Road Tested by Hugh Maguire.
Land Rover are of course past masters at making 4×4 vehicles. However where the Range Rover is concerned lets face it the furthest off road most of them will go is a pavement in Dublin 4.
Yet the desirability factor is high and though most owners frankly would be amazed how capable these vehicles are off road they will never experience those talents of a Land Rover vehicle.
Over some four decades road testing and assessing cars I have had the privilege of attending Land Rovers proving grounds in the UK where the motoring press get to really experience what these vehicles are truly capable of and I can tell you its quite amazing! From the ability to wade in water up to 850m deep and tilt at 45 degrees (which by the way feels as though it should roll over but of course it won’t) to climbing hills so steep you can barely walk up them. Take a look at the photo above to see the extent of axle articulation. I have done it all in Range Rovers and they are an incredibly capable off road vehicle. One of the best in fact!
Nevertheless for this road test we will focus on ‘the road’ as that is where most spend 99% of their time despite their great off-road abilities.
So if the Land Rover Defender is the workhorse in the Land Rover range the Range Rover is the luxury go anywhere 4×4. Essentially it comes in four versions the Range Rover, the Range Rover Sport, the Range Rover Velar, and the Range Rover Evoque. Power comes from a choice of mild hybrid, plug-in-hybrid, pure petrol V8 or diesel.
There are also essentially three trim levels S, SE and Dynamic with an additional model the Autobiography a standalone model bristling with the utmost in luxury specification.
Back to this road test which is of the Range Rover Sport 3.0 PHEV Dynamic SE.
So has it any street cred?
Absolutely. Its a most imposing looking 4×4 with a fresh take on the Range Rover style. I prefer it in lighter colours as the dark grey’s and blacks especially if combined with black alloys can make it look a bit sinister.
I really like the clean exterior style of the latest Range Rover. It all looks very modern.
So what’s it like inside?
Inside the beautifully finished cabin the most dramatic thing one notices is the lack of any buttons. The instrument cluster is digitally generated but as you can see in the photographs it allows you to configure it to an analogue style which I think is excellent. Other manufactures please note! Digital instruments don’t have to look cheap and boring as frankly many now do. The instrument cluster has all the driver information easily visible and its configurable with different contents. It’s one of the very best out there bar none!
In the centre there is a 13.1 inch (why do they all still quote inches for car screens?) curved display which has superb functionality, easy to access menus and crystal clear displays. My only criticism here is that I would have preferred if Range Rover had kept the round rotary controllers for the climate control functions. Its just not as safe or easy to use a touchscreen while driving as it is a physical button. Of course there is voice activation but it sometimes gets your instructions misunderstood.
The beautifully stitched full real leather upholstery is first class while the use of tinted metal and even cloth on parts of the door cards really adds a feeling of true luxury. In short the cabin of the Range Rover Sport is extremely well finished with the highest quality fit and finish. Hey it even has that wonderful aroma of real leather a pleasant change from the recycled fishing nets we have to sit on in some cars these days.
Equipment levels are as you would expect at this level very good indeed while there are additional extra cost packages you can add to personalise the car. My test car had for example the Cold Climate Pack costing €675.00 which adds a heated windscreen, heated steering wheel and upgraded multi-zone climate control with pre conditioning.
Accommodation is excellent both front and rear with the rear seats even able to electrically recline a few degrees for extra comfort. The boot is accessed via a single large tailgate (not split as on the larger Range Rover) and is a decent size also with an underfloor storage area.
Overall then the new Range Rover Sport scores highly for creating a cabin that truly cossets driver and passengers alike.
So what’s under the bonnet?
Powered by a silky smooth 6-cylinder petrol engine mated to a lovely eight-speed auto gearbox and permanent intelligent four wheel drive in combination with a 38.2 kWh battery and a 105 kW electric motor.
It endows this big car with plenty of get up and go and yet it is refined emitting a lovely 6 cylinder rumble when pushed on.
From a full charge of the small battery I managed almost 90km range which is excellent. Once the battery was depleted and I ran it on petrol power only it again surprised me returning a fuel consumption of 9.8 l/100km which for a big car like this is very good indeed. Road tax is just €140.00 or the year.
Will I enjoy driving it?
The new Range Rover Sport drives very well indeed and will hurtle down the road in hushed silence. The air suspension works very well indeed adapting to your driving style. Range Rovers are not bought for their nimbleness on a country lane rather more for elegant stately progress and that it does supremely well. For me though you could delete the word Sport from the name here as hustle it down a series of twisty country roads and you soon notice its mass and body roll which discourages press on motoring. Overall though in my option it is a very nice driving experience.
Hugh’s verdict?
I must admit I would have some concerns over past reliability issues but the very latest customer surveys give it a score above 90% so in reality maybe that’s all in the recent past. Only time will tell of course.
Nevertheless that aside for making you feel truly surrounded in luxury it scores a bulls eye!
Acres of real leather, beautifully crafted interior fittings and excellent interior design make it a very special place in which to travel.
It also has Land Rovers legendary off road ability should you need it and yet cruises down the motorway in hushed silence. This is a very accomplished luxury SUV.
So to the question we asked at the beginning. Is the Range Rover Sport plug-in perfection? In my opinion ……..yes!
Prices for the PHEV version start around €120,000 while the Dynamic SE tested here with some options cost €127,785.
Likes:
Truly luxurious
Excellent interior design
Top quality fit & Finish
Dislikes:
Concern over past reliability issues
Not really as Sporting as the name would suggest
All functionality through touchscreen