Hooning the new Range Rover Sport for first driving impressions

Singapore - We got to have a brief look at the Range Rover Sport, the sportier and smaller sibling of the Range Rover… errr Range Rover a while back. It took a while, but now, we can give you some driving impressions of “luxury” Land Rover’s squeaky new hotness.

So, Top Gear Singapore’s trio took turns at the wheel, around a customised circuit at the Changi Exhibition Centre yesterday, and as a stroke of luck, we got the range-topping First Edition car. Like the rest of the range, it gets the familiar Ingenium 3.0 inline-six MHEV powertrain, supreme off-roading capabilities, bolstered by All Terrain Progress Control (ATPC), and the new 13.1-inch Pivi Pro infotainment unit. 

The First Edition car will only be produced during the initial year of the Range Rover Sport’s production. It gets the best in equipment, in the way of 22-way adjustable ventilated massage front seats, SV Bespoke Full Extended Leather Upgrade, carbon trim, and the largest available 23-inch rims.

We put rubber on tarmac, and shimmy it through a course of sharp lefts and rights, and also put more speed through a long left curve. The SUV does the job with a good amount of enthusiasm. The suspension in Dynamic Mode is still pliant, which means that while we do hoon the car, ride quality remains relatively pleasant. Cook the steering a little too much, and you begin to feel the DSC kicking in to help right the car. While most things are good, we feel that it “wet blankets” some of the driving fun around sharper corners, where it cuts power too early.

The Range Rover Sport starts at $612,999 for the base SE, and is now available at the Wearnes Land Rover Singapore showroom, at 45 Leng Kee Road.

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