The company would have intentionally programmed the navigation to perform the action we unintentionally performed if Land Rover had truly wished to impress us with the nimble and capable nature of the updated 2023 Range Rover Sport. We were lost in a maze of tight, winding Spanish hamlet streets outside of Madrid after missing an exit on a roundabout there. After squeezing through an alley, we were blocked by a Mitsubishi with a flat tyre.

In contrast to the off-road challenges and winding canyon roads earlier in the drive, backing down slippery cobblestones and manoeuvring the Sport around in a space slightly wider than an Iberian ham showcased the Range Rover's rear-wheel steering, many camera angles, and air-cushioned ride.

The Range Rover Sport is a massive vehicle that shares its wheelbase and breadth with the Range Rover. It is slightly shorter and less expensive than the Range Rover, and sporty people are said to have less luggage and available income. Cachet, on the other hand, delivers in a big way, with an upright yet swept-back profile and clean sides free of garish insignia or overly pronounced body lines.

It's a brick, select a colour when talking about SUV design, and the Sport is very brick-like, but the sporty rear spoiler and squared-off exhaust tips counteract the front end's snobbery with a promise of energising performance. The Range Rover Sport P530 First Edition, which has a starting price of $122,975, has the most potent performance thanks to its 523-hp twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 engine. Although a significant portion of its audible ferocity is calibrated exclusively for the cockpit, the P530 growls, rips, and grips. It's simply a grumble from outside. Even though it's quiet, it has a lot of pull, making even the steepest slopes seem like minor humps in the road and accelerating enthusiastically out of bends.

Range Rover claims that from zero to 60 mph, it will take 4.3 seconds. Even in its most keyed-down Comfort mode, the 4.4-liter is initially overeager with a jumpy throttle and a forceful upshift. While giving up two cylinders and some horsepower, the P440e plug-in hybrid, the P400 SE, and the P360 SE with mild hybrid assistance are smoother off the mark and more cost-effective. The optional Stormer Handling Pack will be available for all models by the end of 2023, saving us from spending the rest of our lives stranded in a Spanish alley. However, for the first year, only the P530 First Edition receives these benefits, so we'll focus on the V-8, as is the American way.

In preparation for the third generation of the Range Rover Sport, Land Rover strengthened the frame. The Sport is equipped with two-chamber air springs that automatically tighten and soften in response to steering input, lateral g-forces, and even navigational data. It recognises when curves or a long stretch of highway are approaching. It handled hard turns on gravel roads with little lean or jounce, and we never managed to catch it off surprise. The Range Rover Sport buckes a trend of tough-riding hot-rodded SUVs, although boasting about this kind of technology frequently without always delivering. Even with enormous 23-inch wheels, we found it to be quiet and easy to drive.

The P530 replaces the fixed anti-roll bars with a 48-volt electronic anti-roll system, a feature that the other trims don't have (yet). The Stormer Handling Pack name pays homage to the 2004 Range Stormer concept, which served as the forerunner to the first-generation Range Rover Sport, and boasts torque vectoring, an active rear differential, and that useful all-wheel steering.