(7.8 out of 10)
REVIEW DATE: 01 May 2009
There's nothing quite like a Range Rover Sport. Jonathan Crouch discovers why.
The Range Rover Sport brings a dynamic, road-orientated sporting edge to Land Rover's product range, slotting neatly between the family-orientated Discovery and the super-luxury Range Rover. It all but matches the best of its sporting SUV rivals on the highway while decimating them when tarmac turns to turf. In other words, a very accomplished car indeed.
Forty years ago, the iconic Range Rover was seen as a sporty, lifestyle-orientated product. But somewhere, at some time since, something changed. The Rangey became a plutocratic luxury saloon that also happened to have the SUV wherewithal to get you home if your country estate turned out to be halfway up a mountain. A car that raised a bemused eyebrow if you tried to hustle it down a twisting B-road. And a car that opened up a big gap on the more family-orientated Discovery that was Land Rover ownership's next rung down. It was to fill this space that the Solihull brand introduced this Range Rover Sport back in 2005.
Despite the name, it was Discovery, rather than Range Rover-based, but none the worse for that, with a more tarmac-orientated remit that, astonishingly, still managed to incorporate all of the Disco's legendary ability. The green lobby howled in protest, but customers who Land Rover would otherwise have lost to sporty SUVs like BMW's X5 or Porsche's Cayenne flocked into ownership. Four years on however, initially minor issues like the slightly utilitarian cabin and the lethargic entry-level 2.7-litre diesel engine were becoming more significant and both were duly solved by the improved version we're looking at here.
Is it sporty? Well if it isn't now, it's never going to be. This car's combination of air springs, active anti-roll bars and electronically-controlled damping have always produced a firm-on-the road experience justified by its extraordinary composure on the kind of back routes that would once have required sickbags if you were pressing on in a large SUV. Now it's even better, thanks to fine-tuning of the chassis and an active damping system that, in conjunction with the air suspension, can make calculations about road and driving conditions over 300 times a second. There are also massive Brembo brakes that manage to bring this 2.5-tonne monster from rest to 100mph and back to rest again in just 15 seconds.
"It's still a car that's hard to justify but very easy to like."
That's if you're at the wheel of the amazing 503bhp 5.0-litre V8 Supercharged Sport model with its awesome 625Nm of torque, the only petrol option on offer to Range Rover Sport buyers and good for 62mph from rest in just five seconds if you're quick with the steering wheel paddles that many will want to control the slicker-shifting 6-speed automatic gearbox. That kind of performance is nice to have but in the real world, most buyers will end up behind the wheel of one of the two diesel models. The original entry-level 188bhp 2.7-litre V6 diesel option was rightly ignored by many buyers who, rightly concluding it was anything but 'sporty', went for the 272bhp TDV8. These days, the choice isn't quite as clear-cut, with V6 diesel power now provided by an altogether transformed 243bhp 3.0-litre unit with 29% more power and 36% more torque that's now probably the pick of the range.
Like the Discovery, the Range Rover Sport features Land Rover's unique 'Integrated Body Frame' twin chassis technology, giving ladder chassis-strength for off roading and a unitary body for luxury saloon-style cruising. That being the case, we probably shouldn't be surprised that this car is as good as it is off road but it's still a shock to be able to be able to keep up with a GTi on a twisting country road, then veer off to conquer the kind of off road terrain you couldn't even walk through.
It all comes courtesy of air springs capable of raising or lowering the car by over 10cm, a low ratio transfer case, hill descent control and, best of all, the brilliant Terrain Response System. You simply switch the rotary knob to whichever of the settings best describes the land you're on - and leave the car to do the rest. There's a general driving programme plus one for slippery conditions (dubbed 'Grass/Gravel/Snow') and three specialist off road modes ('Mud and Ruts', 'Sand', 'Rock Crawl'). The improved system also includes a 'Dynamic' mode, designed to optimise performance on the road with sharper steering and firmer suspension with enhanced body control
Whether you like the look of a Range Rover Sport will have a big impact on whether you'll want to buy one. Like the Range Rover Stormer concept car on which it was originally based, it's dramatic, purposeful and very in-your-face, especially now. This improved version features these piercing LED front lights and a restyled aluminium mesh front grille above a larger air intake that helps the powerful engines breathe.
More important however, are the changes to the cabin, lately improved with over 1,500 fresh parts. Once very Discovery-like, it's now more closely aligned with plusher Range Rover motoring, though the sloping centre console creates a more cocooned, cockpit-orientated feel. This and the plentiful use of soft plastics and lovely stitched leather should certainly make owners feel better about the fat cheque they'll be expected to sign, especially when the cabin is bathed in lovely mood lighting at night. It's certainly a much more luxurious, higher-end place to spend your time. The smart touchscreen display you'll find on the centre console helps here, removing some of the buttons previously dotted around the dash. A neat display screen is also included on the instrument cluster, giving an at-a-glance rundown of key information for the driver.
The great high-set seating that offers such a commanding view and keeps kids quiet on longer journeys is designed for four in comfort and five if you must, though getting in and out of the back is somewhat impeded by the huge bite the rear wheelarches take out of the back door openings. There's a decently-sized 958-litre boot though, and a separately-opening rear screen so you can drop in smaller items without having the open the whole tailgate. Fold the rear seats and there's 2013 litres.
Combining arguably the world's most prolific off road ability with cutting edge SUV on road handling isn't a cheap proposition, so you won't be surprised to find list prices likely to put you Range Rover Sport purchase somewhere in the £45,000-£65,000 bracket. It's some comfort that comparable versions of obvious sporting SUV rivals like BMW's X5 and Porsche's Cayenne are priced at about the same level. Whether you go for the six or eight cylinder diesels or the supercharged V8 petrol model, equipment is not in short supply at any level of the Range Rover Sport model range. All variants get alloy wheels, Dynamic Stability Control, a diesel misfuel protection device, touch-screen hard-disc drive navigation with a 4x4 interface and voice control, a nine-speaker harman/kardon audio system, an iPod/USB connectivity module, a Bluetooth phone system, and leather seat facings.
There's only so much you can do to reduce the running costs of a vehicle that tips the scales at over two and a half tonnes - more even than the Range Rover and almost twice the weight of a family hatch. Still, Land Rover has had its attention focused on environmental issues in recent times and the Range Rover Sport is reaping the benefits in its own relative way. The engines are undeniably efficient for their size and power outputs, considering they're fitted to a vehicle of the Sport's size and capability. The combined fuel economy for the 3.0-litre diesel engine is over 30mpg and that comes with CO2 emissions of 243g/km. Respective figures for the TDV8 diesel are 25mpg and 294g/km. The 5.0-litre engine is predictable less thrifty, managing only 19mpg, with 348g/km emissions. Residuals aren't bad, suggesting that a three year old model with 30,000 miles would fetch 60% of its original value.
If you're after a car that really can deliver excitement on the road and ultimate capability off it, the Range Rover Sport is one of the best places you can start your search. Though now plusher, faster and more efficient, it's still a car that's hard to justify but very easy to like. Which come to think of it applies to many of the very best things in life. For you, this may be one of them.
The results below show the top RANGE ROVER SPORT deals on buyacar
| For RANGE ROVER SPORT | ||
| OVERALL | 7.8 OUT OF 10 | |
| Performance |  |
9 |
| Comfort | |
9 |
| Handling |  |
8 |
| Economy |  |
7 |
| Space / Versatility | |
7 |
| Styling | |
9 |
| Equipment | |
9 |
| Build | |
8 |
| Depreciation | |
7 |
| Insurance |  |
6 |
| Value | |
7 |
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