Land Rover Range Rover Sport 2007 Review

Where the PC brigade would have us pottering about in micro-engined hybrid machines, Range Rover has simply puffed out its corporate chest, added another couple of hundred kilos of luxury and performance — and defiantly sucked another slurp of fuel through the supercharger.

While a morally sustainable argument certainly lies somewhere between the two, it is difficult not to crack a smile — albeit racked with guilt — from behind the wheel of the "little" Rangie.

At a tick over 2.5 tonnes, the Rangie hero model boasts the heart of a sportscar — a cracking 4.2-litre supercharged V8 — under its clamshell bonnet. It would be reasonable to assume that large lumps of the engine's 287kW and 550Nm would be eaten away in just getting — and keeping — the Sport's not inconsiderable bulk up and running.

That would be an inappropriate assumption. With the majority of the urge on tap from just over 1500rpm, the Sport is quite spritely. It can put the 100km/h mark behind in around 7.2 seconds and keeps on giving for a considerable time on its way to a claimed top speed of 225km/h.

A large part of the Sport's on-road ability — nimbleness, for such a large car — is the array of technical wizardry with which it has been imbued by Land Rover's engineers. Air suspension is standard on the supercharged Sport, as is Dynamic Response — an active anti-roll bar system computer controlled to stiffen and relax — to the point of disengaging to allow full wheel articulation over rough ground. The bars produce a surprisingly taut and controlled ride when the car is pushed on tarmac.

It is difficult to think of the Sport in any manner other than a huge sports car. There are plenty of quicker cars with sharper handling and higher terminal speeds on the road. However, few that match its bulk can come anywhere near it for performance.

Beware, however, as driving the Sport hard comes at a price. Punched out on the open road you will see fuel consumption in the low to mid-20L/100km range. More moderate performance can bring the average down to around 17L/100km — certainly no fuel-efficiency pin-up but still within a range that doesn't require constant public apology.

Off the road, the breadth of the Sport's all-around ability is highlighted by a certain knowledge that it is up for almost any challenge you would care to throw at it.

With the brilliant Terrain Response AWD selector at your fingertips, off-roading for dummies has well and truly arrived.

First made available on Discovery III, Terrain Response allows a simple dial-in choice of various conditions from dry roads through to sand, rock and mud. The system then sets optimum ride height, traction, engine, throttle sharpness and differential lock settings. Inside the Sport, the Range Rover heritage of wood and leather is faithfully paid homage.

Equipment levels are high with standard satellite navigation — an easy to use touch-screen variety — and a quality sound system leading the way. While still set high above most traffic, the driving position is more car-like than most SUVs, with a large range of height and reach adjustment available.

Space is at a little more of a premium, the roof is lower — particularly with the optional sunroof ($3000) — and the rear-seat legroom is more restricted. The tailgate is a departure from standard Range Rover practice in that while the rear glass can be lifted independently, the full tailgate raises when opened rather than splitting horizontally.

Mindful that most owners will deploy their Sports in a city environment rather than off-road, the design is one intended to live with other road users.

Low-mounted bumpers and low-collision load path are designed to minimise damage to smaller vehicles in an accident by making the initial contact at a level where their passive safety systems are most effective.