2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport New Car Buyer's Guide

What's New for the 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport?
The 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport is a new model from Land Rover. As the "Sport" name indicates, this is a luxury SUV with an emphasis on performance, much like BMW's X5 4.8is or Porsche's Cayenne. Most of the added performance comes from the usual suspects: more power from an optional supercharged V8 engine, bigger wheels and tires, a lowered and more firmly tuned suspension and stronger brakes. Not wanting to completely abandon its status as a premier maker of mud-throwing SUVs, however, Land Rover has made sure the RR Sport can also tackle dirt trails by fitting it with a Terrain Response system, low-speed gearing and Hill Decent Control. A new Dynamic Response system (DRS) is also available and it's the centerpiece of making the Sport's dual-purpose mission work. DRS firms up the Sport's adjustable anti-roll bars during high speed cornering for better handling. For slow-speed rock crawling, DRS disconnects the anti-roll bars, allowing maximum wheel travel. Though styled to look like a more aggressive Range Rover, much of the RR Sport's underpinnings are actually from Land Rover's Discovery replacement, the new LR3. As such, the RR Sport is about six inches shorter in length than the Range Rover and not quite as tall. Its five-seat interior is equipped with the latest luxury and safety gear, including DVD-based navigation, heated front and rear seats, harman/kardon audio and six airbags. Trim levels are the regular HSE or the supercharged V8 version. Those interested in what the Range Rover Sport has to offer will find it in Land Rover dealerships by early summer 2005.

Advantages of the 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport:

• Increased on-road performance without much of a penalty to off-road capability
• Many standard or optional luxury features
• Very capable for fast and long-distance drives

Objections to the 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport:

• Heavy curb weight dings acceleration and gas mileage
• Interior isn't as opulent as the regular Range Rover's

Editor's Advice:
Those shopping for a performance-oriented SUV should check out Land Rover's Range Rover Sport, the company's newest product and most driver-focused SUV ever. There's little doubt that the RR Sport can take on dirt trails without a problem. It can probably even bash over rougher stuff, though we doubt the SUV's shiny new 20-inch wheels and performance-oriented tires would last very long. No, this vehicle is like the Cayenne in that it should spend 95 percent of its life on the pavement. It certainly has the right exterior styling, and choosing between the 300-horsepower normally aspirated V8 or the supercharged 390-hp V8 is mostly a matter of knowing how fast you want to go; Land Rover says the boosted RR Sport will do 0 to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds. Though decent, this time is slower than what can be done in the Cayenne Turbo and likely a result of the Sport's hefty 5,671-pound curb weight. If you look at Land Rover's latest and aren't impressed, you should also check out the Cayenne, the X5 or Infiniti's FX45.