We still remember when Consumer Reports started testing the fourth generation Range Rover SUV last year. Like us, they found that it's not everything people thing it is or should be, with shortcomings ironically placed where the Land Rover brand's strengths are supposed to be.
On the wrong tires, they said the full-size Range Rover could be a deathtrap, unpredictable under braking. All the things they didn't like about the off-road capabilities, the rumors of unreliability and the dated center console are still valid about the 2014 Sport model. It only looks different and doesn't come with an extra row of seats.
These problems would not be an issue if we were talking about the Honda CR-V, but with mpg rating in the teens, the Sport is not the sort of vehicle you expect to make too many compromises.
There's no question that beyond some of its problems, the all-new Range Rover Sport is better than its predecessor. It's going to be satisfying for the owners who demand maturity from their SUVs, with the supercharged 5-liter V8 delivering plenty of performance. However, maturity comes with a price, a hefty $74,000 withdrawn from your bank account for the car CR is testing. Ouch!
For those of you who don't grasp the 2014 Range Rover Sport, we'll tell you that it fits neatly in between the full-size Range Rover and the baby Evoque, with about $20,000 on either side. It's based on the same platform as its big daddy, but sits lower and is about 5 inches shorter. Its biggest rival in America is not only the Spartanbourg-built BMW X5, but Cadillac's brand new Escalade.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News