Perfection is a 2010 Range Rover Sport Supercharged

When it comes to the automotive marketplace, there exists no brand with the untarnished cachet of that from Solihull, England. Rolls Royce has found a competitor in the Mercedes-funded Maybach brand, BMW’s once-dominant M-division competes daily with products bearing badges from AMG, Quattro, and V, and even Ford’s Mustang, the long-time sole bearer of the ponycar torch and fastest selling car ever finds itself drawing fire once more from Chevy and Dodge. But the Range Rover is still, 40 years after its inception, unquestionably without equal.

However, recent years have seen the Range Rover brand divided. While the Range Rover remains the world’s most luxurious and capable off-road vehicle, the brand’s Land Rover-based Range Rover Sport model has introduced the historic marquee to an entirely different subset of buyers. And while the more expensive Range Rover retains a commanding lead over its competitors by virtue of its unmatched off-road prowess, the Range Rover Sport has had the unenviable task of entering the ring with such examples of delectable dynamics as Porsche’s Cayenne and BMW’s X5. While it was only arguably the better product in years past, the 2010 model year sees the Range Rover Sport catapulting ahead of its competition by virtue of a surprisingly thorough redesign.

I say surprising since one could easily mistake this new Range Rover Sport for one of previous iterations thereof. Retaining the classic Range Rover proportions, the new Sport trades the previous models’ front and rear bumpers, fenders, grill and lights in favour of more modern moldings that don’t detract from the familiar shape that earned the first Range Rover a spot in the Louvre. However, while features like the LED running lamps and smoother, two-bar grille are purely cosmetic, the fenders have been redesigned to incorporate better aerodynamics when fitted with the massive 19” and 20” wheels available.

Inside, the new Range Rover boasts a heavily revised interior that places a much stronger emphasis on the perception of luxury than the previous model’s plastic-infused centre console could ever allow. However, just as with the outside, the existing model’s handsome styling remains, albeit rendered in vastly nicer trimmings. With ten different combinations of leather coloration and three complimentary trim finishes, there’s no shortage of striking interiors available, making it downright difficult to go wrong. That said, for what it’s worth, opting for a Santorini Black paint finish, black leather on black alcantara, and the optional $430 black lacquer trim finish as my tester was equipped is a pretty good way to take the prettiest SUV on the planet down a peg a two on the Interest-O-Meter.

But even the monochromatic treatment inflicted upon it couldn’t detract from the luxurious quality oozing from every single facet of the big SUV’s interior. From the perfectly finished aluminum trim to the most comfortable seats and seating position I’ve ever enjoyed, there is absolutely no fault to be found within the Range Rover Sport’s cabin. The big, rubber-coated knobs used to control everything from the automatic climate control to the Terrain Response system pay homage to the brand’s all-weather capability and are easily grasped by gloved hands, yet concede not a single ounce of their perfect tactile feedback. The heated seats and steering wheel didn’t come in too handy during the twenty-degree average Vancouver enjoyed during my week-long test period, but would be godsends on those mid-January trips up the mountain. And then there’s the navigation system. Standard equipment on all Range Rover products, it boasts a new 5.0” TFT screen that is to the old unit what HDTV is to an Etch-A-Sketch. With an intuitive touch-screen interface, it’s infinitely easier to use as well, and both navigation and iPod integration tasks were absolutely seamless in operation.

Turning the key brings to life the single largest change in the new 2010 Range Rover Sport: the motor. Displacing 5.0 litres within a high-pressure die-cast aluminum block, the new AJ133 powerplant is truly cutting edge. Incorporating the nearly obligatory direct injection demanded by modern consumption and emissions, the motor sports an impressive 11.5:1 compression ratio in naturally aspirated form, with a set of more boost-friendly 9.5:1 pistons contained with the bores of the supercharged models. Electronically variable cam timing replaces the old motor’s hydraulically-adjusted cams, hereby reducing the load on the oil pump, freeing up more power and facilitating the pump’s relocation, subsequently resulting in an engine that’s 24 millimetres shorter overall than that it replaces. In light of more stringent pedestrian safety requirements, Land Rover/Jaguar’s engineers have also packaged the supercharger and intercooler package within the engine’s banks, lowering the engines profile underhood.

The result: possibly the greatest engine on the road today, and assuredly the single most compelling argument for the continued survival of the supercharged internal combustion V8. While I’ve been informed that the naturally aspirated model is perfectly capable, to attempt to describe the simply awesome power delivery of the supercharged model would be to do it a disservice; words cannot begin communicate its level of perfection. It belongs in the same discussion of fast vehicles as the Supermarine Spitfire and the Concord; it’s just that good. Seriously. It responds to even the slightest of inputs perfectly, never surprising with an unintended burst of speed nor found lagging even a second behind. Be it rolling through heavy traffic while sipping your preferred beverage or pounding past slow moving traffic on the Trans-Canada, it’s telepathic in every response. However, that’s not what exalts it to the status that opened this paragraph, it is the engine’s undeniable character that does that. From the second it runs through its should-be-Grammy-winning stereophonic cold-start sequence to the first time you feel what 461 lb-ft of supercharged torque can do to motivate 5,853 pounds, it is the first engine of the 21st century possessing of that elusive English quality once found in such stories vehicles as the big Healey inline sixes, Bentley V-8s, and Jag V-12s. Pairing a downright colonial-era exhaust note with startling ferocity, it’s not turbine smooth nor nearly inaudible, and makes absolutely no excuses for this uncouth behaviour. Instead it revels in its excessiveness with a cacophony of supercharger whine, giant inhalations of induction noise, and it’s incredibly satisfying baritone coughing fits on the overrun. Floor it, and there isn’t the steady build of silent, efficient speed like you’d experience in either of BMW’s M-branded SUV/SAVs, but a violent surge punctuated by noise and fury that continuously serves to remind you that burning large amounts of high-octane petrol is, just as with most things politically incorrect, fan-f***ing-tastic.

And this doesn’t even begin to explore the gamut of the Range Rover Sport’s capabilities. With a familiar air-sprung independent suspension system and the brand’s famous Terrain Response system, there’s off-road capability to spare, making this vehicle perfectly suited to those urban sprawls where winter roads often go unplowed. In the dry, the massively wide tires provide plenty of grip, while the electronic wizardry works wonders to control excess body movement through even the most violent of manoeuvres. Ride comfort is second to none, and although the steering is single-finger light at low speeds, it weights up nicely as velocity increases, giving a good level of confidence on any backroad.

Of course, there are those that will still point at the Mercedes ML63, Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and BMW X6M and say “But, it’s faster!” Confirming little more than the fact that their reading comprehension is in greater supply than their taste, the simple fact is this: owning a Range Rover means never having to lean on excuses like these to explain your car-buying decision. And if the name alone isn’t enough, just remind them of the outcome of a couple relatively large wars. That usually shuts them up.