What they said when the Range Rover Sport was new… (Apr 5 2005)
AFTER 57 years of building 4x4s Land Rover has built its first sports car ... or perhaps that should be "Sport" car.
And the amazing thing about the latest model from the Solihull-based car company is that while the new Range Rover Sport handles and performs like a high performance sports saloon - it can also tackle the harshest off road terrain.
Off-roaders and sports saloons are traditionally at two completely opposite ends of the spectrum but Land Rover has managed a neat trick by combining the two.
And while at first glance you may take the Sport for a traditional Range Rover, a closer look will show you that they are two completely different animals - and aimed at two completely different markets.
I was one of the first journalists in the world to drive the new model, which will be officially launched to the motoring press next week.
And after trying it both on and off-road I have little doubt this car will be a winner - and a big money spinner for Land Rover.
That confidence is obviously shared by Land Rover enthusiasts. Even before the car is officially on sale, 4,000 of them have put down deposits of up to £4,000 each to be among the first to own one - even though they have never seen the vehicle in the metal.
That works out at around 30 orders per Land Rover dealer and bodes well for the future of the Sport - only the fifth new model the company has built in its long history.
The model I tried was the most powerful in the line up of three engines offered in the Sport, the 4.2-litre V8 Supercharged.
It uses the same high performance engine as in Jaguar's two supercars, the XKR and XJR and comes with the same thrill appeal of both.
With a top speed of 140 miles per hour and a 0-62mph acceleration time of just 7.2 seconds this is the fastest Range Rover ever.
Smaller and more streamlined than the traditional Range Rover, the Sport is more agile and more performance orientated.
There is slightly less space for rear seat passengers and luggage than in the Range Rover but in this car the cabin has almost been built around the driver like a cockpit.
In the Range Rover you tend to have to reach for the controls. In the Sport they fall neatly to hand.
The air-sprung suspension has been tuned for high speed performance and the whole thing feels much more taut than the Range Rover.
In fact once behind the wheel the handling is so good on fast corners and tight bends you forget you are driving a 4x4. It may be big but it corners like a sports car with no body roll and no inkling of losing grip.
Hit the accelerator and this giant Tonka toy takes off like a cat whose tail has just been trodden on. It may have only one supercharger compared to two in the Jaguar but this car will definitely throw you back in your seat.
And while the design very much resembles the Range Rover it is perhaps more related to the company's new award-winning Discovery 3.
It's built on the same platform, has the same dashboard and the same brilliant Terrain Response system which allows you to "dial up" the terrain you are about to encounter, leaving it to the vehicle to automatically set everything from ride height to hill descent control and electronic traction control.
A short off-road trial showed me just how good this car is on the rough stuff, wading through deep water and going over steep drops.
Roger Craythorne, Land Rover's off-road guru who knows everything there is to know about 4x4 driving assured me the Sport was just as good off road as the Range Rover or Discovery.
The only difference is this sleek newcomer has trendy low profile tyres for high performance - so it doesn't have quite the ground clearance. Not that that will worry most buyers - they are unlikely to ever take it off-road.
Prices for the land Rover Sport start from £35,000 rising to £59,995 for the V8 Supercharged First Edition.
Words: Edward Stephens
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