Land Rover Range Rover Sport 2007
01/01/2007
Land Rover conquered the Sahara and then Rodeo Drive, first with rugged utility then with luxury. Now, Rover is making a run at the hottest niche within the SUV segment: the sporty SUV. BMW, Infiniti, and Porsche all produce SUVs that come on like sports cars. Rover’s entry is the Range Rover Sport, which, despite its name, is based on the LR3 Land Rover and shares very few parts with the Range Rover model. The Sport sacrifices some interior space for a more rakish profile and it wears 20-inch wheels shod with summer-only performance tires. It is available with a 300 hp V-8. But if you were buying a vehicle with "Sport" in its name, wouldn’t you opt for the 390 hp supercharged V-8 version? You know, the one appropriately named Range Rover Sport Supercharged? In keeping with its heritage, Rover has loaded the Sport with off-road gear, including adjustable-height air suspension and a low-range transfer box. All of this adds considerable weight to the Sport, making it somewhat less, well, sporty.PRICE: $71,250
ENGINE: 4.2-liter supercharged V-8
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with Commandshift
POWER: 390 hp at 5,750 rpm
TORQUE: 410 ft lbs at 3,500 rpm
CURB WEIGHT: 5,671 pounds
0-60 MPH: 7.2 seconds
TOP SPEED: 140 mph
PROS: Cuts a stylish profile
CONS: Excess weight makes it less sporty than competitors