![]() There’s no step down to the vast sprawl we’re used to outside American urban centers, just a snap cut from multistory commie-style blocks built atop single-story parking shelters to virtual emptiness. The transition to farmland and industrial space happens abruptly. We admittedly do far better than most at getting some of their attention, so if you want to make a scene in Madrid, just show up in a Range Rover. Pedestrians own these cobbled passageways, rarely looking up from their phones or away from their companions before stepping off the curb. ![]() It drives a bit smaller than its size suggests - a characteristic further augmented by its rear-wheel steering. ![]() Despite its relative size, though, it was easy to feel out the Range Rover’s corners. Slinking through these narrow alleyways-cum-boulevards in a thicc SUV with an even thiccer price tag (on 23-inch wheels, no less) could be nerve-wracking. For once, my upbringing in an old (by American standards) East Coast town pays dividends, and the Range Rover’s myriad electronic whiskers were surprisingly tolerant of my comfort with putting bits of the car just an inch or two from 400-year-old stonework. The next runner-up? A lonely Porsche Cayenne Coupe.Īt 80-plus inches wide, the Rover kisses paint on either side of these narrow business district lanes. Two lifted wheelers – a Nissan Patrol and an old Land Cruiser – were the only properly “big” SUVs on the road. I saw more pickups roaming the airfield when my 767 touched down at Barajas International than I would spot throughout the duration of the trip. In this part of the world, the most substantial passenger car you’ll typically see on the road is something like a Toyota RAV4. The Sport doesn’t get “ the most powerful LED taillamps ever made,” for example.ĭimensions aren’t appreciably different, which means the Sport is pretty much the largest vehicle you can comfortably weave through the urban hedge maze that is Madrid. There aren’t any major mechanical differences to explain that, nor a radically different equipment list, but harder-to-quantify, attention-to-detail elements likely play a role. Most critically, it’s cheaper - by about $20,000. It also comes with a less-powerful base engine (more on that later). The Sport’s design lives up to its name with a narrower grille and headlights, full-width taillight trim and more greatly pinched rear roofline that’s altogether less stately and more streamlined (pictured below left with The Range Rover below right). The Sport is available only in a two-row configuration whereas The Range Rover offers regular wheelbase two-row and long-wheelbase three-row variants. The platform is shared, but they are separate models for reasons beyond marketing. So, what puts the “Sport” in Range Rover Sport? A few things, some sportier than others. Not many cars are worth crossing an ocean just to test drive, but the new Range Rover Sport makes a convincing case. This generation also brings with it a shift from Land Rover’s tried-and-true (but simultaneously aged) 5.0-liter supercharged V8 to a twin-turbo V8 sourced from BMW. ![]() It’s the first time the sportier take on Land Rover’s iconic luxury SUV is being offered with multiple hybrid powertrains and will become the first to be offered as a pure battery-electric. MADRID, Spain - The 2023 Range Rover Sport marks several firsts for Land Rover’s luxury-first sub-brand.
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