Range Rover Sport

Range Rover are just about to set the 4x4 market alight with the introduction of their ultra excessive 2010 Sport model. The question is, is it a step too far? Russell Bray investigates.

'Nothing succeeds like excess' could be Land Rover's motto for its latest Range Rover Sport models with more bling, more performance and more equipment. And who can blame the company when so many customising fi rms have been offering similar body kits and wheels to personalise your Range Rover for a few years now.

Rover has also modifi ed the chassis with "active" antiroll bars to tame the weight transfer when cornering and help these heavy vehicles really live up to their Sport name tags. Arch rival BMW's X6 uses a similar system of hydraulic anti-roll bars to minimise body roll and offers normal and stiffer sport settings for the dampers as well. Air suspension helps ride quality as well as allowing massive wheel movement for the toughest of off-road conditions.

Again like BMW, the Solihull team has cleverly updated their more versatile vehicle with new, variable ratio steering to make it easier to position the car on the road at speed.

All that you can't leave behind

Getting rid of that Range Rover on your bumper is going to be more diffi cult than ever, especially now you can order one with the same 510bhp supercharged engine as powers the Jaguar XFR.

Modified to suit the Range Rover's needs, the supercharged engine, now water-proofed, produces 29% more horsepower, while torque is hiked 12% compared to the outgoing 4.2-litre engine. Carbon dioxide emissions are improved by 5.6% to 374g/km, but that still puts the supercharged Sport in the top group M road tax bracket at £405 per year.

Acceleration from rest to 60mph in under six seconds is almost laughable. That means performance is close to the Mercedes-Benz M-Class AMG but with that fuel thirst, you are going to need deep pockets to run one. A powerful Brembo braking system is used to haul the 2.5 tonne Rangie down from speed in impressive fashion.

The belly of the beast

Boasting even more leather trim and a full colour seven-inch touch screen for vehicle settings, navigation, communication and information the cabin raises the stakes in luxury travel. The seats can be heated or cooled and the cabin has night-time mood lighting as Land Rover pushes the Sport further up-market. The driver can even use the satellite navigation while the front seat passenger watches a film on the same screen at the same time.

The car comes with iPod connectivity with a ninespeaker audio system and telephone Bluetooth hands free operation as standard. You can amuse your pals with the optional (£850) surround camera system which gives a near 360 degree view round the car for easier manoeuvring in tight spots.

Hooking up a trailer has never been so easy and for the serious off-roader, it could save having to get out of the car to inspect the nearby terrain. The electronics also have a towing assist mode to help keep a trailer or horsebox stable.

A five-way control on the steering wheel lets the driver access vehicle information easily on an LCD screen on the instrument panel.

The car returns 30mpg on the official combined test cycle and 25mpg on the urban one. All versions use a tuned ZF six-speed automatic transmission which 'locks up' at lower engine revs than before for better fuel consumption. Idle speeds when stationary have also been reduced for the same reason.

A new, dynamic programme in the terrain response system anticipates driver input and adjusts automatically steering, accelerator and gearbox settings.

The comforting 'command' driving position is unchanged but the feeling of being in a plush cockpit is enhanced. The whole dashboard has been redesigned for a higher tech but also quality appearance, with steering wheel paddle gear shifters a welcome touch.

Behind the wheel by Andy Goodwin

Just before going to press Auto Trader's Andy Goodwin returned from an afternoon behind the wheel of the awesome Sport and here's what he thought...

The new Sport supercharged is so much faster than the outgoing vehicle – it can accelerate from 0-100mph and brake back to a standstill in less than the time its predecessor took to reach 100mph.

The 3-litre TDV6 is more socially responsible, returning 30.7mpg while emitting 243g/km.

With 242bhp and 443lb/ft of pulling power, it doesn't feel slow either. It won't blow your mind like the supercharged Sport, but it does impress with its fl exibility and refinement.

No compromise off-road

The Sport really is just as capable off-road as the rest of the models in the Land Rover family, which is to say it's amongst the best in the world.

Like the new Range Rover and Discovery 4, five cameras dotted around the car give the Sport's driver a view of everything around the vehicle.

The optional system proved invaluable in helping us to dodge sharp boulders during one river crossing, keeping us dry inside the car - instead of knee deep in water checking for rocks.

More conventional around-town applications make the system just as useful for on-road driving.

The Sport is a true go-anywhere vehicle, which seems to be able to entertain and impress regardless of the terrain beneath its wheels.

On the road, it's agile and smooth and off it, there's a depth of all-conquering ability of which most owners will only scratch the surface.

Prices are up despite the recession, which shows confi dence, now starting from £44,895 for the new 3-litre, twin-turbo TDV6 and going to £61,995 for the bonkers, new supercharged 5-litre petrol with its 20in diameter wheels. Naturally the best selling 3.6 litre TDV8 engine version remains, priced at £56,995.

Specifications

• Model tested: Sport 3.6TDV8 HSE
• Price: £56,995
• Top speed: 130 mph
• 0-62mph: 8.6 sec
• Engine: 3.6 litre V8
• Power: 270bhp
• Torque: 472 lbs/ft