Automakers

Editors' Roundtable: 2009 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Supercharged

NextAutos Staff — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:45:08 -0600

The Range Rover Sport is a vehicle that can go anywhere, do anything, and look trendy in the process. No, it’s not going to win any awards in within the Green crowd, but for the consumers who actually pay out for one of these (especially in Supercharged trim), it won’t matter. In our week with the Range Rover Sport, we found it to have more than ample performance, relatively good handling (for an SUV), and a pretty luxurious interior.

Click through the post for our editors’ full notes on the Range Rover Sport Supercharged.

Chris Paukert
Editor-in-Chief

Our Range Rover Sport was my motor voter carriage for this year’s election. As I didn’t receive my Ohio absentee ballot as requested weeks prior, I faced a 170+ mile drive or risking disenfranchisement. I chose the former, and the Land Rover helped make it an easy decision to live with.

I have an irrational love for several Landie products, and this Sport is one of them. I think their rectilinear styling still looks sensational, and having taken-in a couple of Land Rover schools, their off-road prowess is remarkable stuff, even with the Sport’s big, low-profile tires that would seem to indicate otherwise.

I like the pace and noise of the supercharged model, but handling and mid-range quickness probably isn’t as special as it ought to be for something called “Sport.” Although I have trouble stomaching the idea of a road-biased Land Rover, I could see something like a luxury pre-runner rally truck holding great appeal. As it is, the only reason I called upon the various off-road gubbins was to dial up the air suspension to max height so that I could see over other cars in a dead-stop two hour traffic jam.

If the Sport hasn’t dated on the outside, it’s starting to get on a bit inside. The center stack is a tangle of too many buttons, the nav system feels a couple of generations behind, and the separate audio controls feel antiquated because of the too-small and pixilated display. It’s all easy enough to use when you get a few miles under your belt, but it would be nice to have a cleaner layout, crisper switchgear and a better looking nav interface.

All-in, the Sport is still a very attractive package, but newer generations of its more tarmac-oriented competition are starting to make this Landie a tough sell, soft spot or no.

Reilly Brennan
General Manager

Generalization or not (mostly it’s not): This is the thing you see most often in Southern California, or in the well-heeled 'burbs of many an American metropolis. It’s become something of a uniform for an entire aggregate of the upper class. We admit that we look longingly at each when they zoom past. There’s something incredibly special about that Land Rover shape in a sportier example.

While the RRS might look the part of a fast, low-to-the-ground SUV, it’s really not all that you’d hope for as driving tool. Since it’s LR3-based, it comes equipped with the sort of mountain-managing software and hardware that gives it the classic (and some might say unnecessary in this example) groans and friction of a Land Rover. We appreciate the abilities built within, but we still feel they’re immaterial here. Who wouldn’t opt for a 500-pound (just a guess, mind you) savings in weight to make way for some serious on-road refinement?

Land Rover doesn’t happen to have a hard time selling these, but we wonder how much better off they’d be if they truly made a performance on-roader. It might not be worth it today but we can imagine it would create a more rewarding experience for owners, which could increase future sales. The reality of the RRS today is that it’s outclassed by BMW’s X5 and X6 in terms of refinement when, in promise, it shouldn’t be.

Steven J. Ewing
Production and Test Fleet Manager

The Range Rover Sport has to be my favorite Land Rover. The fact that a vehicle this size can obtain 0-60 times around seven seconds is quite impressive, though not all SUVs have supercharged V-8 engines which produce 390 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque. Digging into the gas pedal allows the supercharger to do its dirty work with a slight whine coming from the engine, and no matter what gear you’re in, there’s never a lack in available power.

An unsettling bit of my drive came when I decided to try out the Rover's manu-matic transmission setting. Moving the shifter from "D" to "+/-" felt very stiff backed up by an awful "CLUNK" sound no matter how many times I shifted between the do-it-yourself and fully automatic modes. Another staff member alerted me to some sticky goo that seemed to have worked its way into the shift gate, so I'm hoping that's the only reason why such an unpleasant sound would be made. Once in manu-matic, though, the shifts were executed rather quickly, especially under harder driving situations. It's an interesting feeling to have crisp DIY shifts in a 5764-pound SUV – pretty cool stuff.

