Land Rover? Range Rover? What’s this thing actually called? Its official name is the “Land Rover Range Rover Sport” – Range Rover Sport for short. 

Even after the company’s long running history and decades of off-roading experience, it’s not uncommon to find people who are confused by the brand’s naming strategy. Regardless, this British luxury sport-utility vehicle needs no words to describe what it truly is – an expensive over-performing jewel that you’ll be too afraid to take off-road.

But that’s okay, because this vehicle is much more appreciated on city streets. You will see many eyeballs peering through your windshield while you ride past business executives in suits. Why? Aside from envy, there’s an element of intrigue as well. 

For decades, Range Rover has managed to maintain its portfolio of boxy off-road vehicles that preferred lines over curves. The 2014 Range Rover Sport however combines design elements from its siblings, the Evoque and the Range Rover Supercharged. In fact, this has to be the most drastically redesigned Range Rover since the turn of the century. 

Here are some specifications:

Engine: 3-litre supercharged V-6 / 5-litre supercharged V-8

Horsepower: 340 hp (V-6) / 510 hp (V-8)

Torque: 332 lb.-ft. (V-6) / 661 lb.-ft. (V-8)

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Fuel economy:  12.6L/100 km city, 8.6L/100 km highway (V-6) / 15.5L/100 km city, 10.4L/100 km highway (V-8)

Like: Highly Customizable

When you have this kind of money, you have the right to be choosy. That’s why the Sport comes in a choice of 19 exterior colours, 11 interior colours, 4 aluminum interior finishes, 3 real wood veneers, 3 headliner colours, 9 wheel options and 3 roof colours. Can you imagine the amount of combinations! Don’t ask me to figure that out, I’m a fan of cars – not math.

Like: Bespoke Interiors

The interior has been modernized significantly starting with the center console. It has been raised making the controls easier to access for the driver. 

The seats are comfortably accommodating and give you the choice of how firm or soft you would like them to be – at least for the front row. Rear passengers are provided with individually controllable heated seats and air vents. 

The model that I was provided was draped in soft touch material throughout the dash, especially noticeable surrounding the touchscreen. Most of the car’s interior features can be controlled through the touchscreen’s interface. Although there are physical buttons and knobs to control the climate settings, most of the audio settings are to be controlled using the touchscreen or the buttons on the steering wheel. If that doesn’t matter and you love screens, you can consider replacing your analog gauges with a large digital gauge that magically appears as you start the car.

Like: Auto Start/Stop

Of course, no one buys one of these for its fuel economy or eco-friendliness, but it’s good to know that that there’s some thought when it comes to that department. How? It features an auto start/stop that shuts down the engine as you come to a complete stop. This feature works best at a red light or in a traffic jam. This feature can be enabled or disabled using the “Eco” button located near the armrest.

Like: Fuel Economy

Thanks to a new V-6 Supercharged 3.0-litre engine – the same one found in the Jaguar XF – the Sport is able to achieve better fuel economy than its predecessor. Expect to get around 12.6L/100 km in the city and 8.6L/100 km on the highway. If you opt for the 5.0-litre V-8 Supercharged engine, you can expect 15.5L/100 km in the city and 10.4L/100 km on the highway.

Dislike: Gear Shifter

To go with the amount of technology in the car, Land Rover decided to upgrade the shifter as well. For 2014, the Sport features a traditional lever-based shifter that allow you to shift between 3 gears – Drive, Neutral, and Reverse. To shift to Park however, you will have to press a button located on the shifter. In most cars, pushing the lever all the way to the top shifts it to Park, but doing the same in the Sport puts you in Reverse gear. Expect to spend around two weeks before you getting the hang of this. For a final word of caution, I would avoid reverse parking too close to other cars – just to be safe.

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