2015 Range Rover Sport VIDEO REVIEW

2015 Range Rover Sport VIDEO REVIEW by Auto Critic Steve Hammes

When you narrate the story of your life you’re presenting an autobiography. It’s a personalized chronicle only you can tell. And when it comes to choosing the pinnacle of the Range Rover lineup, it’s an Autobiography that best delivers the narrative of your automotive lifestyle.

Though the recently introduced, super high performance SVR is now the priciest Range Rover Sport model it’s this Autobiography that’s considered the flagship. The $12,500 that separates it from the Supercharged model affords exclusivity through a mélange of comfort, convenience and aesthetic upgrades ranging from 16-way adjustable front seats to 21” wheels with red painted brake calipers. But what doesn’t change is what makes it go like there’s no tomorrow. It’s the brand’s hallmark 5.0-liter supercharged V8 and it remains one of my favorite engines of all time and here it’s mated to an 8-speed automatic. Referring to the Sport as the Jaguar of SUVs is completely apropos. Because this latest generation Sport underwent liposuction the aluminum-crafted, direct-injected, 510-horsepower bastion of bravado has never felt so good.

So much power mixed with so much capability; that precisely defines the Range Rover Sport – an uncompromising SUV with a dynamic range as expansive as the terrain it can traverse. The Jaguar-like sounds from the supercharged V8 will make you giddy while going off road is handled in the legendary Land Rover level of expertise. It’s everything you could want an SUV to be.

The Sport is ready to pounce at any time and will take off to 60mph in a scant 5.0-seconds. Hesitation is not in its vocabulary. The only downer to this kind of crazy sound and speed is the premium-only gas mileage of 14mpg city /19mpg highway. It also accepts E85 at the rate of 11mpg combined. An auto start/stop system aides in the cause. But I know, as they always say if you can afford the car you can afford the gas.

When you open the door this red leather interior instantly generates a reaction. And it seems to be divided by gender; men love it. Women hate it.

It no doubt clashes with the Montalcino Red exterior but if you’re into the wow factor, this Pimento leather is a no-brainer. And the Sport really brings a level of style and sophistication inside with an athletic fit commensurate with its purpose. It exudes superior craftsmanship and quality. And because it’s a Range Rover, Sport models do not concede their off-road DNA in any way and as such the 4-wheel drive manipulations are plentiful via the Terrain Response system with five selectable setups including Auto and Dynamic. And with the air springs, ride height can be altered to provide even greater ground clearance. So though it looks too well-dressed for wading through nearly 3’ of water, the brilliance of the Sport is that it can. What’s more, the ride quality feels equally well composed over rocky terrain as it does cruising down the highway. The Sport’s cabin remains quiet with the exception of times when you summon the fury of the specially tuned exhaust and intake sound symposer. And the aluminum-bodied Sport benefits from its light weight to raise the ante on SUV handling, capable of far more than just running straight ahead.

But the cabin remained the focal point of discussion this week and red or not, its midsize proportions give it a just right kind of feel from the front seats all the way to the cargo area. The TFT gauge display looks great, there’s customizable ambient lighting, a Range Rover emblem projects onto the ground at night and an optional 23-speaker Meridian sound system is pure ear candy. A full-length panorama roof and 4-zone climate control add to the sereneness. The electronics interface is also improved though suffers the same fate as many others – a brutally slow processor and not enough stand-alone buttons.

The entry point for this level of awesomeness is $93,490 while this one stickers for $97,905. And while the Autobiography buys things like a raised top speed of 155mph, what it really provides is an extra layer of exclusivity.

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