2023 Range Rover Sport Plug-in Hybrid (P440e): Everything we know (2024)

Update: ‘Price & Release Date’ section updated.

The new Range Rover Sport was revealed globally in May 2022, and the regular model is now in the United States. The new 2023 Range Rover Sport is the third generation of the BMW X5 rival and will be available in America in four variants: SE, SE Dynamic, and Autobiography. Additionally, a First Edition variant with extra goodies will be available during the first year of production. The variant this article emphasizes is the forthcoming P440e plug-in-hybrid, which will come only in the Autobiography trim.

Design

Front

The new 2023 Range Rover Sport, just like the second-gen model, assumes the role of the Range Rover’s younger sibling. The proportions and signature design cues are retained. Progress is evolutionary, and it gets the signature grille with LED headlamps and LED DRL signatures. The lighting designs are the slimmest ever fitted to a Land Rover. Being the Sport, there’s the generous black treatment all around; the upper and lower grilles are black, and so are the mirrors, wheels, and the roof.

Side

The steeply raked front and rear windscreens cannot be missed on this SUV. The U.S.-spec model has 21-inch wheels on the base SE and Dynamic grade, 22-inch wheels on the Autobiography grade, and massive, 23-inch wheels on the First Edition grade. The Dynamic variant flaunts a unique Satin Gray finish on the alloy wheels and Satin Burnished Copper finishes on the hood louvers and size ingots. The Range Rover lettering on the Dynamic variant is finished in Matte Graphite Atlas.

The Sport also gets flush door handles, dual shark fin antennas, and the longest-ever spoiler fitted to a Range Rover model, helping it achieve a 0.29 drag coefficient. We’ll admit that figure is nowhere close to setting a new benchmark, but it’s a decent rating for such a boxy, high-riding SUV.

Rear

There’s no full-width LED bar at the rear, which some media reports were speculating thanks to the feature being in vogue. Instead, it gets sleek LED lamps at the rear, united by a thick black bar with Range Rover lettering. The rear bumper houses a skid plate with a faux diffuser effect and is surrounded by chrome. Even the twin exhausts get the blingy chrome surround. Overall, the design is more minimalist yet a lot more elegant compared to the outgoing model.

Interior

EVA 2.0

The cabin is as elegant as ever, and Land Rover has blended the best in-car technologies with high-quality materials. The Range Rover Command Driving Position exposes the driver to various functions. The SUV comes equipped with Land Rover’s Electrical Vehicle Architecture (EVA 2.0), that’s responsible for in-car technologies and software. The system supports over-the-air updates for 63 electronic modules in the car.

Latest generation Pivi Pro infotainment

The SUV comes with the latest iteration of the Pivi Pro infotainment system integrated into a curved 13.1-inch touchscreen mounted onto the dashboard with a floating effect and landscape orientation. There’s also a 13.7-inch digital co*ckpit that displays essential driving information. What’s more, the screens support Amazon Alexa voice commands and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The central screen also displays a wealth of information about how the P440e’s hybrid system is working, state of range and charge, and off-roading statistics.

Being a Range Rover, premium features are in generous supply. Customers get soft-close doors, a 15W wireless charging deck, panoramic sunroof, 22-way power-adjustable front seats with heating, ventilation and massage functions, reclining rear seats with heating and ventilation, and four-zone climate control, among many other features. Moreover, the SE and Dynamic variants get sustainable and lightweight Ultrafabrics premium textiles with dual-tone colors.

3D audio and noise cancellation

The Autobiography variant gets Windsor leather upholstery, while the First Edition features soft Semi-Aniline leather. The SE and Dynamic variants feature a Meridian sound system, while the Autobiography and First Edition models get Meridian 3D Surround Sound with 29 speakers and one subwoofer that together generate 1,430W of output.

The cabin enhances comfort and reduces NVH to a new level, thanks to active noise cancellation. Microphones and accelerometers inside every wheel arch monitor and filter every sound that passes into the vehicle, while digital processors constantly alter the level of noise that enters the cabin. Land Rover says the system works just like a high-end pair of headphones.

