The Range Rover Sport is one of those vehicles that you just can’t
wait to get your hands on. This journalist has driven them before, and
Land Rover just seems to keep improving the Sport every year. This week
we’ll be testing the 2013 Sport HSE with the Luxury Package. This Range
Rover Sport has all the luxury that Land Rover has to offer and it comes
with the off-road capability that the brand is known for. It boasts a
powerful V8 and an agile chassis worthy of the Sport designation. This
will be the last generation before Land Rover launches the new 2014
model that was just unveiled in New York.
Luxurious and rugged
The Range Rover Sport seats five and fits between the larger flagship
Range Rover and the smaller Range Rover Evoque crossover. It shares
platforms, drive systems, suspension, and powertrain with the Land Rover
LR4 but it comes with more standard features and upscale styling. The
Range Rover Sport is designed to go anywhere its owner wants to take it.
It’s just as much at home going to the theatre as it is on a
backcountry trail at 13,000 ft elevation. This week we did both as we
pulled up to The Capital Grille in downtown Denver and had a valet park
the upscale SUV. We also took it off-road for some fun in the mountains
west of town.
But the Range Rover Sport doesn’t come cheap with a sticker price of
$60,045 for the HSE. Add in the Premium LOGIC7 audio package, the Luxury
package and destination, and the price is up near $70,000. The Sport
competes in the crowded luxury SUV segment with the Lexus RX,
Mercedes-Benz M-Class, Audi Q7, BMW X5, Volvo XC90, Infiniti FX, Porsche
Cayenne, and Jeep Grand Cherokee. Its starting price, however, is the
highest of this group, and arguably only the Audi, BMW, Infiniti,
Porsche, and VW are priced comparably.
Loaded with luxury features
But the Range Rover Sport is in a class of its own and comes loaded
with standard luxury features like leather upholstery; dual-zone
automatic climate control with pollen filter; GPS navigation system with
touch screen, 380-watt 14-speaker harman/kardon AM/FM/ audio system
with virtual CD/MP3 player, iPod and USB; rain-sensing wipers; front and
rear Park Distance Control; power mirrors, seats; power sunroof;
HomeLink garage door opener; footwell lights and puddle lights;
This Sport tester came with the optional audio upgrade to an 825-watt
harman/kardon system with 17 speakers plus satellite and HD digital
radio ($1,650). The Luxury Package ($4,700) added heated front and rear
seats, windshield, washer jets and steering wheel. It also comes with
plus premium leather including a leather-wrapped steering wheel;
adjustable side bolsters for the driver’s seat; a climate-controlled
storage console; 20-inch alloy wheels; and 480 watts worth of
harman/kardon sound with a changer for six physically present CDs.
A commanding view from inside
Step inside the cabin and it feels like a British stateroom. The
interior is beautifully finished and the quality is what you would
expect from a luxury vehicle in this price range. The seats sit high and
give a commanding view through the windshield and side windows. The
interior is made for comfort and includes pus-button start, a power
tilt/telescoping steering wheel, satellite navigation with voice
recognition and full power everything.
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