Road Test: 2009 Range Rover Sport

With the economic crisis in full bloom, driving around in the Range Rover Sport is like wearing a target on your back. Face it: Joining the Hummer as the poster brand for gas-guzzling SUVs, the Rover also screams “conspicuous consumption” at a time when fiscal restraint is mandated. Call me paranoid, but I swear I can feel the daggers being thrown at me by hybrid drivers as I thunder by them in a 2,572-kilogram beast consuming four times the fossil fuel of their parsimonious little Priuses, Insights, et al.

Maybe the rich are inured to such scorn, but my middle-class sensibilities are far more thin-skinned. The fact that I thoroughly enjoy driving conservative, upper crust Land Rover’s most radical, politically incorrect model is not helping matters.

The Sport, which Land Rover first brought out for the 2006 model year, is what the company calls a “sports tourer,” not a descriptor one normally associates with an SUV, even one as hoity-toity as a Range Rover. Then again, not that many five-seater utes come with a supercharged, 390-horsepower, 4.2-litre V8 and enough electronic aids for it to make a coffee run up Mount Kilimanjaro. Bring the Gold Card with you when filling up at the pumps — my test average for the week was 17.5 litres of premium fuel per 100 kilometres. (If that’s not bad enough, for 2010, Land Rover is tossing the engine in favour of another Jaguar-sourced V8 with five litres and 510 hp in blown form. Lest you believe that the height of profligacy, BMW will introduce M versions of its X5 and X6 later this year, replete with a 555-hp, twin-turbo V8. And there’s already the 550-hp, Porsche Cayenne Turbo S.)

I suppose that along with never being too rich or too thin, one can never have enough power when driving up to the ski resort, but I find the engine setup just fine. The rumble that emanates from the twin exhaust pipes is a deep, rich bass. Laying into the throttle not only ups the decibel level to a macho bellow, it sees the Sport move with an eagerness that belies its avoirdupois. Hitting 100 kilometres an hour from a standstill takes less than eight seconds if one uses the manual portion of the six-speed manumatic transmission.

The supercharged Sport handles well for a big SUV, thanks to the standard Dynamic Response system and its computer-controlled active anti-roll control. Kudos also to the air suspension, which proves that handling doesn’t have to come at the expense of a spine-compressing ride. And, the Range Rover stops as well as it goes, with big ventilated disc brakes (Brembos up front), ABS, electronic brake-force distribution and brake assist to keep things in check when the anchor is dropped. Other safety nannies include all-terrain Dynamic Stability Control, Cornering Brake Control and Hill Descent Control.

All Land Rovers are renowned for unparalleled off-road abilities, and the full-time, four-wheel-drive Range Rover Sport is no exception, although extreme boonie bashing in an $85,500 rig equipped with P275/40R20 Continental performance rubber and a shiny set of alloy rims is more than a little incongruent. Still, if traipsing over hill and dale is your thing, the Sport’s Terrain Response system has your back. Setting a console knob in one of five available modes adjusts throttle and gear changes, positions the suspension at the appropriate ride height, sets the centre differential in a mode suitable for the conditions and alters the nannies’ functions. About the only things it doesn’t do is wipe your nose and pull up your socks.

Moving to the Sport’s cabin, there are the requisite top-quality materials including comfortable and supportive leather-lined seats and a full list of comfort and convenience features. That said, it’s obvious Land Rover needs to update the SUV to keep up with the competition. At the Sport’s price, it would not be out of line to expect upscale accoutrement such as push-button start, backup cameras and a power rear tailgate as standard fare. And, while I will admit to being a Luddite when it comes to such matters, I have techno-savvy friends who tell me the electronics — audio, navigation system and Bluetooth integration– are no longer state-of-the-art.

Actually, more than the latest electronic doodads, I would love to see the Sport offered in Canada with the turbodiesel option that’s available in Europe. That would at least mitigate some of the sport-ute’s swinish fuel consumption.

Not being a member of the horsey or apres-ski sets, I have no clue if the Sport is still the luxury sport-ute in which to be seen. But, if your lifestyle incorporates the need for an elegant “mudder superior,” its style, panache and performance still make it desirable.

bharper@nationalpost.com

THE SPECS:

Type of vehicle: Four-wheel-drive luxury SUV

Engine: Supercharged 4.2L DOHC V8

Power: 390 hp @ 5,750 rpm; 410 lb-ft of torque @ 3,500 rpm

Transmission: Six-speed manumatic

Brakes: Four-wheel disc with ABS

Tires: P275/40R20

Price: base/as tested: $85,500/$89,500

Destination charge: $1,270

Transport Canada fuel economy L/100 km: 17.7 city, 11.4 hwy.

Standard features: Bi-xenon automatic headlights with power washers, power-folding and heated exterior mirrors, front and rear fog lights, keyless entry, 550-watt harman/kardon Logic7 digital surround-sound audio system with 14 speakers, DVD-based GPS navigation system with off-road interface, eight-way power front seats, power tilt and telescopic steering column, cruise control, dual-zone automatic climate control with pollen filter, automatic variable-speed rain-sensing windshield wipers, front and rear Park Distance Control, power sunroof, power windows, automatic-dimming inside rear-view mirror, HomeLink, tire pressure monitoring system

This article was taken from: Driving

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 at 8:27 am and is filed under Land Rover. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.