{"id":17505,"date":"2023-06-06T13:40:19","date_gmt":"2023-06-06T13:40:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carpages.ca\/blog\/?post_type=cp_guides&p=17505"},"modified":"2023-06-07T14:37:05","modified_gmt":"2023-06-07T14:37:05","slug":"range-rover-sport-square-off-turbocharged-v8-vs-plug-in-hybrid","status":"publish","type":"cp_guides","link":"https:\/\/www.carpages.ca\/blog\/range-rover-sport-square-off-turbocharged-v8-vs-plug-in-hybrid\/","title":{"rendered":"Range Rover Sport Square-Off- Turbocharged V8 vs. Plug-in Hybrid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Next time you\u2019re sitting a traffic light, take a quick look around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re willing to bet dollars to doughnuts that most of the motorists in your immediate proximity are sat behind the wheel of an SUV. Slowly but surely, their rise in popularity has seen relentless upwards trajectory ever since the first Ford Explorer- decked out in Eddie Bauer trim and wearing Hunter Green Paint over a Tan Leather interior, probably- showed up in a Costco parking lot back in 1991.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With SUV popularity eclipsing the sedan a while back, it\u2019s safe to say that they have ingrained themselves into the automotive landscape; they\u2019re everywhere. And with the ubiquity that comes with being seen on every street corner, in every parking lot and in so many driveways- how do you get them to stand out? You can stuff a powerful engine under the hood and slap a hefty price tag on the windshield (a strategy that has paid off handsomely over the years for so many brands) but if the thing still looks like any old family huckster, what\u2019s the use?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Range Rovers have never had to shoulder such a burden. They are the cr\u00e8me de la cr\u00e8me of SUVs, usually gazed upon with quiet awe and desire. These trucks exude presence from every pore, though its tough to pinpoint exactly one reason why. Is it the beautifully understated styling? Perhaps it\u2019s the palatial accommodations of their interiors? Maybe it\u2019s because they can go places off the grid that other SUVs wouldn\u2019t dare set a tire tread in, all while spoiling passengers with decadent opulence? We\u2019d say it\u2019s all three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We drove the range-topping Range Rover a few months back and came away suitably impressed by the experience, calling it \u201cundeniably exquisite.\u201d We still stand by those words and maintain that if some unknown trust fund we were not aware of ever starts writing big cheques, it would be the SUV we would unhesitatingly ensconce in our climate-controlled garage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what if you don\u2019t need something as big, or you can\u2019t make the final reach to make ends meet with the price tag? Enter the Range Rover Sport, a carefully reduced version of the Mack Daddy both in size and dollars. Full disclosure- in some ways, we prefer the Sport to the full-size Rangie because as lovers of sports cars, this is the closest thig in the entire lineup we\u2019ll get to a two-lane-two-stepper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following closely behind its bigger brother, the Sport is all new for 2023. We don\u2019t know if we\u2019d label it \u2018undeniably exquisite\u2019, but gosh darn it if it isn\u2019t a handsome thing. The softly rounded off edges, the way the door panels chamfer upwards without any breaks in the sheet meal- if you want to stand out in a sea of banal SUVs and crossovers, this would be a swell way to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s also a new suite of powertrains, starting with a hybrid inline-six, a plug-in hybrid version of that powertrain and a BMW sourced twin turbo V8. We\u2019ll be testing the latter two in this space, and no, your eyes aren\u2019t deceiving you- although pained in the same shade fetching hue of Varesine Blue and wearing the same 22\u201d black wheels, we can assure you that these are two very different vehicles. A quick tell is the massive quad exhaust exits poking out of the rear bumper of the V8 model which is known as the P530; let\u2019s talk about that one first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P530 First Edition<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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