Within a nano-second of climbing in and driving off in Land Rover’s newest Range Rover Sport Autobiography, you know you’re behind the wheel of something special.
It’s like slipping-on a made-to-measure Savile Row suit. Or a pair of bespoke John Lobb loafers. Or a pair of Duluth Trading Buck Naked boxers. It all fits perfectly.
Of course, there’s no shortage of luxury sporty-utes on the market—BMW X5, Porsche Cayenne, Mercedes-AMG GLE53, and Audi SQ8. All worthy rivals.
But somehow the Range Rover stands out.
A lot of it is down to cool, classy design. There’s a broody elegance here, from the towering waistline to the slope of that coal-black roof, to the chiseled, cat’s-eye LED headlights, to those 23-inch gloss-black rims.
And see that thrusting, bluff, mile-wide front end in your rear-view, with that unmistakable Range Rover script writ large, and chances are you’re moving over.
It’s not just looks that thrill. Under that massive clamshell hood lurks a nuclear reactor of a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 delivering a mighty 523 horsepower and stump-pulling 553 pound-foot of torque.
Coupled to one of the creamiest-shifting eight-speed automatics in the business, this BMW-sourced V8 can thrust the Sport from standstill to 60 miles per hour in a zippy 4.5 seconds. Pretty impressive for a full-fat off-roader that weighs roughly the same as a Brinks armored truck.
And the Rover isn’t just about straight-line performance. Show it a twisty back road and it starts to justify that Sport badge on the tailgate. With dynamic air suspension, front and rear active anti-roll bars, full-time all-wheel drive, and rear-wheel steering, the thing carves curves like a tall-riding Corvette.
For those times you prefer not to drive it like you stole it, the Sport is happy to lose its Sport badge and morph into a Lincoln Town Car with a ride that’s as smooth and supple as Ali Baba’s magic carpet.
Even with those massive 23-inch gumballs at each corner, there’s surprisingly little road or tire noise. At 75 miles per hour on I-75, the cabin is more hushed than a basket of snoozing kittens.
For me, the only serious rival to this Firenze Red Sport Autobiography—base sticker $125,025, or $130,110 as tested—is the truly-impressive plug-in hybrid version.
Here, a 355-horsepower 3.0-liter in-line six gas engine is hooked-up to a 141-horsepower electric motor fed from a 39 kWh battery. The result is a combined and non-trivial 543-horsepower, 0-to-60 acceleration in 4.7 seconds, and a combined 53 MPGe economy.
But the icing on the Hybrid’s cake is its terrific, electric-only range of 53 miles that makes it perfect for daily commutes on silent, zero-emission battery power. It’s also slightly less pricey at $120,325.
Inside, our V8 Autobiography is, as you’d expect from the sticker, a temple of luxury, though also an exercise in minimalism. All the typical switches and knobs you’d expect are now a tap or swipe away on the 13.1-inch curved touchscreen.
Take your pick of fabric or lovely semi-aniline leather, though our test car’s acres of black leather, piano black trim, and all-black dashboard made it look like the inside of Gene Simmons’ closet.
While the cabin isn’t quite as spacious as the flagship Range Rover’s (is that Range Rover Range Rover?) it still feels cavernous. Climb up into the back, and there’s stretch-out legroom, reclining seat backs for added comfort, and ample cargo storage. And the huge, two-panel glass sunroof floods the entire cabin with light.
Being the high-zoot Autobiography means a laundry list of pricey standard equipment that’s as long as War & Peace. Headliners include an amazing Meridian 3D surround sound stereo, front console fridge, heated and cooled rear seats, and head-up display.
Range Rover Sport pricing starts at $81,325 and soars to over $180,700 for the potent 626-horsepower Sport SV. But this Autobiography V8 might just be the best all-round luxury SUV money can buy.
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