The Range Rover Sport is indeed a niche vehicle, since the high price tag and poor fuel economy don't sit well with most consumers. Still, I’m always surprised at how many of these I see on the road.

Nate Luzod
Art Director

It feels weird to be in something so massive that’s so quick and handles so well. You can rattle off 90mph in this thing and it feels like nothing. All around visibility leaves me with no major complaints, but there was always a sense that there’s something hiding in an undiscovered blind spot. To that end, high speeds on crowded highways left me a bit uneasy. The interior is comfortable and functional, and the barrage of LCD lights and buttons on the center console has kind of grown on me. Girlfriends also have some inexplicable affinity for Range Rovers, which can be useful knowledge. All this said, the only thing that made the Range Rover Sport truly enjoyable for me was that this was a test car. With Consumer Reports ratings near rock bottom for reliability and at the cost of some homes, I wouldn’t put any of my own money behind it.

2009 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER SPORT SUPERCHARGED

Engine: Supercharged V-8, 4.2 liters, 32v
Output: 390 hp/410 lb-ft
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
0-60 MPH: 7.2 seconds
Top Speed: 140 mph
Weight: 5764 lb
Fuel Economy, city/hwy: 12/18 mpg
Price as Tested: $80,000 (est.)

Spy Shot: 2010 Range Rover Spied with Fresh Face

Seyth Miersma — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:19:32 -0500

Land Rover has been spotted testing what is being properly described as a facelifted version of its Range Rover, though from the information we’ve seen some meaty (if visually inconspicuous) changes are set to happen as well.

This lightly camouflaged 2010 Range Rover is sporting a set of high-end new LED taillights and daytime running headlamps, as well as a refreshed and refined bumper and grille design. A few posh touches that should get good mileage in the rather fashion conscious circles the Range usually can be found in.

More substantial change is hinted at for under the hood, where a new 5.0-liter V-8 is on the way, as well as a 3.0-liter V-6 diesel that would replace the current generation 2.7-liter unit. Check out the massaged SUV in the photos above.

With the all new Range Rover still some years away,the current Range Rover will get a mild face lift to make it over the years. The face lift is so small, that if they wouldn’t disguise the car, I guess no one would ever notice.

As with all facelifts and new cars in this, well, more expensive class, the rear lights gets LEDs. Front end gets some more changes, like new bumper, new grille and new headlamps with LED day driving lights. The photos from Death Valley show a car with all the new parts on it while the other photos just show the new front bumper with light camouflage.

There might also be some new engines under the hood when the faclifted version hit the market in 2010. The 5.0 liter V8 rumoured for a long time and a new 3.0 liter V6 turbodiesel engine to replace the old 2.7 liter diesel.

Expect some smaller interior changes as well.

WR Fleet: 2008 Land Rover LR2 HSE

Kimberly Ewing — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:00:20 -0500

Our LR2 HSE model had just over 3000 miles on the odometer when it arrived in our fleet, and it was already showing signs of wear. The cover over the driver’s side door handle is supposed to come off in case you need to use the key, but it fell off of our test car and would not go back. We’ve had some problems with build quality on past Land Rovers, and it seems this still hasn’t been completely resolved.

The new LR2 is beautiful, though. This new HSE model features a sportier look due to body-color bumpers and side sills, a rear spoiler, titanium door handles, and nineteen-inch alloy wheels.

We took the LR2 on an 847-mile journey to Northern Michigan, and ended up with beautiful, dry weather, while Southern Michigan was hammered with snow.

We found on-road handling to be quite good. The LR2 never felt top-heavy in quick turns, and it didn’t have the floaty feel (think Chevrolet Suburban) of a large SUV. Driving in the city and parallel parking were simple.

The 3.2-liter inline-six is matched to a new six-speed automatic transmission and produces 230 horsepower. Even with this much power, the vehicle felt slow during off-the-line acceleration, but managed to get up to speed quickly once we were on our way. On a downward slope, however, downshifts managed by the cruise control were jerky and noisy. We averaged 21 miles per gallon, which is right in line with the EPA fuel economy estimates of 16 city and 23 highway. This isn’t too bad for a small SUV with true off-road capability.

