.7 degrees, departure angle of 30.0 degrees and ramp angle of 26.9 degrees.

The ride height can be adjusted and there are off-road Terrain Response settings of Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud-ruts, Sand, Rock Crawl and Wade which should cover most bases.

Let’s get one thing straight, the Range Rover Sport is a high-end, premium car and that will mean a high-end premium price-tag with costs starting from £75,255 for the entry-level S grade. Our test model in range-topping Autobiography specification started out at £100,920, but optional extras saw the final price creep up to £117,385.

The options on this car included a Hot Climate Pack (£1,340), Convenience Pack (£690), front fog lights (£195), a rear entertainment set-up (£3,700), electrically deployable tow bar (£1,130), advanced tow assist system (£385), some capability and dynamic features for off-roading (£660), a secure tracker with 36-month subscription (£340), Wi-Fi enabling with data plan (£440) plus a 23-inch full size spare wheel at £1,060.

So, fair to say the Range Rover Sport is not exactly cheap, and the day-to-day running costs with fuel consumption up to 36.1mpg will mean fairly pricey fuel pump fees.

And the high carbon emissions figure doesn’t come without consequences either. The official CO2 figure on the test car is 205g/km and that will result in a first-year road tax charge of £1,650 dropping to the standard VED fee of £190 after the first 12 months.

But, because the Range Rover Sport costs more than £40k to purchase, it is subject to a government premium car tax charge of £410 paid from years two to six.

Any business driver considering the Range Rover Sport as their fleet vehicle will have a Benefit in Kind tax rating of 37 per cent, so not much relief there either.

Boasting a clever mix of dynamic handling and exceptional off-road capabilities, the latest Range Rover Sport is a beautifully styled family car that looks amazing when approached from any angle.

It is packed with all the latest technology, along with the finest and most elegant fixtures and fittings. It is both refined and comfortable to drive, and is packed to bursting with safety features and driver assistance aids to protect occupants and other road users.

Admittedly it’s not cheap, but nothing of this quality ever is.