GOOD SPORT

THE BIGGER-BODIED 2023 RANGE ROVER SPORT COMBINES THRILLING PERFORMANCE WITH IMPRESSIVE REFINEMENT

My, my, how you’ve grown, Mr. Range Rover Sport. Once the rambunctious kid brother, you’re now the full-fat, top-shelf SUV.

The 2023 Sport has bulked up and is ready to arm wrestle any other automobile that gets in its way. To the point that those of us who love to drive with gusto might take a quick spin in this new Sport and dismiss its fancypants Range Rover sibling as a little too “smoking jacket and slippers.”

Gaze at this third-gen Sport (the original was introduced in 2004) and it’s clear that the once-delicate lines have been jettisoned. This thing is huge, with doors that could have come off a New England barn and 23-inch wheels that wouldn’t look out of place on a Peterbilt. Gone too are the various bodywork creases and folds of the previous version. Now the lines are more smooth and pumped. Picture Daniel Craig in a slim-fitting Brioni tux.

It’s only natural that the range-topping Sport First Edition model would hit the visual-drama quota. Here, that bluff front end boasts slightly menacing honeycomb intakes and vents, skinny LED lights, and blacked-out lettering. There are even more theatrics at the rear, with a full-width light bar, a quartet of storm drain–sized exhaust tips, and an imposing roof spoiler. And every new Sport should come out of the factory painted in our test car’s metallic ‘Firenze’ shade. Fiery lava spewing from Mount Etna doesn’t glow this red.

While the 2023 Sport lineup features mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid models, this First Edition is only offered with a V8. Here, under a hood roughly the size of Kansas, sits a BMWsourced twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter that can rustle up a locomotive-like 523 hp and propel you from standstill to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds. Top speed is an Autobahn-blasting 155 mph, which is mighty impressive for a bruiser that tips the scales at nearly 5,500 pounds.

To justify that Sport moniker, this latest version is more accomplished at carving curves than ever before. In addition to its adaptive air suspension, it’s equipped with rear-wheel steering to heighten agility.

But the biggest surprise is just how smoothly the Sport rides. Even with those huge tires, it hoovers up lumps, bumps, potholes, and ridges. Add to this steering that’s pinpoint precise and beautifully weighted, brakes that stop time, and an 8-speed automatic transmission that’s almost telepathic in shifting, and you’ve got one great-driving performance SUV.

The surprises keep coming in the form of the cabin’s minimalist design. Instead of a multitude of buttons, there’s a gorgeous 13.1-inch curved-glass touchscreen. On the center console, just two rotary knobs take care of everything to do with heating and cooling.

For audiophiles, the optional Meridian 3D Signature Sound System is beyond mindblowing. It’s like being in a rolling Carnegie Hall, with no fewer than 29 speakers (including integrated headrest units) plus an astonishing 1,430 watts of power.

Power File

PRICE: FIRST EDITION FROM $121,500 ENGINE: 4.4-LITER

TWIN-TURBO V8 POWER:

523 HP TORQUE: 553 LB-FT

0-60: 4.3 SECONDS TOP

SPEED: 155 MPH LENGTH/ WIDTH: 195/87 INCHES

WEIGHT: 5,355 POUNDS WHY WE LOVE IT: BECAUSE FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE SPORT IS A TEMPTING ALTERNATIVE TO ITS BIG BROTHER.

Land Rover decided not to include thirdrow seating for this new Sport, but there’s no shortage of kneeroom in the back seat, while the rear load area is simply cavernous. This new Sport costs roughly $20,000 less than an equivalent Range Rover. That means around $83,000 for the base SE, $90,000 for the Dynamic SE, and $104,000 for the plug-in Au- tobiography. Our First Edition, which will only be available for one year, starts at $121,500, or more than $132,000 very nicely loaded. Want even more Sport? The overcaffeinated SVR model is waiting in the wings, along with an all-electric Sport that’s due in 2024.

If ever a car put the “sport” in “sport utility vehicle,” this is it. «

Our Doctors

Jaime Landman, MD • Zevy Landman, MD • Philip C. Mirmelli, MD

Kfir Shamir, MD • Barry J. Mark, MD • Stacy M. Nassau, MD Ornella Papadias Feria, MD • Jose E. Rojas Camayo, MD

SERVICES & TREATMENTS

Asthma Management • Drug Allergy

Testing • Ear Lavage • Food Allergy Testing

Immunotherapy (Allergy Shots) • Insect Allergy Testing

Patch Allergy Testing for Contact Dermatitis

Penicillin Testing • Pulmonary Function Test (PFT)

Skin Allergy Testing • Sublingual Immunotherapy (Allergy Drops)

• Xolair

HIGH SEAS