This is the new 500PS Range Rover Sport

Since 2005, the first spin-off variant of the long-standing stalwart has been a sales titan, offering high-end style and improved performance at a lower price bracket when compared to the ‘full size’ Range Rover. Now the big boy is into its fifth generation and its 52^nd year on sale, it wasn’t going to be long before the next Sport variant followed.

Follow the Sport always has, in terms of style and technology and the new one is no different. On the outside, that simplified ‘hewn-from-solid’ look the full-sized car has gone for carries over. It’s broad-sided and sharp-nosed, with a carefully sculped rump. Cleaner looks and smoother surfaces – thank you flush door handles – yield aerodynamic benefits too, with a C/D of just 0.29.

There are a few more overt styling elements, in combination with a more taut stance and sharper lighting, to bring that extra attitude needed to earn that Sport badge. That horizontal LED lighting at the back integrated into the bar is particularly distinctive, with vivid surface LEDs used here for the first time on a production car.

If we were being reductive, we’d say the new RRS is Velar meets L460, which is exactly what it needs to be given that’s exactly where it sits. It’s certainly a more successful translation to Sport spec than the last one in 2013, which looked downright cheap from some angles compared to the full-sized L405.

Different trims and specifications yield varying levels of styling aggression, though none go over the top. Hold tight for an SVR model for that, though somewhat questionable carbon trimmed wheels will be available from the off. Like some versions of the Velar, the Sport is available with copper styling elements finished in satin, along with bespoke bumper designs, in the new Dynamic spec, described as “the most dramatic interpretation of the Range Rover Sport formula”.

The inside is dominated by the familiar floating 13.1-inch infotainment screen – complete with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – though the rest of the cabin is sportier in design. The more compact cockpit-like cabin design ethos of both the first- and second-generation Range Rover Sports is carried over in full, albeit with this new reductive design approach, exemplified by the integrated Meridian speakers hidden behind the textiles in the rear doors. These join a 29-seaker system and a 1,430W amplifier with active noise cancelling tech. A number of sustainable trim materials are available in addition to more traditional leathers.

Being a smaller model, the Sports have always felt a tad cramped inside. Addressing this for the third Sport, rear passengers now get ergonomically optimised seating, with 31mm of extra legroom and 20mm of extra knee room.

The flowing dash features climate dials, transmission and dynamics controls – including terrain response – and a sportier steering wheel through which the 13.7-inch driver’s instrument screen is visible. Connectivity is of course part and parcel, with Land Rover’s EVA 2.0 ecosystem supporting OTA updates. Cabin Air Purification Pro is also available to filter out odours, allergens, pathogens and CO2, with a cabin preconditioning function for good measure.

As in the ‘big’ Range Rover, a crop of new powertrains joins the fleet, with PHEV variants joining the ingenium diesels, petrols and of course, the new BMW-sourced 530PS (389kW) 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8. Most relevant in today’s market are the plug-in hybrids. The flagship P510E combines the 3.0-litre Ingenium petrol straight-six with a 105kW electric motor and 38.2kWh battery. Total system output is 510PS (375kW), with a claimed 0-62mph time of 5.4 seconds and an all-electric driving range of 70 miles. Strong figures compared to rivals, with Land Rover claiming that the real-world Range of over 50 miles should be enough for up to 75 per cent of journeys to be fully electric.

The lower-spec P440E has 440PS (323kW) and provides the same claimed all-electric driving range and a 5.8-second 0-62mph time. Mild-hybrid models use the P400, D300 and D350 petrol and diesel straight-six engines and to top it off, Land Rover has confirmed the arrival of an all-electric version in 2024.The prize pony of the range so far is however that V8, capable of 0-62mph in 4.5 seconds thanks to a ‘dynamic launch’ mode.

More important in a Range Rover Sport by comparison to its larger sibling is driving dynamics. Knowing the strength of the competition in this area, Land Rover haven’t skimped out on specs. There’s a new suspension system with switchable-volume air springs – a first on a Range Rover – that adapts based on your driving and surface conditions. The Stormer Handling Pack – standard on the P510e hybrid and V8-powered P530 – adds Dynamic Response Pro, all-wheel steering (for hatchback low-speed manoeuvrability and rock-solid high-speed stability), an active e-diff with brake torque vectoring and customisable driving modes.

Off the black stuff and into the messy stuff – Land Rover home ground – the Terrain Response 2 system intelligently adjusts settings based on where the car finds itself. New for the 2023 Range Rover Sport is also off-road cruise control, with differing speed settings allowing the driver to focus on steering.

In recent years the smaller Velar arguably dethroned the Sport as the ‘sweet spot’ in the Range Rover family. This new third-generation car is in with a shot of taking the title back, especially given what is competitive pricing compared with the flagship. Where that starts from £94,400 for a proper ‘cooking’ model, the Sport starts from £79,125. Now as before, an argument could be made for buying more ‘Sport’ for lower-end full-size money, if you can be without an absolute flagship. Either way, the new Sport is a continuation of what has proven an invaluable money and brand-spinner for Land Rover. Convinced? Orders are open now…