There aren’t many luxury vehicles with as much street cred as Land Rover’s SUVs. The British automaker’s distinctive boxy look and character lines are instantly recognizably in daylight or darkness.
Is Defender a good daily driver?
The new custom range rover sport is no exception to the rule. Its redesigned interior is soothing in tone and touch-friendly in material. Its center-mounted curved touchscreen dominates the dash and a panel of digital gauges wash the cabin with a soft glow, reflected on substantial amounts of gloss-black trim.
Its infotainment system offers up a plethora of Android and Apple CarPlay apps, along with Amazon Alexa voice control. A wireless charging pad and the latest-generation Meridian audio system are also on the menu.
Powering it all is a 523-hp twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 under its tall hood. The P530 First Edition is the only Range Rover Sport offered with this engine. And while the engine grumbles and rips, it’s more than a match for its bigger sibling’s torque.
We drove both the V8 and a P400 hybrid I6 model while driving through Madrid, Spain, to see how the cars handle spirited driving on twisty roads. The Sport’s air suspension, adaptive dampers and Terrain Response traction controls are tuned to optimize ride comfort on the highway while enabling off-road capability with ease.
The custom range rover sport we drove was finished in deep gloss vermillion red with black accents and rides on 23-inch dark satin grey wheels wrapped in winter tires. Inside, the SUV features a grey and black leather interior and model-specific door sills with “Deer Valley Edition” etched in them.
