We review the Range Rover Sport (2013) from price to economy and all its features
The new Range Rover is so agile – like a top sportsman
They love 4x4s Down Under so Oz was perfect for testing the new Range Rover Sport.
The Blue Mountains and the Bathurst Racing Circuit were the venues and everyone was impressed, including rugby’s Lawrence Dallaglio – a Land Rover
Global Ambassador – and our Aborigine guide Gumba Wakka Wakka.
THE original Range Rover Sport was a success, despite being flawed.
Nearly 400,000 have been sold worldwide since 2006. So imagine how many will sell when buyers find out how much better the all-new version is.
The new Sport lives up to its name — Range Rover’s upstart little brother has come of age, big time.
It is a big SUV capable of outrageous things off-road and storming around a race circuit like a sportscar. Its talents have stretched in every
direction, from head-turning design and limousine luxury to its ability to now carry up to seven people in style. And as the starting price is nearly
£20,000 cheaper than the non-sport Range Rover, it does beg a question.
Who needs its big brother?
The reality is the more stately version will still appeal to those customers drawn by the fact it is 4x4 royalty. But I can see BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Porsche SUV drivers switching to the more souped-up and sophisticated Sport.
Design boss Gerry McGovern and his team have done brilliantly, transforming the boxy old model into a much sleeker, more powerful style.
It has shed 420kg with its lightweight aluminium body, so it is now as nimble as the British & Irish Lions’ George North at full pelt.
But it is still two tons of motor — easy to forget as it handles so well and takes corners at unbelievable speeds with more accurate steering. It
certainly took the Bathurst circuit in its stride. Just how fast you go depends on the engine you choose. The three-litre turbo diesel will surely
be the choice of Brits because of nearly 38mpg and its useful turn of speed — 0-60mph in 7.1secs. It tops out at 130mph.
A three-litre V6 petrol cuts 0-60mph time to 6.9secs but fuel economy drops to 26mpg. The monster five-litre V8 reduces 0-60mph to a sportscar-like five seconds and a top speed of 150mph.
Only a fuel economy figure of 22mpg — less than twenty if you really hammer the engine — dampens the V8’s appeal.
Improvements include more room for rear passengers because, despite its weight loss, it’s a couple of inches longer. Rear passengers also get reclining seats and there is more boot space at 784litres.
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For the first time there is the option of seven seats. Everything on board has been upgraded in comfort and quality levels — from business class to
first-class. The cabin now matches the classic Range Rover but has a sloping centre console and a sporty gear lever instead of the rotary dial gear knob.
You get executive toys and luxury close to a Bentley, plus Land Rover’s All Terrain mode that lets you climb mountains, wade rivers and power through
mud and snow at the click of a dial.
But if you fail to recognise serious changes in condition the Range Sport will adapt the suspension and traction by itself. How smart is that?
It’s aimed at active types and has options such as a cycle rack.
Just don’t be like me and go for a mountain bike ride with Lawrence Dallaglio — he’s mad.
But the former Lions great has the perfect credentials to judge the new
Range Rover Sport.
A Range Rover Vogue owner for the past ten years, Lawrence had never considered a Sport before. But after two days with me putting it through its
paces in the city, across country and in the Australian wilderness he’d changed his mind and ordered a Sport.
He said: “I think it’s an absolutely awesome car. I’ve been blown away by how agile it is. It’s like a top sportsman with every attribute.
“They have taken all the very best of the Range Rover models and put it into this car — but added to it.
“From driving in the city, the Australian bush and even a race circuit, it has done the business wherever we have taken it.”
For me the new Sport is the complete all-rounder with a real touch of class, with prices that range from £51,000 to more than £80,000 for the elite
version.
When I crossed the line at Bathurst I was in no doubt that Range Rover have a major new hit on their hands.
Land Rover have taken all the best of the Range Rover and Sport but added an extra dimension. It has really impressed me with how capable it is,
especially its road handling and comfort. It is the ultimate allrounder.
And, just like the Lions, it has taken everything Australia could throw at it.