The Canadian winter has been ruthless this year. From above
average snowfall to a crippling ice storm, and a seemingly endless plunge into
the depths of a polar vortex, when one leaves the house it’s rarely without
purpose. Frankly, a week in the new 2014 Range Rover Sport made life outside and
on the roads, substantially more bearable.
At first glance the new staple SUV from Land Rover is
stylistically sweet. The Adaptive Xenon headlights have been narrowed, giving
it an aggressive front façade. It’s a big beast of an automobile, but its
stature is unassuming. The lines are tight and it ain’t half bad once your eyes
drop down to the 21-inch wheels.
Stepping up to the driver’s seat (“up” is the operative word
here), I realize they could benefit from a pop-out step. My grandma wouldn’t be
making it into this baby, and my girlfriends even had to go for a headfirst
dive just to situate themselves on the passenger side.
Once you’ve managed to find your way into the front,
however, the tasteful design elements are abundant. Espresso leather seats that
I’d trade in my desk chair for, touches of chrome that add elegance instead of
flash, and an unfettered areal view through the huge sun roof. There are a few
dials to play with, but aside from the sleek 8-inch touch screen the dashboard
is relatively minimalist.
The tie matches the suit, as it were, however I felt that
some of the controls were misplaced or mismanaged. Heated seats are a must in
this climate (cooled seats for the winter are a bonus!), but having to turn them
on every time you re-start the car is a bother. Audio controls rather than
camera components should have been moved over to the driver’s side of the
screen, the heads up driver display provided useless information (where are my
fuel efficiency stats and trip computer? No audio information or incoming call
display?), and the steering wheel switches could have been amped up. Perhaps
the most reasonably aggravating automated element was the amount of steps it
took to place a simple call using the voice commands. Of course, my complaints
tended to be nitpicky – electronic shortcomings that I expected to be flawless
alongside a base price of $80,560 CAD before tax and add-ons.
Ultimately, the most important thing for me is how the Range
Rover Sport performs on the road. At 3.0 L V6 with a 340-horsepower engine in the HSE model I tested (available 5.0 L supercharged
V8, 510-horsepower) having your way with the road was hardly an issue. With a
variety of driving modes, including one for snow and ice, I was impressed with
the 4-wheel drive capability on Toronto’s slick streets. Despite its size and
weight, it took the corners like a champ and was comfortable at highway speeds
in an unplowed HOV lane. The only thought that perpetuated in my head was that
of all the soccer moms rolling around in this mammoth. It may drive like a
sports car, but it’s sure not sized like one.
With impeccable drivability and a burly output to match, an
aggressive yet elegant design, and a level of comfort that comes requisite with
the price tag, I wouldn’t scoff if this auto were sitting in my driveway each
morning. While it could use some tailoring on the electronic functionality, its
effectiveness in the snow and overall comfort made the 2014 Range Rover Sport a welcome sanctuary from the
elements, bearing them all at the same time.
