Strengths

Sleek makeover; luxury cachet; powerful new engines; high tech suspension and off-road hardware; beautiful new interior

 

Changes

The Range Rover Sport gets two new engines for 2010: a 375-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8 now comes standard on the regular Sport, while there's also a 510-hp supercharged version available.

In addition, the Range Rover Sport gets a set of touch-ups that clean up its exterior appearance; the refresh includes a new grille and front bumpers, new sculpting along the front fenders and wheel wells, and a redesigned rear fascia and tail lamps. Inside, the cabin has been more comprehensively redesigned, with soft-touch materials and new finishes and trims. Upgraded displays, infotainment systems and a high-tech audio interface is also part of the redesign.

 

Value

The Range Rover Sport has always been the slightly more manageably sized version of the Range Rover, geared more for on-road performance. That doesn't change for 2010, but the Sport has enhanced off-road ability as well. New engines allow faster acceleration, while improved steering and braking mean that the Range Rover Sport will hold its own against other luxury rivals such as the BMW X5.

 

Overview

The thoroughly revised 2010 Land Rover Range Rover Sport is available in three different models: HSE, HSE Lux and SC (Supercharged). Now standard on the two HSE models is a 375-horsepower, 5.0-liter V8; SC models get a 510-hp supercharged version of the 5.0-liter. Both models come with a 6-speed automatic transmission and full-time 4-wheel drive.

The new engines allow quicker acceleration than the ones that they replace without hurting fuel economy. The HSE models can get to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds, while the SC can do it in 5.9 seconds. Fuel economy is 12 mpg city, 17 mpg highway with either model.

Land Rover has introduced some new systems on the Range Rover Sport to improve on-road handling, as well as off-road capability. The Adaptive Dynamics System employs continuously adjustable dampers in the suspension, with a control system that can almost instantaneously adjust the firmness to hit the best compromise between handling response and comfort. The variable-ratio rack-and-pinion steering system has been revised for better high-speed stability, and brakes have been upgraded.

Although the Range Rover Sport is less off-road-focused than the traditional Range Rover, the Sport's Terrain Response system now allows less wheel slip on sand, to keep from digging in, while the rock crawl mode has also been improved. Hill Descent Control is still included, to modulate speed on steep sloped but Gradient Release Control is a new addition to help maintain control on the steepest ones.

The Range Rover Sport's interior has been appointed in all-new materials, with more soft-touch surfaces, new colors, and wood finishes, plus premium leather. Seats have also been upgraded with electrically adjustable side bolsters, and ambient lighting accents the door pockets and center console.

Infotainment systems in the Sport are all-new this year, with a hard-drive-based navigation system and new interface for portable audio such as USB, iPods and other MP3 players. These integrate with the new TFT gauge cluster directly in front of the driver.

The SC model brings a long list of extra features in addition to the supercharged engine, such as Brembo brakes, the Adaptive Dynamics suspension, 20-inch alloy wheels, bi-xenon headlamps with adaptive front lighting and High Beam Assist, steering-wheel paddle-shifters, heated washer jets, a heated windshield and heated rear seats. Upgrading from the HSE to HSE Lux will add the heated extras plus upgraded power seats, the headlight upgrades, and 20-inch alloys. All models get a 480-watt Harman/Kardon Logic7 sound system with 14 speakers.

Also available are a Surround Camera System for a clearer view around the vehicle when parking and a tow assist system that guides steering inputs when backing up with a trailer.