OVERLANDER REVIEWS
THE RANGE ROVER SPORT
by Mathieu Raudonikis - www.overlander.com.au
(Overlander is Australia’s original 4WD magazine and at the forefront of 4WD vehicle reviews for over 30 years.)
The first thing you notice about the RRS is its commanding driving position. You sit high and handsome and the vision is the best (in class).
It is surprising how well 140kW/440 Nm moves the 2455 kg of the RRS. It’s no rocket but it covers the kays effortlessly and with refinement and poise, even on crook roads despite riding more firmly then the super plush Vogue. Nice steering too and plenty of grip despite the body roll. No problem with clearance either once the suspension is jacked up or with the seamless nature of power delivery the RRS just glides around with dismissive ease.
During a week of testing, the Sport ate all the terrain we threw at it with comfort, poise, ease and effortless gait. Coming down Mount Misery I decided to leave the transfer case in high range and the transmission in Drive. I dialled in Hill Decent Control (HDC) and the Sport just cruised down the hills just as easily and smoothly as it would have in low range – first gear. It had the same amount of sure footedness and control and never once did it give me any reason for concern. I chose to leave it in High range /Drive for the steep, loose climb up the other side of the valley. The transmission did its stuff and the torque converter slipped just enough to rocket the Sport onward and upward. Absolutely stunning!
The RRS carries on the marque’s groundbreaking tradition of combining supreme luxury, comfort and refinement with genuine 4WD ability and toughness. It does this with clever innovative design that points the way ahead for other manufacturers that are content to follow rather than lead. Our particular vehicle didn’t have the optional self-locking rear electronic diff, but that didn’t stop it from storming up the set-piece hill climb with barely a hesitation and its HDC control is nicely calibrated as well.
The cabin is comfortable and the RRS’ armchair comfortable seat got no complaints from the testers. The RRS feels very much like a Range Rover in its general ambience and the way it drives both on and off road. It certainly does the old Range Rover trick of marrying refinement, poise and genuine off road ability.
The RRS comes at a very affordable price. It is a vehicle that dismisses all that you throw at it with an arrogance and confidence that you need to experience to fully appreciate.
(Added: The RRS won the Overlander 4WD of the year)
2008 Land Rover Range Rover Sport TDV8 Review
CAR ADVICE - by Anthony Crawford – www.caradvice.com.au
Executive Summary
“Almost as quick as its supercharged sibling, but with staggeringly low fuel consumption, the Range Rover Sport TDV8 has been graced with one of the finest diesel engines on the planet”. “An enormously satisfying drive with outstanding fuel economy, the Range Rover Sport TDV8 deserves high praise”
Living with the Sport
Entry level into a Range Rover Sport is a fair and reasonable for the TDV6, which goes well enough and is kind to your wallet. Above the TDV8 is the V8 Supercharged a favourite of ours. When that Supercharger starts singing, it’s nothing short of intoxicating for us petrol heads, How the Land Rover guys are able to extract 200kW of power and a monstrous 640Nm of torque from a diminutive 3.6-litre V8 diesel is a complete mystery to me.
And it’s not just the engine outputs, which are impressive; it’s the torque curve that blows your mind. Try 500Nm at 1500rpm - just over idle speed - and all the way through to 3700rpm. It’s downright explosive on the fly. And while the TDV8 soundtrack doesn’t include the chorus of the supercharger whine, it does respond with a superb V8 growl.
Both these “Sports” are quick. The Supercharged version runs the 0-100km/h dash in 7.6 and the TDV8 in 9.2. But don’t think for one second that the diesel won’t nail your spine to the seat back because it surely does. Torque, pure and simple. 640Nm in the V8 diesel corner, and a paltry 550Nm in the V8 supercharged petrol corner. This engine has a couple of seriously capable variable –geometry turbochargers (with intercoolers), one per each cylinder bank, which are largely responsible for the almost instant throttle response you get behind the wheel of this SUV.
