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2006 Range Rover Sport: The British Bully
By now, everyone knows what the Range Rover brand is all about. And if you haven’t yet checked out K. Rawlins’ review of the ’06 Range Rover do so! It will get you up to date to what new heights Land Rover has taken their flagship Range Rover. Now entering the stage is the Range Rover Sport, an all-new edition to the family, which will extend the excitement to more SUV buyers. Look out Porsche Cayenne, BWW X5, Benz ML and VW Touareg -- there is a new kid on the block and he is a British bully!
Range Rover Sport, classified as a "Sports Tourer" by its builders, is like the younger brother of the coolest kid in school. Though big bro is tougher, smoother and more refined with his game, little man is more athletic -- a lady’s man, and little more accessible to those who have the nerve to step to him. And because he has the same genetic code that has made the elder so popular, he appeals to buyers that appreciate the best of what a luxury SUV has to offer.
Range Rover Sport is available as a HSE model with a 4.4-liter, 300-horsepower, naturally aspirated V8 and as a Supercharged model with a robust 4.2-liter V8 with 390 horses. If you drove the previous Range Rover with the BMW-built 4.4-liter then you would agree that an engine upgrade was necessary for the Range to keep its place at the top of the pecking order. But don’t let the smaller 4.2-liter confuse you, the engine block has been shaved down a bit to fit the supercharger which really packs a punch when you get behind the wheel. So if you like driving your SUV like you are in a Jaguar XKR, then the Sport is ready, willing, and able to accommodate your needs.
The Sport starts off with a super aerodynamic look, which makes the truck look fast even while standing still. When you start to see the new Sport ad campaign, it will probably be love at first sight as it was for me when Land Rover debuted it at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this past January.
Land Rover, known for producing highly capable off-road vehicles, did not underequip this model either, and its list of sophisticated features will attest to that. Except for the engines, the drivetrains on the HSE and Supercharged models are primarily identical. A six-speed automatic with Commandshift, permanent four-wheel drive, electronic traction control, and electronically controlled differentials for excellent off-road ability are standard. Additionally, the Sport is equipped with four-corner independent air suspension and Land Rover’s Terrain Response, which debuted in the LR3, Automotive Rhythms’ 2004 Truck of the Year. This system gives drivers the choice of five off-road settings -- grass, gravel, snow, sand, and rock crawl – which can be selected for the appropriate environment. Terrain Response modifies the engine, transmission, differentials, dynamics, and air suspension responses, which helps take the guesswork out of off-road maneuvering for novices. You simply diagnose your terrain and turn the knob to the corresponding position and let the Sport do the rest. A Dynamic Response System, which is a computer controlled active anti-roll system, is standard on the Supercharged model and an option on the HSE.
The on-road drive is where the Sport was primarily designed to test its laurels. It feels and performs like a sport sedan on open roads. With power assisted Servotronic rack-and-pinion steering, conquering traffic was easy. So was stopping with its four-channel Bosch ABS anti-lock brakes on 19/20” aluminum alloy wheels (sizes differ depending on model, and the Sport comes with high-performance Brembo brakes). But even before stopping, one has to try out Land Rover’s version of Adaptive Cruise Control. Easy to use, when a cruise speed is set, the Sport will proceed along until its gets within a specified range of the vehicle in front of it. The Sport will slow itself down according to the speed of the vehicle ahead, and when you move from behind the vehicle, the Sport will accelerate back to the set speed. This comes in handy on road trips when your foot becomes fatigued after long stretches.
Sport is also one of the better safety equipped SUVs on the road with a list a features including Electronic Brake Assist for emergency stops, Active Roll Mitigation, which stabilizes weight imbalances, Dynamic Stability Control, Hill Descent Control, multiple airbags, Bi-Xenon Adaptive front headlights that turn with the direction of the vehicle and more.
Sport’s interior is what you come to expect from a Range Rover. Comfortable leather seats for all, power everything, and my new favorite, Bluetooth technology, in which my Blackberry phone worked seamlessly. The harman/kardon stereo system with Logic 7 surround sound was great and the DVD based GPS navigation system was easy to use. The 7-inch touch LCD screen has many settings and modes for the driver or front passenger to play with. I loved it! And last but not least, there are choices of several opulent exterior/interior color schemes to choose from starting with Vesuvius (Burnt Orange), available only on the supercharged version.
Earlier I referred to the Sport in a male sense; however the Sport is definitely suitable for both male and female drivers. The Sport though, is a comparatively smaller SUV, so I don’t think that you will see many athletes or big boys pushing them because they simply will not fit as comfortably as in the Range. Sport will also be perfect for Range Rover buyers (entertainers, business men/women, and rich, “desperate” housewives) where driver size is not an issue.
The new pricing helps make affording a Range Rover Sport more of a reality, but get yours soon -- because if demand exceeds supply you will be waiting for a 2007 Sport. MSRP for the HSE is $56,750 and the Supercharged model starts at $69,750.
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