Land Rover Range Rover Sport 2008 $37,995

The Range Rover Sport has been derided because it's not in fact a Sport version of Land Rover's venerable Range Rover it's a different car, built on a separate platform. For the purposes of this review, though, I'll focus on the Range Rover Sport itself, not compare it to its older sibling. Exterior Um, well, I'll compare it a bit to its older sibling. It sits a lot lower, and that's the first thing that grabs you. Years ago, when I saw my first Range Rover Sport, I thought it was a regular Range Rover that had something wrong with its suspension. It looked like it had deflated and was riding too low. Nowadays, as Range Rover Sports are more common and more companies are coming out with low-slung SUVs, it's not as noticeable. It's also about 7 inches shorter in length, about an inch narrower and 3 inches shorter in height than a traditional Range Rover. The Range Rover Sport has vents on its front fenders, like most of the Land Rover family, and the grille has the same pattern as a Range Rover (though our HSE test model had a plastic grille). It also has a nearly vertical windshield with big side windows. Seen from any angle, the Range Rover Sport has what auto critics call a big greenhouse (read, big windows, lots of glass), though it's still smaller than a Range Rover's. It looks comparatively chopped, and sleeker. Interior The big letdown is the plastic trim on the dashboard. Its use in the grille isn't my favorite, either, but at least I can let myself believe it was done to save weight and make the Sport more sporty. On the interior, it's just not done that well. Other automakers have shown you can use lightweight metal in performance cars, or at the very least disguise the plastic better than Land Rover did. You shouldn't pay this much and get something that looks cheap. I think what makes it particularly bad is that there is some very nice wood trim and high-quality leather and carpeting inside, so when compared to other bits of trim the plastic sticks out badly. The seats are some of the more comfortable ones in any SUV or car I've driven, with a nice range of adjustments, intuitive controls and a memory feature. I really put the seats to the test by making a three-hour drive home after a three-hour offroad bike ride prime backache conditions and hopped out of the Sport more comfortable than I usually do after such adventures. There's plenty of headroom, even with the moonroof, and that helps you sit more upright if that's your thing. Speaking of carrying stuff, the Range Rover Sport's folding backseat is an older design, meaning you have to flop the seat bottoms forward then fold the seatbacks down. It's split 60/40 and works despite its old design it carried a big offroad bike, a tent and two small duffels easily. As I mentioned, there's a lot of glass in the Range Rover Sport there's a moonroof, sure, but what you really notice are the large windows, windshield and rear glass. This isn't a small SUV, but the effect of all this glass is to make visibility good it's one of the easier SUVs to parallel park or drive on the highway. I never felt like I was driving a big SUV. If the plastic trim is a letdown, this is a nice surprise. Going and Stopping Ah, but there is another letdown, and that's the Sport's, um, sportiness. Where some vehicles are named Sport because they're quicker, on this car it felt like Sport was a nickname. As in, What's up, Sport? (Or, if you prefer F. Scott Fitzgerald references, Hello, old sport.) Acceleration just isn't great. Where that's most noticeable is when passing at highway speeds. The transmission kicks down pretty quickly and the engine makes a lot of noise, but you don't surge forward like I think you should. Yes, there's a sport mode in the transmission that helps a bit, but it's still not fast. Land Rover does make a supercharged version of the Sport that I've not tested, and that should provide better acceleration. However, if you're considering this car I implore

• 20 SUPERCHARGED ALLOY WHEELS
• LUXURY INTERIOR PKG
• DYNAMIC RESPONSE PACK
• COLD CLIMATE PKG
• REAR DIFFERENTIAL LOCK
• SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO
• DARK ZEBRANO WOOD TRIM
• LEATHER SEAT TRIM
• Pwr sunroof
• Bi-Xenon single-piece headlamps w/auto headlamps pwr washers
• Front/rear fog lamps
• Puddle/footwell lamps
• Deep-tinted glass aft of B-pillar
• Pwr folding heated mirrors w/programmable auto dipping of passenger mirror in reverse
• Rain-sensing front windshield wipers
• Intermittent rear window washer/wiper
• Single tailgate w/opening glass
• Seating
• 65/35 split folding rear seat w/adjustable head restraints
• 3-driver memory
• Ebony center stack/console trim
• Twin needle top stich door inserts
• Noble finish trim accents on speaker/vent bezels gear knob glove box release
• Center console storage bin
• Leather-wrapped pwr tilt/telescopic steering wheel
• Instrumentation
• Outside temp display
• Front/rear park distance control
• Tire pressure monitoring system
• Pwr windows
• Pwr central locking w/emergency key entry via concealed panel in drivers door
• Cruise control w/steering wheel mounted controls
• Premium navigation system w/4X4 info system
• Perimetric alarm system w/keyless entry
• Homelink system for garage doors & security gates
• 550-watt Harman/Kardon LOGIC7 audio system
• Steering wheel mounted audio controls
• 2nd row auxiliary audio input
• Voice recognition & driver microphone
• Personal telephone integration system
• Dual glass-mounted antenna system
• Dual-zone automatic climate control w/recirculation
• Front/rear window defogger
• Auto-dimming rearview mirror
• 12V pwr outlet
• Cupholders
• Brunel door inserts
• Front door map pockets
• Front seatback storage pockets
• Rear loadspace cover cargo net hooks
• 4.4L V8 engine
• 6-speed automatic transmission w/Commandshift
• 4-wheel electronic traction control (4ETC)
• Permanent 4-wheel drive
• Distributorless ignition system
• 2-speed electronic transfer gearbox
• Monocoque integrated body/chassis w/(3) steel subframes
• Integral class III trailer towing hitch receiver
• Enhanced electronic air suspension (EAS) system
• Double-wishbone front suspension
• Double-wishbone rear suspension
• 255/50HR19 tires
• 19 aluminum alloy wheels
• Reduced section spare tire
• Pwr rack & pinion steering
• Pwr ventilated front solid rear disc brakes
• Electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD)
• Emergency brake assist (EBA)
• Cornering brake control (CBC)
• Hill descent control (HDC)
• Dynamic stability control (DSC)
• Active roll mitigation (ARM)
• 4-channel 4-wheel all-terrain anti-lock brakes (ABS)
• Electronic parking brake
• 6-airbag supplemental restraint system (SRS)
• Front/rear three-point seatbelts & head restraints
• Height adjustable front seatbelt anchors
• Front seatbelt pretensioners
• Child locks for rear doors/windows
• LATCH (Lower Anchor & Tether for Children) system for child seat attachment
• Front crumple zones
• Collision-activated inertia switch to unlock doors turn off fuel pump activate hazard lamps
• Leather-wrapped gear selector