Last week I was handed keys to a brand new 2017 Range Rover Sport Autobiography, for a week-long review. The Range Rover Supercharged is an SUV that thinks it's a muscle car, why do I say that, well, look the engine stats and you'll soon agree with me.
Engine
The Range Rover Sport comes with quite a few engine choices, the base SE and HSE models are equipped with the same 3.0 liter supercharged V6, which produces 340 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. The HSE can also be equipped with a 3.0 liter turbocharged diesel engine, producing 254 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque. The V6 has two different output, the 380 horsepower producing supercharged V6 is available on the HSE Dynamic trim.
A 5.0 liter supercharged V8 engine is available on the next 4 trims, the V8 produces 510 horsepower and 461 pound-feet of torque, but on the SVR those numbers are further increased to 550 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque. All engines come with the smooth-shifting ZF 8-speed automatic transmissions and Four Wheel Drive.
Performance
The Range Rover Sport Supercharged is like a muscle car that thinks it's an SUV or an SUV that thinks it's a muscle car. Press the start buttons and get ready for some very loud exhaust sounds, the exhaust sound is very addicting, if you heard it without seeing what was producing it, you'd think it really was a muscle car. My routine for the week was to get in the RR Sport, roll down all my windows and then hit the start button, nothing wakes you up in the morning like a 500+ HP V8 and the echoing sound inside a garage.
The V8 performs as you'd expect it to, it's bloody powerful. The RR Sport is a pretty heavy vehicle but it's nothing this beast of an engine can't handle, with a claimed 0 – 100 km time of 5.3 seconds (0 – 60 mph in 5.0 seconds). The Range Rover Sport Supercharged is fast enough to leave many sports cars in the dust.
Personally I think it's a bit too much power, yes you heard that right, I'm complaining about too much power. It was a bit hard to modulate the throttle, especially in tight space, as soon as you touch the throttle the RR wants to leap. This could also be a problem off road where precision with the throttle is very important, but then again, I highly doubt anyone would take their $150k Range Rover off-road.
According to Range Rover, our tester should consume 16.6/12.3/14.7 L/100 km ( 14.7/19.12/16 US mpg) in city/highway/combined driving, on premium fuel. I was actually able to better those numbers, based on the readout from the on-board trip computer, I manged 13.3 L/100 km (17.7 mpg) in 50/50 city/highway driving. I was driving gently, but still did push the accelerator quite hard on many occasions.
The Range Rover Sport is pretty sporty, compared to its big brother the full-size Range Rover, but after driving the F-Pace, now it doesn't seem sporty enough. But still, I think the RRS handles well enough and since this generation is a uni-body, it handles a lot better than the previous generation and doesn't have that truck-like ride.
The Range Rover Sport is also a very capable off-road vehicle, it comes with Land Rover's Terrain Response System, you can leave it in automatic or choose between snow, sand, and rocks. Like I said earlier, would you really want to take your $100,000+ vehicle off-road? Especially with the optional 22” wheels like our tester had. I know 99.99% of people won't take these off-road, I didn't.
Interior
The interior hasn't changed much over the years, there is now a new 10.2” wide touchscreen which has improved considerably over the previous touchscreens. The screen is much more responsive, which was a big complaint I had with the previous system. The graphics are also very sharp on this system and the cameras have a much clearer image on the screen. There's also an optional 12.3” TFT virtual instrument panel, which can be changed to display different information in addition to the speedometer and tachometer.
The seats on the Autobiography are much more padded than the ones on the lower models, they are very comfortable and have lots of adjustability, the seats are heated and cooled and come with massage feature, which I find to be a gimmick nowadays. The rear seats on the other hand, are very hard and they could get uncomfortable on longer journeys. I was also surprised to find the rear seats didn't automatically fold with the touch of a button, you have to manually fold them. I know it's not a big deal, but when you spend this much money on a vehicle like this, you expect everything to be automatic.
The interior is very comfortable and quiet, but it lets in enough of the amazing sound of the exhaust, which is just so addicting. I kept wanting to go faster and faster, just to listen to the rumble of the V8.
Technology
Below is a list of some of the key tech features on the 2017 Range Rover Sport Autobiography:
- Keyless entry with proximity key
- Push-button start
- Stop/Start Motor System
- Soft-close doors
- Head-Up Display
- Dual power/heated folding mirrors
- Adaptive Xenon headlights with auto high beam assist
- Heated leather steering wheel
- 16 way power front seats with heating and cooling
- Rear heated/cooled seats
- Heated windscreen
- Navigation System
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Park Distance Control Sensor Front
- Park Assist
- 360° Park Distance Control
- Adaptive Cruise control with Intelligent Emergency Braking
- Autonomous Emergency Braking
- Lane Keep Assist with Driver Condition Monitoring
- Rear View Camera with Surround Camera System
- Blind spot /reverse traffic detection
- Automatic Access Height
Overall Impressions
I really enjoyed my time in the 2017 Range Rover Sport Supercharged, it is one hell of a vehicle, the sound of the V8 alone is worth the price of entry, if you have the cash. It's extremely fast, luxurious, and comfortable. It's also quite a capable off-road vehicle... but if I were to buy a Range Rover Sport, I'd go for the diesel version, I think the supercharged V8 is just too powerful of an engine for an SUV.
But hey, if you can afford and must have the V8, I won't judge you. The V8 engine is quite addicting and like they say, there's no replacement for displacement. For more information visit landrover.com or landrover.ca
You can find my original review of the Range Rover Sport here.
