After decades ofdeclaring itself the regent of off-road, Land Rover has decided to battle thegrowing number of performance-oriented SUVs with the 2006 Range Rover Sport.
Set to go onsale in
Canadain the summer of 2005, the Range Rover Sport is said to be ''a true performancevehicle, optimized for fast, comfortable, long-distance driving.'' Equippedwith the optional 390-hp, 4.2.-litre, supercharged V-8, the Range Rover Sport''will deliver the highest degree of power ever available on a Land Rovermodel,'' says Matthew Taylor, Land Rover's managing director.
Pricing anddetailed specifications won't be announced for some time, but since it'ssupposed to fit between the new LR3 and the big-ticket Range Rover (which willitself be up-fitted in the New Year), we can assume it will cost north of$80,000.
The ability togo fast and true on pavement will come from Land Rover's new Dynamic Responsesuspension system and performance-tuned chassis, says
Taylor. ''The innovative system, making itsdebut on Range Rover Sport, senses cornering forces and acts to optimize bodycontrol and handling,''
Taylorexplains.
Dynamic Responsealso ''decouples off-road to allow greater wheel articulation during toughall-terrain driving,'' he says, but the truth is that very few Range Roversever go off-road unless you count the gravel driveway on the way to the countryclub. The normal suspension system will easily handle that, so prospectivebuyers should not worry.
''Range RoverSport takes us into the growing performance SUV market,'' says Taylor, ''but isdifferent from all rivals. We see it as a less frenetic, more refinedalternative to existing performance SUVs.'' Yes, he means you, BMW, Cadillac,Lexus, Lincoln, Porsche and VW.
Taylor says the new Sport is ''ideal forfast, comfortable, long-distance driving and practical enough for everyday use.Yet it is also exceptional off-road, offering better all-terrain ability thanany competitor. Like all Land Rover products, it offers the broadest range ofcapability in its class.''
This is the best''driver's vehicle'' that Land Rover has ever made,
Taylor maintains. ''There is the traditionalLand Rover command driving position, yet the cockpit is more cocooning than theSUV norm.''
photo:Land Rover
