Luxury that hauls ass
Forget any preconceived notions you may
have about Range Rover. Yes, the bulk of Rover’s present-day clientele differs
vastly from the hoi-polloi who scooped up the first utilitarian models that
came off Land Rover’s assembly line back in 1970. But despite its excessive
luxury, the present-day Range Rover hasn’t lost any of the off-road prowess
that made the brand famous. The current Range Rover Sport has more horsepower
than a Grand Cherokee SRT, nearly as much wheel travel as a Ford Raptor, and
handling that would make a BMW M3 pull up its skirt and run for the powder
room. It is an amazing vehicle.
Therefore, it should come as little
surprise the ‘14 Range Rover Sport easily mopped the competition to take home
our 2014 Four Wheeler of the Year award. And the same Chile Red vehicle that we
flogged in our testing is the one we’ll be spending the next year and
umpteen-thousands of miles in. With creature comforts rivaling a five-star
luxury resort and an absurd 510hp supercharged V-8 under the hood, it’s a
sacrifice we’re not unwilling to make. But with a base price of almost $80,000,
we’ll admit it’s a sacrifice few will be able to make.
Therefore,
it should come as little surprise the ‘14 Range Rover Sport easily mopped the
competition to take home our 2014 Four Wheeler of the Year award.
The base price gets you a lot in the way of
performance. You’ll have to tick the Dynamic Package for an additional $2,500
to get the 21-inch wheels and sticky Pirelli Scorpion speed-rated tires that’ll
bump top-speed up to an electronically limited 155 mph. Otherwise, all the
important items like the supercharged, intercooled 5.0L V-8 with 510 hp and 461
lb-ft, excellent eight-speed ZF automatic tranny with lightning-fast auxiliary
paddle shifters, two-speed T-case that can split power from 100 percent front,
rear, or any combination between, auto-terrain response four-wheel-drive
system, hill descent, adjustable air suspension, electronic rear diff, and more
comes as standard. In all, it’s a drivetrain system that lets you rail high-G
corners on road with nary a hint of body roll or mow through a mogul-strewn
trail at speed while barely ruffling the grocery bags in the back.
Unlike many high-horsepower performance
vehicles of this ilk, the Range Rover Sport is still able to deliver impressive
fuel economy. Using features like intelligent start/stop technology (shuts the
engine down at stoplights or when the A/C system demands are low), direct fuel
injection, and smart regenerative charging that puts the vehicle’s kinetic
energy back into the electrical system to reduce fuel demands, the Range Rover
Sport delivers economy numbers of vehicles easily half its horsepower. But
despite the fuel savings, the engine is an absolute animal when you want it to
be. Clip the accelerator and the response is instantaneous and ferocious. It’s
intoxicating and addictive and will ruin you for most other vehicles because
everything seems lethargic, stiff, and ungainly by comparison.
Using
features like intelligent start/stop technology (shuts the engine down at
stoplights or when the A/C system demands are low), direct fuel injection, and
smart regenerative charging that puts the vehicle’s kinetic energy back into
the electrical system to reduce fuel demands, the Range Rover Sport delivers
economy numbers of vehicles easily half its horsepower.
The 2014 Range Rover Sport features
refreshed styling and an aluminum monocoque integrated body and chassis for an
800-pound weight reduction over the 2013 Sport. The look is sleek, yet
muscular. Everywhere we park it, fresh-from-the-gym cougars in yoga pants swarm
all over it.
The
2014 Range Rover Sport features refreshed styling and an aluminum monocoque
integrated body and chassis for an 800-pound weight reduction over the 2013
Sport.
