Range Rover is the name when it comes to luxury SUVs, but the next-generation 2023 Range Rover Sport is looking to carve out its own place at the top of the class.

Whereas the first generation of the Range Rover Sport had more in common with the Land Rover Discovery under the skin, this new Range Rover Sport adopts Land Rover’s new so-called MLA-Flex underpinnings, something shared with the full-fat (and impressive) full-size Range Rover model.

The previous-generation Range Rover and Range Rover Sport shared a platform in the past, but this new MLA-Flex platform is by far the most sophisticated Range Rover Sport so far. And it’s looking to change up the game against the likes of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi.

There are new powertrains, new suspension, new technologies, and plenty of tricks hiding under that slick red sheetmetal. Let’s have a closer look.

What we have here is a First Edition example of the Range Rover Sport, which is top of the pile for specifications and asking price. When equipped with the 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine, you’re looking at $196,359 before on-road costs.

There’s a more expensive twin-turbocharged petrol V8 option coming soon, but let’s stick with what we have for now.

Standard kit here includes twin-chamber dynamic air suspension, a 13.1-inch infotainment display, digital LED headlights, 23-inch alloy wheels, 22-way electric seats with heating, cooling, memory and massaging, ambient lighting, four-zone climate control, a Meridian 3D Surround Sound System, head-up display and soft-close doors.

Buyers can choose between light and dark semi-aniline leather upholstery, and second-row occupants also pick up some electric adjustment, heating and cooling.

Our tester is optioned up with some quite significant boxes ticked. The most significant is the Stormer Handling Pack, which costs the best part of fifteen grand. This adds four-wheel steering and Dynamic Response Pro to the two-chamber air suspension. In addition, there’s a 48-volt active swaybar into the equation, along with the twin-valve Bilstein mono-tube suspension.

Safe to say, this is not a cheap car. And with those options, a quarter-million puts it in the firing line against some vaunted and vociferous high-end SUVs.

A big BMW X7 in potent M60i format starts at $205,900, while the full-fat X5 M Competition is priced at $241,900.

Audi’s mental RS Q8 is in firing range as well with a price of $219,069. A V8-powered example of the Porsche Cayenne is priced from less than $200,000 in some spec levels as well.

It’s less luxury though arguably more alluring, but the Land Rover Defender can be had with a supercharged V8 for $224,970.

And don’t forget, a full-fat Range Rover is within firing range with a starting price of $225,276 plus on-road costs.

Does that leave the Sport in a tricky middle ground? Yes and no.

As you would expect, the interior of this new Range Rover Sport is luxuriously draped in high-end materials, and is finished with a modern and eye-catching design. It’s clean and uncluttered but also not sparse or simplified.

And perhaps the most pleasing is the inclusion of practical storage solutions that will help for everyday usage. Under the two cupholders in the middle, which can slide out of the way, hides a generously sized storage bin that is flocked and has USB-A and USB-C power outlets. There’s a smaller storage area underneath the gear shifter, and you also might not notice the wireless charging pad hiding underneath and almost behind the infotainment display.

This location, a small slot without any ventilation, does seem to get quite hot both from the wireless charging and ambient heat from the infotainment display. I noticed my phone getting mega hot after only a short period.

Twin gloveboxes – which elegantly open via remote buttons – are in front of the passenger, and this First Edition gets nice carbon elements on the doors and dashboard. There are fancy ambient lighting strips through the interior, and I like the contrast of textured fabrics on the doors in comparison to the piano black, carbon and leather.

The front seats of this Range Rover Sport First Edition have 22 directions of adjustment available, along with heating, ventilation, memory and massaging. Semi-aniline leather feels sumptuous and the seats are impressively comfortable.

In the second row, you’ve got a high level of features to contend with, and the quality of materials and designs don’t take a backwards step. It’s spacious to a point, with enough room for adults to get comfortable. But at the same time, don’t expect the same acreage of leg room and headroom you get in some other large SUVs or sedans at this kind of price point.

The seating has electric adjustment in the back, and there is heating, ventilation, dual-zone climate control and pull-up sunshades to boot. The optional 11.4-inch screens are high-quality, but do eat into the perception of space in the back. My kids donged their heads on the screens a couple of times.

HDMI inputs are hiding in the fold-down centre console to use the screens, along with some high-output USB-C plugs (that were good enough to power a Nintendo Switch). However, we noted that the lid on the storage compartment here didn’t close properly and felt a bit out of whack.

The boot of the Range Rover Sport is big at 835L (using a ‘wet’ measurement) with a square shape and flat loading floor for ease of use. You can drop the rear air suspension down for easier loading and unloading, as well as electrically folding the second row.

The fold-up divider is quite a handy feature that works well for groceries and stopping things from sliding around. There are some handy elastic straps as well for securing bottles of wine.

Keep digging under the boot floor and you’ll find a full-sized spare wheel in all of its 23-inch black alloy glory.

This is a strong point for the Range Rover Sport, with a 13.1-inch curved infotainment display providing an impressive and seamless experience. This has all of the boxes ticked with wired and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, digital radio and native navigation, and offers a slick, intuitive operating system.

The digital instrument cluster measuring 13.7 inches in size in front of the driver is impressive, as is the head-up display. No shortage of immersive technology, then.