Safety

Land Rover has always been serious about safety, and the new Range Rover Sport is no different in this regard. The SUV uses Land Rover’s MLA-flex architecture, now 35% stiffer than the outgoing Range Rover Sport.

The SUV comes equipped with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Land Rover says all models come fitted with Emergency Braking, 3D Surround Camera, front and rear parking sensors, Wade Sensing, ClearSight Ground View and Maneuvering lights, Cruise control, Driver Condition Monitor, Lane Keep Assist, and Traffic Sign Recognition.

Platform & Powertrain

The 2023 Range Rover Sport is underpinned by the new MLA-flex (Modular Longitudinal Architecture-flexible) platform. The MLA supports full electrification, and in addition to a Range Rover EV, a Range Rover Sport EV will arrive in 2024.

The 2023 Range Rover Sport is available with multiple electrified powertrains. There are two six-cylinder Ingenium engines with mild-hybrid alongside a twin-turbo V8. We are interested in the fourth powertrain option, a plug-in hybrid that comes with the P440e badge.

Range Rover Sport P440e

The Range Rover Sport P440e comes with a 3-liter six-cylinder engine that works with a 105 kW (143 hp) electric motor and a rather large 31.8 kWh lithium-ion battery also offered on the PHEV version of the flagship.

The total system power is 434 hp, while torque is 457 lb-ft between 1,500-5,000 rpm. The vehicle has a 140 mph top speed and a 0-60 mph acceleration time of 5.5 seconds. What’s impressive is that the Range Rover Sport PHEV, with its comparatively large battery pack, can comfortably drive in zero-emissions mode for up to 48 miles (manufacturer estimate). Customers could use the SUV as a pure electric vehicle for daily usage by charging it regularly.

Chassis Technologies

The vehicle also features Dynamic Air Suspension with variable ride height for the first time—the system can automatically monitor external factors up to 500 times per second to adjust the suspension settings for the best ride quality. The SUV gets Dynamic Response Pro which enhances handling using a 48-volt electronic active roll stabilization—the system can apply 1,000 lb-ft torque to counter lateral forces, to keep the vehicle stable in tricky handling situations.

The Range Rover Sport also gets all-wheel-steering for the first time. The rear wheels can turn up to 7.3 degrees in the opposite direction at slow speeds to negotiate tight spaces and turn in the same direction at higher speeds for improved agility. Additionally, the SUV features torque vectoring by braking and an Electronic Active Differential that works with Land Rover’s latest Terrain Response system to take over any rough terrain that the new Range Rover Sport finds itself in.

Interestingly, the First Edition variant exclusively gets the Stormer Handling Pack, which combines Dynamic Response Pro, All-wheel-steering, E-Active Differential, and Torque Vectoring by Braking.

On the Range Rover Sport Electric

The Range Rover Sport Electric should borrow the BMW i7’s EV tech, says a report from Auto Express. JLR and BMW Group collaborated to develop new-generation Electric Drive Units (EDUs) in June 2019. An EDU consists of the EV’s motor, transmission, and power electronics in a single housing.

BMW Group led the development of the shared EV technology and commercialized it first. The fifth-gen eDrive or “Gen 5 eDrive” debuted in the BMW iX3 in 2020. The BMW iX and BMW i4 adopted the same in 2021. The sixth-generation eDrive will likely debut in the next-gen EVs of 2025, riding on the BMW Neue Klasse platform. JLR wants the Range Rover Electric and Range Rover Sport Electric in 2024. Expect the pair to settle for the current, fifth-gen technology with improvements.

Price & Release Date

The 2023 Range Rover Sport P440e costs USD 104,200 (excl. USD 1,475 destination and delivery charge). Customer deliveries will likely start by March 2023. The standard model, the prices of which start at USD 83,000 (excl. USD 1,475 destination and delivery charge), is available at U.S. dealerships. In Europe, the plug-in hybrid model is on sale, too.

2023 Range Rover Sport FAQs

Featured Image Source: Land Rover