I clearly remember the first time I drove a Land Rover Range Rover Sport.
It was also the first time I had ever climbed up the side of a mountain in an SUV.
Back in 2005, Land Rover launched the 2006 Range Rover Sport as an all-new vehicle, using a route from Aspen, Colo., to Moab, Utah, as a playground. And boy did we play.
I was impressed with the Range Rover Sport’s excellent road manners, and we did plenty of highway and mountain-road driving on day one. But on day two, we took the vehicle in the wilds of Utah to test what is at the heart of every Land Rover: off-road capability.
When we came to a place called “Wipe Out Hill,” I remember wondering how we were going around the wall of an obstacle. I was slightly skeptical when the Land Rover folks said we were going up, not around. But sure enough, up we went.
Throughout the two-day drive, I was constantly amazed with the capability, comfort and complexity of the Range Rover Sport. I walked away from the preview thinking that this SUV is one of the more perfect vehicles out there … if you have $60K to spend on a vehicle, that is.
Since the launch, I’ve had a couple of brief off-roading encounters with the Range Rover Sport, which have done nothing but strengthen this journalist’s opinion of the SUV’s capability.
This time around, I had no off-road time in the Range Rover Sport, but there was – and I’m sure this will come as a surprise – snow.
I picked the test vehicle up at the airport in the middle of one of our many snow storms. It was late, so not many of the roads had been cleared. Traffic was crawling on Mannheim. Then it was crawling on the Kennedy. Luckily both of these roads had more than one lane. The Range Rover Sport did not need to crawl. I simply stuck the vehicle in snow mode and made it home in the usual amount of time.
The thing that never ceases to amaze me about the Ranger Rover Sport is the size versus nimbleness ratio. This is a vehicle that is 188.5 inches long, 75.9 inches wide and has a cargo volume of 71 cubic-feet. While we’re not talking Hummer H2 proportions, we’re definitely not talking small potatoes either.
Since I’ve moved, I have a new parking configuration which is no less easy to navigate than the old-fashioned alley garage. Here, I’m in an actual lot surrounded by other people’s cars. At least before I really only had to worry about my car and my garage. As with typical Chicago parking spaces, there is not much room to maneuver. Most sedans I’ve driven since the move have required a series of three-point turns to get into or out of my space. But with the Range Rover Sport, the tight turning radius allowed me to make one even turn out of the space.
The other part of the nimbleness equation has to be the impressive visibility from the driver’s seat. No matter how tall or (ahem) short you may be, the Range Rover Sport guarantees an excellent driving position. I could pump the seat up high enough to see well out of all windows. Additionally, the somewhat boxy front end allows you to see well over the hood and the front two corners so that you see exactly where the Range Rover Sport is in relation to an obstacle … Like my neighbor’s car. Thus, you feel more confident making tight turns.
The reason I spend so much time talking about the capability of the Range Rover Sport is because it’s easy to forget that this is a born-and-bred off-roader. With a base price of $59,000, this SUV is well-established in the luxury class.
Inside and out, the prevailing theme is clean and simple. The clear-cut lines of the hood and rear sloping window give a strong almost-masculine look, yet the detailed grille and dazzling headlights add elegance. The interior is defined by simplicity with well-placed controls and gauges. I like the minimal brushed nickel accents, and the two-tone interior adds depth and personality.
Living with this vehicle during a test period, however, did scare up some of the foibles you wouldn’t notice during a preview. First and foremost: Though the navigation system is standard at this price point, heated seats are not. The test vehicle included them as a part of a $3K Luxury Interior Package. The good news: Back seat passengers benefit as well as this package also includes heated rear seats.
Speaking of the navigation system: Not a fan. You cannot adjust it while you are driving, and this is a huge pet peeve of mine. Especially when you have a passenger in the front seat who could do the fiddling for you. I had to resort to voice commands while I was driving, and this did not turn out well for me. Either the system didn’t recognize my voice or I was giving the wrong commands. Its only response to me was: “Sorry.”
While I like the way the interior looks, how it feels is a different matter. The premium leather eats included with the Luxury Interior Package were supple and supportive, but they didn’t match some of the other interior surfaces. The “brushed nickel” accents are actually plastic, and they feel that way.
Plus, the test vehicle had a weird gearshift glitch. When I put the vehicle in park, I couldn’t get the key to release from the ignition without jiggling the gearshift a couple times. I’m sure this is probably an easy fix, but when a $60K vehicle has less than 10K miles on it, stuff like that shouldn’t be happening.
The test vehicle was a base Range Rover Sport HSE with the 300-horsepower V-8 engine, and with the Luxury Interior Package and satellite radio, the total MSRP came to $62,400. If you’d like to upgrade to the Supercharged model, know that you’ll add not only the 4.2-liter, 390 horsepower supercharged V-8 engine but also about $13K to the price tag. The good news here: Heated seats and pretty much every other option available on the base model become standard fare.
Through the snow and on clear roads, I liked the way the Range Rover Sport drove in everyday situations. It was easy to maneuver, and acceleration was equivalent to a sedan with a V-6 engine. And then there’s always the knowledge that if you ever did find yourself tramping through the wilderness, the Range Rover Sport would handle it with aplomb.
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