Saturday, January 24, 2009
By BOB HILL
The Oregonian
When you test-drive vehicles supplied by manufacturers, they always seem to bring convertibles in January and the made-for-winter-driving sport utility vehicles in July. But this winter, I got lucky.
Land Rover delivered its 2009 Range Rover Sport model just before the snowstorm hit the metro area. (The pictures accompanying this story were taken when the SUV first arrived.) When the snow started piling up the weekend before Christmas, the Range Rover showed its true colors, proving unstoppable, even on one particularly harrowing trip across the metro area -- harrowing only because I was worried another vehicle might slide into me.
I even got to keep the Range Rover for a second week because the delivery person bringing me another vehicle to me couldn't get to my house. So more time in the Rover became a nice Christmas present.
The Range Rover Sport, as one would expect in a luxury vehicle, offers all the latest technology for driving off-road or in severe conditions. But the best thing about all Land Rover vehicles is the ease of operation of that technology in the company's patented Terrain Response system.
Simply turning a dial in the center console to one of five positions adjusts throttle response, gear changes, the air suspension and center and rear differentials to match the terrain and conditions. The five settings are general, grass/gravel/snow, mud and ruts, sand, and rock crawling. So the driver just sets the dial and then can concentrate on steering and matching speed to conditions.
When in the snow setting, about the only difference in vehicle operation one notices is the activation of the ABS at a much lower threshold.
The system is not an autopilot, however. As in all snow and ice driving, the driver must be careful. I did put the vehicle sideways when I made a lane change across ruts too quickly, but I was able to straighten it out easily and quickly, and no harm was done.
In addition to its ability in the snow, the Range Rover Sport has also demonstrated what it can do in Northwest off-road conditions. It won the annual Northwest Sport Utility of the Year award last October in a two-day on and off-road competition held by the Northwest Automotive Press Association. In that same event, the Range Rover Sport also won the Best Off-Road SUV category.
The Range Rover Sport comes in two models, the HSE with a naturally aspirated, 4-4-liter V-8, which was the test model, and a top-of-the-line supercharged model, which has a starting price of $72,600.
With its 300 horsepower, the HSE had more power than I could come close to using on snow-covered roads. Land Rover says the HSE model goes from 0 to 60 mph time in 8.3 seconds. Since it is a heavy vehicle weighing almost three tons, the EPA mileage rating is only 12 mpg city and 18 mpg highway. The Range Rover Sport does offer a substantial towing capacity at more than 7,700 pounds.
With its wide stance and solid frame, the Range Rover Sport provides a good platform for both highway cruising and off-road jaunts. The on-road ground clearance can be raised by 2 inches to almost 11 inches for severe off-road conditions.
The Range Rover had side curtain airbags for both rows of passengers and a stability control system. Other safety equipment on the test vehicle included rain-sensing wipers and adaptive headlights that swivel as the vehicle goes around turns.
The five-passenger interior displayed the level of luxury expected of a vehicle in this price range, with real wood trim and premium leather throughout. The seats were comfortable and supportive. The rear glass can open separately from the bottom of the tailgate for ease of loading small packages.
Standard equipment included a moonroof, GPS navigation system and an excellent-sounding Harman/Kardon stereo.
Posts
