2023 Range Rover Sport PHEV | Unleashing Power & Luxury
The Range Rover Sport has always been one of my favorite cars ever since I was a kid. This generation made my heart beat just a little bit faster when I first saw it and thus I was eager to find out if this partly electrified version would live up to my expectations.
The Dream On Wheels
Let me be your guide on this Range Rover Sport PHEV tour we’re about to start and as usual, we’re starting our tour at the front end. When you look at this car you’ll see everything is aesthetically balanced out so well. It looks very solid yet sporty and luxurious. The front view of the Range Rover Sport PHEV is dominated by a prominent yet stunning grille, featuring a distinctive mesh pattern and the iconic Range Rover logo at its center. Flanking the grille are sleek stealth-looking Digital LED headlights, which provide excellent visibility up to 500 meters, and add a touch of modernity to the overall look of this car. Moving along the sides, the Range Rover Sport PHEV you’ll see how perfectly balanced this car is built. Here the high beltline and the gently sloping roofline give it a streamlined look. Everything on this vehicle is just crafted perfectly and made with an eye for detail. The 23" 5 Spoke “Style 5128” Gloss Black rims complement the SUV's robust character while enhancing its overall look.
The rear of the Range Rover Sport PHEV features slender LED taillights that seamlessly integrate with the vehicle's design, they’re blended in very well inside the black strip which is unique to the Sport model. The rear bumper and exhaust outlets are subtly integrated, adding a sporty touch to the SUV's rear profile. Providing convenient access to the spacious cargo area, the automatically opening tailgate provides for easy daily use or for transporting bigger cargo. One notable feature of the Range Rover Sport PHEV, and definitely not the least one, is its impressive selection of exterior color options. Like “Giola Green” on this car, it really suits this car very well although I’m more into the classic colors myself.
Overall, the exterior design of the Range Rover Sport PHEV 2023 is a harmonious blend of ruggedness, luxury, and modernity. It exudes an aura of power and prestige whilst maintaining the signature Range Rover elegance. Whether driving through urban streets or tackling challenging terrains, this SUV will turn heads and make a lasting impression. At least, that’s what it did to me.
Enter Heaven
The interior of the Range Rover Sport PHEV is a masterful display of luxury, comfort, and cutting-edge technology. As soon as you step inside the cabin and take a seat, you immediately feel the seats are exceptionally comfortable and supportive. Whether you're the driver or a passenger, you'll find the seats to be plush and accommodating, making long journeys a pleasure. They’re 22-way adjustable (!) and are equipped with heating, cooling, and even a massage function. The black leather these seats are made of is just the perfect finishing touch and the optionally full black leather interior makes everything fit together perfectly. Additionally, this new generation of the iconic SUV in SWB-trim now offers ample space for both front and rear occupants, ensuring a spacious and relaxing environment for everyone. Let’s move on to the next interior highlight: The beautiful steering wheel with moonlight inlay. This steering wheel is pretty big for the standards of these days, but it fits this car well. The moonlight inlay, which is glossy black, gives it just that extra bit of elegance. On the steering wheel, you’ll find everything you need to drive this car around and make use of the infotainment system.
The driver-centric cockpit layout of the 2023 Range Rover Sport is thoughtfully designed, with all essential controls within easy reach. The center console houses a user-friendly infotainment system with a large touchscreen display of 13.1” providing access to various functions such as navigation, entertainment, climate control, and connectivity features. The “Pivi Pro Infotainment System” is equipped with the latest technology, ensuring seamless smartphone integration and intuitive operation. With the Rear Seat Entertainment pack you get two 11.4” high-definition displays that provide screen mirroring and can be connected to devices via HDMI. This gives you a screen behind the passenger and driver's seat including Land Rover Headphones to keep your kids, pets, or other passengers busy and quiet for some time. Yes, you can let your dog watch a movie in a quiet way!
For music enthusiasts, the Range Rover Sport PHEV offers the “Meridian Signature Sound System” that fills the cabin with exceptional sound quality. A subwoofer and 34 speakers create an immersive sound experience in every seat turning every drive into a concert-like experience. The Meridian Sound System also optionally has Active Noice Cancellation, It filters unwanted noises using a network of advanced audio technologies. While singing along with your favorite music, you can enjoy the fresh air provided by the Cabin Air Purification System. This system measures impurities in the air the car is taking in and cleans the air before it gets into the cabin. So wherever you are, a fresh breath of air is never far away. Fresh air in combination with the giant panoramic roof gives you the maximum outdoor feeling you can get in a car. So even when you’re more of an outdoorsy person, this car gives you what you need.
Relaxed Driving
Whether you want comfort or sportiness, in this car you’ll find everything you need. I drove the P510 AWD version and well, the name is already giving it away, this car has 510hp combined and 700nm torque. It has a six-cylinder combustion engine and a 105 kW electrical engine. The combination of these two makes this car extremely fast and makes it sprint from 0-100 in 5.4 seconds, especially for its weight of 2.8 tons. A big part of that weight comes from the 38.2kWh battery pack which gives this car an electric range of 125Km WLTP. In real life, this drops down to an average of 90-100Km pure electric range.
In terms of driver assistance systems, this car is a true work of art. Everything you would want or need, this car has it. Adaptive cruise control, active lane assist, brake assist, and the list goes on. Thanks to the air suspension this car is adjustable to what you need at each moment. If you want to drive sportively you just lower the car, if you want to go off-road you just make it higher again. This function is great if you want to load things into the trunk too, you just lower or higher the car when you want with a push of a button which is placed in the trunk.
You definitely noticed this car is huge and with its length of almost 5 meters it’s sometimes a bit difficult to get this car parked as there’s no optional rear-wheel steering. But to make parking really easy there’s a 3D Surround Camera System which includes ClearSight Ground View. This makes it possible for you to virtually see through the car's hood. Additionally, the low-speed maneuvering lighting illuminates the ground, ensuring you can safely navigate tight spaces in the dark. Also, Remote Park Assist is a big game changer, it makes it possible to control your car from the outside by using your smartphone. Now you can maneuver your Range Rover Sport in and out of tight spaces easily without being behind the wheel.
A Range Rover would not be a real SUV without having some thoroughbred off-road DNA, despite it being the AWD version. This Range Rover Sport PHEV is filled with off-road technology like Off-Road Control. It’s an Adaptive Off-Road Cruise Control that senses the terrain up ahead and automatically adjusts the vehicle’s speed for optimal control while maintaining the desired comfort level. Even a dip in water is no problem for the Range Rover Sport, did you know it’s designed for a maximum wading depth of 900mm? A 3D Surround Camera System and the Wade Sensing function (Wading Sensors) let you know when the water depth is approaching the car's maximum wading depth. The system provides real-time information to better understand conditions, especially in low visibility conditions like in murky water.
Wrapping Up The Sport
So when you talk about dream car material, this is it for me. Why am I saying dream car? Well, this car has a starting price of €95.000(BE) for the standard one, the First Edition I drove will cost you about €162.000 and that kind of money is a budget I can only dream of. But if that budget isn't a dream of you, what you'll get for this amount of money is worth it in terms of driving, comfort, and sportiness. The Range Rover Sport has finally shown me why I love Land Rover so much!