I said in my quote that this was one of the finest diesel engines on the planet. The fact is, above 1500rpm, you cannot tell from inside the cabin that this is an oil burner and it just gets better. Under hard acceleration, you will swear blind that there’s a high performance petrol powered V8 under the bonnet.
But most V8’s are thirsty. Not this one. I purposely drove this Rangie with a lead foot all week, and it was still showing an average consumption of 16.2L/100km and that folks, is beyond remarkable, when you consider the fun I had. I am quite sure that the published fuel consumption figure (combined) of 11.1 L/100km is close to achievable under everyday driving conditions.
The TDV8 tops out at a commendable 209km/h, which I suppose is somewhat irrelevant in Australia, but great for those European readers wishing to fly via Land Rover Airlines between border countries. The German built ZF six-speed auto transmission deployed in the Sport, has few peers when it comes to traditional automatic gearboxes. It is smooth, quick shifting and deliberate, with near perfectly placed gear ratios.
With a kerb weight just on 2742kg, this SUV generates considerable momentum especially if you happen to have your boot into the right pedal. While I have raved on at length about the Sport’s power train, equal billing must go to the phenomenal (yes, phenomenal is the correct word) Brembo brake package, up front. The last time I can remember when I had this level of stopping power, I was driving an Aston Martin DB9 Coupe with the Sport package.
Big, tall, heavy SUVs are not supposed to handle well, the laws of physics see to that. Turn this Land Rover into a corner at a reasonable velocity for the first time, and you brace yourself for some serious body lean. But there just isn’t any, none at all. It’s an astonishing sensation, accentuated by the so-called “command driving position” which curiously has you sitting up high, but at the same time, you feel enclosed like a sports car. It’s hard to explain, but I can tell you it’s unique to the Range Rover family.
This vehicle’s talent for sports car handling is mostly the work of the highly sophisticated Dynamic Response system. What that is, is a number of electronically controlled hydraulic actuators (motion controllers), which continually adjust the roll stiffness depending on how hard you push the Sport into corners. The real beauty of this system over standard anti roll bars is that you can still expect a comfortable level of compliance or ride quality.
Off road capability is what separates the men from the boys when it comes to high-speed luxury SUVs. Very few, if any, can successfully compete with the Range Rover Sport TDV8. The styling is purposeful and aggressive. Especially with the optional 20-inch alloys and fat 275/40 low profile Continental 4X4 Sport Contact tyres, which provide truckloads of grip.
While I like the interior treatment in the Sport, it’s not as luxurious as the Range Rover, but it’s a couple of steps up from that which you find in the Discovery 3. More ‘real’ metal and wood trim throughout the cabin and a superb bespoke metal/leather shifter similar to that in the Range Rover.
Special mention must go to the brilliant Harmon Kardon sound system and the sports leather seats, which are supremely comfortable. Oh, and if you happen to drop the remote key fob in the water, don’t panic, its water proof up to a metre or two!
There are a few cars and SUVs these days which have air conditioning ducts in the centre console bin or glove box, so you can keep a couple of coke cans chilled. The Sport goes one better, and provides a console fridge, albeit on the small side. Interior load space is as you would expect – large. Fold the split fold rear seats down and you end up with a van like capacity. I suppose the one negative in this area, in the lack of a seven-seat option. Other than that, I can find few if any flaws.
Range Rover Sport Supercharged V8
ROAD & TRACK - by Jim Hall www.roadandtrack.com
Visually, there's a lot to like about the new Range Rover Sport. Essentially a scaled-down Range Rover on Land Rover's LR3 platform.
Driving the Range Rover Sport on-road is unlike many SUVs, as it offers a very rewarding experience. The speed-sensitive steering is just right, not too light (carlike) and not too heavy (truck like) with good feel for the road. Take a corner at speed and you'll most likely find that it could have been taken at a brisker pace. But this shouldn't surprise as the car's suspension is highly developed. Consisting of active air springs that stiffen at high speed or in cornering, the suspension also makes use of active anti-roll bars, a system Land Rover calls Dynamic
Response (standard on the supercharged model, optional on the normally aspirated version). The result is a supple ride that is remarkably compliant on streets or highways.
