Here at Boss Hunting, we’ve seen more than our fair share of new car launches, from the world’s most luxurious supercars to the more humble everyday driver. So it’s with some confidence we can say the new 2023 Range Rover Sport not only looks like a seriously compelling proposition after first impressions, but that its launch video with a No Time to Die stunt driver in Iceland is box office stuff.
It’s been nearly a decade since the last iteration of the Range Rover Sport was launched, which has given the team at Jaguar Land Rover nine full years of thoughtful consideration to make this latest version the best it can possibly be. In that vein, the new sport comes with an aggressive new design and is powered by your choice of petrol, diesel or hybrid, with an all-electric version said to be on the way.
The new car is built on the latest MLA (Modular Longitudinal Architecture) platform from Jaguar Land Rover, which is built to deliver the most dynamic and capable drive a Range Rover Sport has ever offered, no matter if you’re on or off-road. This MLA-Flex architecture and the chassis with which it interacts were both put to the test while driving around the volcanic landscape of the Icelandic Kárahnjúkar Dam.
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The 2023 Range Rover Sport arrives with the options of no less than seven different engine choices, which are variations of the six-cylinder 48V mild-hybrid Ingenium petrol and diesel engines, as well as the option of a new V8 twin-turbo that puts out 390kW. As previously mentioned, the all-electric powered model is due to arrive in 2024.
As you’d expect, the car isn’t just about driving performance off-road. It’s also fitted out with enough of the trappings of luxury that it’s a delight to enjoy on tarmac too. With increased legroom for passengers, a panoramic sunroof and 30-colour ambient lighting in the cabin, the stars of the show are the 13.1-inch floating Pivi Pro haptic touchscreen and the 13.7- inch Interactive Driver Display. You even get a voice assistant activated by saying: “Hey, Land Rover.”
To launch the new Sport, Jaguar Land Rover has gone big, showing off the vehicle’s capabilities by attempting to not only drive up the rocky wall of a dam but then to drive up a flowing spillway that ends in a 90m drop. For this attempt, Jaguar Land Rover enlisted the help of stunt and racecar driver Jessica Hawkins, who was also one of the stunt drivers in James Bond’s latest escapades of No Time To Die.
“The power of the water surging down the spillway was breathtaking from the side of the valley,” explained Hawkins. “Driving into it knowing that a 90-metre drop was waiting behind me at the bottom of the slope, if things went wrong, made this the most challenging drive I’ve ever undertaken.
“Despite the steep slope and rushing water, New Range Rover Sport made it look easy. Its traction, composure and commanding visibility inspired so much confidence I was able to enjoy the whole experience.”
It’s exciting to see Jaguar Land Rover revive the Range Rover Sport after nearly a decade without a completely new iteration, which not only shows how far the automaker has come in the last nine years. It’s sportier looking, and more technically capable, and the base model arrives with an RRP of $139,160 plus on-roads.
