The appeal of Land Rover's products is in the automaker's tradition of offering the ability to "go anywhere" in luxury.
The Range Rover Sport continues that trend while providing even more on-road refinement. While many of its rivals look and feel largely the same, the Range Rover Sport carries an air of exclusivity and makes you feel special in or out of the vehicle. Its main competition comes for the Audi Q7, BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne. 2015 sees the debut of the new high-performance SVR badge. The Range Rover Sport SVR is the fastest, most powerful and most dynamically focused Land Rover ever produced.
Design
While the previous Range Rover Sport was accused of not being a "proper" Range Rover, the same criticism cannot be levelled at this new model.
The old Range Rover Sport was based on the significantly cheaper Land Rover Discovery. This new model, however, shares the same all-aluminium architecture as the top-of-the-line Range Rover. As a result, the new Sport is 360 kilograms lighter despite growing a bit bigger.
Even though it has the same bones as its big brother, the Sport looks more like its smaller sibling, the Range Rover Evoque. Overall, it looks slick, yet rugged and easily identifiable as a Land Rover.
Both the front and rear receive more contemporary styling that better aligns to its sport suffix. The blacked-out pillars give it a sleek appearance and the spoiler topping the hatch hints at its potential.
The interior boasts premium materials and a tasteful design. It is simple and elegant and designers did a good job of blending modern technology with old-world class. The Range Rover Sport comes as well equipped as any car costing more than $75,000. It can also be further tailored to perfectly suit your individual tastes. It looks as luxurious and as expensive as the Range Rover on the outside but it's actually quite a bit cheaper.
Performance
As most would expect, the Range Rover Sport has a commanding view over the road and other motorists. Despite its bulk, rear and side visibility are good thanks to the large windows. Unlike the standard Range Rover, driving the Sport feels more sedan-like.
While being tall, the Range Rover Sport is very quiet, with very little wind or road noise entering the cabin. This makes it a truly cruiser. Further aiding in that regard is the standard air suspension, which soaks up road imperfections. The setup is a little firmer than the big Range Rover but the Sport always remains very composed.
It also never loses that composure even when it's offroading or facing tough weather. The standard four-wheel drive includes a low-range gearbox and locked differential; these are controlled by Land Rover's Terrain Response 2 system that allows the driver to choose the optimal power distribution for the given situation. It even comes with an Auto mode, which determines the ideal setting to help novice drivers drive "properly" in any condition.
On paved roads the Sport corners with virtually no body roll. The V-8 equipped models come with a torque-vectoring system that sends more power to the rear outside wheel when slippage is encountered. Ultimately though, it still can't quite match the outright handling ability of the Porsche Cayenne.
The Range Rover Sport is surprisingly agile around town. Despite its heft, steering is light and responsive. It's this level of refinement that sets Land Rover apart from the rest.
The available engines are one V-6 and two V-8 models. All are gasoline powered — the diesel-electric hybrid popular in Europe is not available in North America.
Most Range Rover Sport's here will be powered by a new supercharged 3.0-litre V-6 engine. It has been lightened to improve performance and efficiency and produces 340 horsepower and 332 foot-pounds of torque.
The next step in performance is a supercharged 5.0-litre V-8. This engine creates 510 h.p. and 461 foot-pounds of torque to haul the Range Rover Sport to 100 kilometres per hour in just 5.3 seconds. But, if that's still not enough, check out the new SVR model. Its supercharged 5.0-litre V-8 puts out 550 h.p. and will allow it to rocket to 100 km/h in less than five seconds.
Environment
The cabin of a Land Rover is always luxurious and upscale, and the Sport's interior is no exception. The standard panoramic roof creates an open and airy atmosphere.
The Range Rover Sport comes with an impressive amount of standard equipment. All models come with leather upholstery, satellite navigation, rearview camera, and Bluetooth smartphone connectivity to name a few. Given its size, it's not surprising storage is plenty too. The centre console is massive, as are the door bins and glove box. Rearseat passengers will appreciate the added legroom. Also, due to the Range Rover Sport's width, it provides plenty of comfortable space when carrying three in the back — and thanks to the flat floor and sculpted centre console, the middle passenger won't have to fight for foot space. If you need to carry more passengers, new this year is an optional 5+2 seating package. This adds a powered third row with two additional seats. However, it is barely big enough to accommodate a small child, entry and exit is awkward, and you lose the spare tire.
While the Sport doesn't have the handy split tailgate of the larger Range Rover, the power liftgate and flat cargo floor make loading and unloading items easy. The 27.7 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row is about as good as you can get in a sporty SUV. With the 60/40 split rear seats folded, it opens up a maximum 62.2 cubic feet of cargo volume.
If there is a complaint about the Range Rover Sport's interior, it would be its infotainment system. Unfortunately, it feels a bit old and awkward, and it has a low screen resolution and slow response times.
Features
Ranging in price from $75,490 to $124,990, the Range Rover Sport proves brand luxury comes at a cost.
Standard equipment includes passive keyless entry, heated front and rear seats, heated steering wheel, two-zone climate control, heated windshield with heated washer jets, rain-sensing wipers, heated power exterior mirrors, xenon headlights, front and rear camera, parking aids, intelligent start/stop system, and an eight-inch touchscreen.
Additional features, available as options or on higher trims, include memory seats, sliding panoramic roof, adaptive headlights, automatic high beams, three-zone climate control, auto dimming interior mirror, surround camera system, and blind spot monitoring.
Fuel efficiency numbers (litres/100 kilometres) for V-6 models are 14.0 city, 10.5 highway and 12.4 combined. The standard V-8 returns 16.6 city, 12.3 highway and 14.7 combined, whereas the tuned V-8 sees 17.3 city, 12.2 highway and 15.0 combined.
Thumbs up
The Range Rover Sport stands apart from the crowd. Its luxurious interior and comfortable suspension make it the most relaxing sport SUV to travel in.
Thumbs down
Range Rover exclusivity comes at a price, and the expense continues throughout ownership as the Sport is not the most efficient model on the market. And, while this is an all-new model, Land Rover doesn't boast a sterling reliability record in general.
The bottom line
The 2015 Range Rover Sport is surprisingly fast and agile, supremely comfortable and can take you wherever you desire to go.
Competitors
Audi Q7: The Q7 is an imposing SUV. It boasts a high driving position providing a commanding view of the road. However, its bulk can be an issue in tight spaces. The Q7's $59,200 base price makes it an economical choice in this segment. An all-new model is soon to debut, so it may set a new standard.
BMW X5: The BMW X5 is a nice looking SUV inside and out and offers a level of refinement that rivals many vehicles priced much higher. The X5 is an impressive vehicle all around. The X5 comes in three models with prices starting at $62,990 and range up to $76,590.
Porsche Cayenne: If you want mammoth performance, yet need something practical, the Porsche Cayenne has a model to suit your needs. The Cayenne was the pioneer of the sport crossover segment and shows no signs of slowing down. The Cayenne Turbo is certainly not the most affordable people mover and ranges in price from $67,400 all the way up to $178,100.
editor@automotivepress.com