The quick-reacting Dynamic Response system works equally well off-road. But when the rubber leaves the pavement, it's Land Rover's Terrain Response that really shines. This sophisticated traction system allows the driver the choice of five different settings to tackle virtually all conditions or terrain: "General Driving" for normal on- and off-road conditions; "Grass/Gravel/Snow" for slick/icy conditions; the self-explanatory "Mud and Ruts," "Sand" for the soft stuff, and "Rock Crawl" for crossing rock outcroppings. Each setting optimises a host of vehicle functions, including gear change points, ride height, traction and stability control, the locking and unlocking of differentials, anti-lock brake operation and engine mapping for optimal traction.
A hill descent feature is also included. Immediately after a heavy downpour that created some very slick and slimy conditions on a horse farm outside of Chicago, all that was required of our British ute was to throw the transmission lever into "Low," twist the Terrain Response dial (located on the console between the front seats) one click to the right (Grass/Gravel/Snow), and we were on our way. A little throttle modulation and steering input were all the driver had to worry about. Simple. Borrowing a line from The Caine Mutiny, the Range Rover Sport's Terrain Response system is "designed by geniuses to be run by idiots."
Perhaps most amazing of all is the off-road traction the Range Rover Sport has considering its large alloy wheels are shod with what are essentially sporty performance tires! Its tight turning radius is also commendable.
The cabin is typical Range Rover luxury, albeit at a slightly lower level. Most notable is the more businesslike center console and less wood trim. The leather seats offer excellent comfort, as our 850-plus-mile lap around Lake Michigan proved, though extra side bolstering would be welcome to hold off-roaders more snugly, but this is nitpicking as, let's face it, the biggest challenge facing the majority of Land Rover owners is traversing the speed bumps at the mall parking lot.
Unlike previous generations of Land Rover products, all of the controls are logically placed (what was the deal with those "backward" window controls, anyway?) and have a sturdy, high-quality feel. The cabin's ergonomics is excellent, and there's plenty of front and rear passenger legroom. The rear cargo space is very good, though it is obviously smaller than that of the larger Range Rover.
Power comes from a 32-valve 4.4-liter V-8. This engine features an aluminium block and heads, along with variable valve timing and camshaft phasing, with power output rated at 300 bhp at 5500 rpm and 315 lb.-ft. of torque at 4000 rpm.
Our road test machine sports the optional supercharged 4.2-liter power plant good for 30 percent more horsepower and torque over the normally aspirated version — 390 bhp and a whopping 410 lb.-ft. of torque, making quick work of passing sluggish traffic on our Midwest journey. All Range Rover Sports come with a 6-speed ZF automatic transmission with manual gear selection capability. This is truly an enthusiast machine: Slapping the shift lever into manual mode also sets the "Sport" mode, matching revs to downshifts; most luxury sports sedans don't even do this.
Adaptive directional headlights, Brembo brakes, a stainless-steel exhaust, heated sport seats, windshield and washer jets and a cool-looking mesh grille and side vents are all standard fare on the supercharged Range Rover Sport. Speaking of cool, this model also gets a small, chilled storage bin between the two front seats. Although it is technically only an electric cooler and not a refrigerator, we found that it chilled room-temperature bottles of water and Red Bull (two each) fairly well.
But it is the Range Rover Sport's tenacious off-road capability (thank you, Terrain Response), its solid on-road performance, stylish looks, and handsome but no-nonsense interior that make it the SUV that I would choose — in Vesuvius Orange, please.
If you are interested in test-driving, please call Oswynne Salins or Heath Stubbs to book a no obligation test drive on the numbers on the top of the page.
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