The interior of the HSE is quite nice, with new model-specific features such as an eight-way-adjustable driver and six-way passenger seat and a center console storage box with a sliding cover. The square back end creates plenty of cargo space that easily fit our luggage, a cooler, three bags of groceries, a laptop, and a few miscellaneous items, all nicely packed underneath the cargo cover.

All in all, our Land Rover LR2 proved to be a nice driver. It accommodated all our needs with few distractions or annoyances. While we are happy spring is on the way, we would have loved some snow to play in and test out all the functions the vehicle has to offer. This little Rover proved to be quite pleasant during our journey North.

2008 Land Rover LR2 HSE
Engine: Inline-6, 3.2 liters, 24v
Output: 230 hp/234 lb-ft
0-60 MPH: 8.4 sec
Weight: 4255 lb
Cargo Capacity: 58.9 cu ft
Price as Tested: $41,400

Tata Will Maintain British Heritage of Land Rover, Jaguar

Dustin P. Walsh — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:00:47 -0600

Despite earlier reports flying around the blogosphere that Tata Motors would acquire Jaguar and Land Rover, then sell Jag and move LR to India, Ratan Tata maintains that his company will retain the British heritage of the two.

"Our plan would be to retain the image, the touch and the feel of Jaguar and Land Rover. We will not tinker with the brands in any way. They are special global brands and whoever acquires them has a responsibility to nurture them and enable them to prosper," Tata said at the Geneva Motor Show.

He also said that Tata would not move Jaguar or Land Rover production from the UK, as was speculated and feared by the UK labor unions. He said, “We are conscious that the brands belong to Britain. These brands will continue to belong to Britain.

Tata to Announce Jaguar, Land Rover Purchase Next Week

Dustin P. Walsh — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:00:35 -0600

Tata will officially announce its purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford on March 5 or March 6, according to Automotive News.

The agreement date comes after last week’s talks with trade union leaders. Roger Maddison, national officer of Unite, the largest union in the UK auto industry, told Automotive News Europe, that Tata had agreed to meet the job guarantees sought by the unions. He said, “Everything seems fine as far as we are concerned; it's just the lawyers working on it now.

British Union: ‘They [Tata] Totally Ruled out Offloading Jaguar or Building Land Rovers in India’

Dustin P. Walsh — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 12:30:13 -0600

Despite the grapevine budding aplenty with talks of Tata unloading Jaguar and moving Land Rover production to India, the British union Unite dispels the rumors with confidence.

“We are confident our members' long-term future is best served by Tata," said Dave Osborne, national secretary for vehicle building at the Unite union. "They totally ruled out offloading Jaguar or building Land Rovers in India. There’s a couple of clarifications we still need from Ford, but I don't see any issues arising from that.

Land Rover G4 Challenge Selects Nevada Competition for Qualifier

Dustin P. Walsh — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 11:30:11 -0600

Land Rover North America has announced that Nevada will be the location of its U.S. selection event for the International Land Rover G4 Challenge.

The Nevada Passage competition in May will determine the male/female duo that gets to compete in the international event next year in Asia. Twenty drivers (athletes?) – or, ten coed teams – will compete in the off-road multisport challenge, consisting of events including 4X4 driving, mountain biking, trail running, navigating, and kayaking. The top two teams will move on, with one eventually representing the United State at the international Land Rover event.

PRESS RELEASE:

Land Rover and Nevada Commission on Tourism Join Forces
to Present One-of-a-Kind G4 Challenge Nevada Passage

CARSON CITY, Nev. – Land Rover North America and the Nevada Commission
on Tourism announced today that this year’s Nevada Passage will serve as the national
selection event for the 2008/2009 Land Rover G4 Challenge.
Twenty athletes from around the nation will travel throughout Nevada competing
in driving and outdoor adventure activities designed to test teamwork and skills such as
4x4 driving, navigating, trail running, mountain biking and kayaking. The top two twoperson
teams from the national competition advance to the international selection event in
early 2009, where one team will be selected to represent the United States in the final
challenge in Asia.
“When we launched the Nevada Passage in 2005, our goal was to further establish
Nevada as an outdoor hotspot,