Within a nano-second of climbing in and driving off in Land Rover’s newest Range Rover Sport Autobiography, you know you’re behind the wheel of something a bit special.

It’s like slipping-on a made-to-measure Savile Row suit. Or a pair of bespoke John Lobb loafers. Or a pair of Duluth Trading Buck Naked boxers. It all fits perfectly. 

Of course, there’s no shortage of luxury sporty-utes on the market – BMW X5, Porsche Cayenne, Mercedes-AMG GLE53, and Audi SQ8. All worthy rivals.

But somehow the Range Rover stands out, like a suited-and-booted George Clooney in a sea of Woody Allens.

A lot of it is down to cool, classy design. There’s a broody elegance here, from the towering waistline, to the slope of that coal-black roof, to the chiseled, cat’s-eye LED headlights, to those 23-inch gloss-black rims. 

And see that thrusting, bluff, mile-wide front end in your rear-view, with that unmistakable Range Rover script writ large, and chances are you’re moving over. 

It’s not just looks that thrill. Under that massive clamshell hood lurks a nuclear reactor of a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 delivering a mighty 523 horsepower and stump-pulling 553 lb-ft of torque. 

Coupled to one of the creamiest-shifting eight-speed automatics in the business, this BMW-sourced V8 can thrust the Sport from standstill to 60 mph in a zippy 4.5 seconds. Pretty impressive for a full-fat off-roader that weighs roughly the same as a Brinks armored truck. 

And the Rover isn’t just about straight-line performance. Show it a twisty back road and it starts to justify that Sport badge on the tailgate. With dynamic air suspension, front and rear active anti-roll bars, full-time all-wheel drive and four-wheel steering, the thing can carve curves like a tall-riding Corvette. 

For those times you prefer not to drive it like you stole it, the Sport is happy to lose its Sport badge and morph into a Lincoln Town Car with a ride that’s as smooth and supple as Ali Baba’s magic carpet. 

Even with those massive 23-inch gumballs at each corner, there’s surprisingly little road or tire noise. At 75 mph on I-75, the cabin is more hushed than a basket of snoozing kittens. 

For me, the only serious rival to this Firenze Red Sport Autobiography – base sticker $125,025, or $130,110 as tested – is the truly-impressive plug-in hybrid version.

Here a 355-hp 3.0-liter in-line six gas engine is hooked-up to a  

141-hp electric motor fed from a 39 kWh battery. The result is a combined and non-trivial 543-hp, 0-to-60 acceleration in 4.7 seconds, and a combined 53 MPGe economy. 

But the icing on the cake is its terrific, electric-only range of 53 miles that makes it perfect for daily commutes on silent, zero-emission battery power. It’s also slightly less pricey at $120,325. 

Inside, our V8 Autobiography is, as you’d expect from the sticker, a temple of luxury, though also an exercise in minimalism. All the typical switches and knobs you’d expect are now a tap or swipe away on the 13.1-inch curved touchscreen. 

Take your pick of cloth or lovely semi-aniline leather, though our test car’s acres of black leather, piano black trim and all-black dashboard made it look like the inside of Gene Simmons’ closet. 

Range Rover Sports start in price at $81,325 and soar to over $180,700 for the potent 626-hp Sport SV. But this Autobiography V8 might just be the best all-round SUV money can buy. 

For instant gratification, I saw that Land Rover Tampa up on East Fowler, is currently offering a loaded 2023 Range Rover Sport P530 First Edition with just 12,551 miles on the clock for just $96,250. That’s an impressive $30,700 saving on the original $126,955 MSRP. 

LIke our test Autobiography, it’s painted a stunning shade of Firenze Red with shiny black 23-inch rims and Ebony-black  leather interior. And the First Edition package means more toys than an FAO Schwarz store during the holidays. Comes with that lovely 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 too. 

Take a look at www.landrovertampa.com