The sound system, which is a Meridian 3D-branded set-up in this specification level, is good without being blow-your-socks-off specification. This is an upgraded system from base specification, but those wanting more can upgrade once again for $4816.

The Range Rover Sport picked up a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2022 off the back of Euro NCAP testing and covering petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid variants.

Adult occupants get an 85 per cent safety rating, while child occupants get 86 per cent of protection. Vulnerable road users rate at 69 per cent, and the safety assistance systems rated at 84 per cent.

There’s plenty of standard safety equipment in the 2023 Range Rover Sport, including autonomous emergency braking, a 360-degree camera system, front and rear parking sensors, traffic sign recognition, lane-keep assistance, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and rear collision monitor as standard equipment.

There’s also an automatic parking function, which can operate remotely via the Land Rover app or from the driver’s seat (to help with reverse-parallel parks, for example).

Service costs of $2750 for the first five years work out to be an average of $550 per year, which seems quite cheap compared to the complexity of the vehicle overall. This number covers 102,000km of distance, but would not be an exhaustive figure: some additional costs could creep in depending on your usage. For example, the service plan doesn’t include brakes, tyres, windscreen wipers and other consumables.

The Range Rover Sport is an expensive vehicle, and is unsurprisingly not a cheap vehicle to insure. Comprehensive insurance costs $4722.67 per year based on an online quote generator. This is based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

Against an impressive claim of 7.2 litres per 100 kilometres, we saw an average of 9.0L/100km during our time with the car. It’s not as impressive, especially when our driving included some cruising highway runs. If we spent more time on congested roads, that number would likely be higher (48-volt stop-start system notwithstanding).

But considering the size and weight of the vehicle, as well as the amount of technology and features included, it’s quite impressive and shows how far technology has come for diesel-powered vehicles.

Driving a car like this Range Rover is yet another reminder of how incredibly refined, potent and smooth a modern-day six-cylinder diesel engine can be. Land Rover doesn’t have the outright ascendancy in this case, as V6 and inline-six diesel engines from a handful of players provide a similarly smooth driving experience.

That being said, this 3.0-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo Land Rover Ingenium engine does feel particularly punchy and smooth. This application is its highest state of tune churning out an impressive 258kW and 700Nm. Using twin turbochargers and a 48-volt mild hybrid system, this engine provides wonderfully smooth and relaxed progress for cruising about town and on open roads.

Wring the neck and you find impressively quick performance to boot. Pushing 2300kg of leather, screens, steel and aluminium to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds is hasty enough I’d say, although better performance can be easily found for similar money in this part of the SUV upper crust.

Being so utterly quiet and refined, Land Rover has piped some synthetic engine sounds into the cabin, which is particularly noticeable in Dynamic mode. It’s not bad, but you can take it or leave it really.

The eight-speed automatic gearbox – of tried and true ZF design – is a faithful companion, smooth, and smartly decisive to keep the decorum.

Although, there can be noticeable lag on throttle application when looking to dash from a standing start. Once rolling, it feels much more dialled and responsive.

One minor quibble would be the stop-start system, which is admittedly fine in isolation, but isn’t as smooth and imperceptible as others in this kind of price bracket. And because it’s an otherwise impressively smooth and quiet experience, you tend to notice the engine switching back on in traffic.

One major highlight of the Range Rover Sport – and in keeping with the Range Rover part of the deal – is the impeccable ride quality on offer. It’s quite sumptuous and controlled despite the monstrous 23-inch alloy wheels. It’s impressive and refused to get out of shape on rough surfaces and undulating roads.

Dynamic performance is a little bit of a different story, however. Generally speaking, the Range Rover Sport feels well connected, engaging, and even joyful to drive around town and on winding country roads. Sweeping corners and hilly runs are dispatched with ease and control, but tighter and more technical runs (like a mountain pass with switchbacks) start to betray the size, height and weight of the vehicle.

The steering feel is sharp and responsive, and body control feels to be in good supply. But the tyres seem to struggle under the expectancy of grip as they scrabble and squirm and move into a state of understeer. Perhaps because it feels so well controlled and composed up to that point, you’re fast to push to the limit.

At least the inclusion of rear-wheel steering does improve the turning circle quite noticeably for town driving when you need to perform a U-turn.

Where other large luxury SUVs cannot compete with the Range Rover Sport – or any green-ovalled vehicle for that matter – is proper off-road capability. The 23-inch wheels and highway performance tyres will be a problem in more serious off-road situations, but the simple fact of having height-adjustable air suspension, a low-range transfer case, and Land Rover’s class-leading off-road traction-control system means this is still a well-equipped vehicle for such adventures. If you’re brazen enough to give it a go, you are mad and I love you for it.

There is a sporting edge to this Range Rover Sport in comparison to the full-fat model. But those wanting a proper spine-tingler of a performance SUV would be better served spending their quarter-million dollars elsewhere. The Audi RS Q8 certainly springs to mind, as do variations of the Porsche Cayenne.

However, the strengths of this Range Rover Sport lie elsewhere. The interior is loaded with niceties and comfort, but is surprisingly practical as well. But perhaps the biggest strength is the refined driving experience, which is impressively imperious.

As always, the Range Rover experience comes with a big price tag. But for those who want it and can afford it, they will no doubt be impressed mostly by the technology, the interior and the driving experience.