Range Rover Sport 5.0 Supercharged HSE review [w/video]

"The Sport SC can lap the Ring in 8min49. Crazy fast."

What is it?

This is the flagship of the newly-revised Range Rover Sport err… range. And as the Sport is the most dynamic of all the Range Rovers, this top-spec model needs to deliver in the power department. How does the 510hp 5.0-litre supercharged V8 from the Jaguar XFR sound?

[Click here to watch our video review
]

What’s it like on the outside?

The top-spec Range Rover Sport shares the same revisions that work really rather well on its TDV6 sibling. So plenty of work has been done to emphasise the Sport’s horizontal elements, like the new two-bar grille and simpler bumper, to make the Sport appear more planted on the road. The LEDs in the new headlights look appropriately bling too, and each light carries a signature twin LED indicator which is matched by two strakes in the revised wing vent. But no matter what design boss Gerry McGovern and his team have done to the hottest Sport, it still looks very purposeful, aggressive and potent on its big 20-inch rims.

What’s it like on the inside?

The interior of the Sport supercharged puts it in another league, both in terms of the old car and its main rivals, the Porsche Cayenne and BMW X5/X6. The new seats are super comfortable, the simplified, soft-touch dash looks great, and the fully iPod-friendly touch screen nav system is easy to use and contributes to the fact that the new Sport has 50% fewer buttons. The Sport’s interior is a great place to spend time.

What’s it like to drive?

The first time you know the Range Rover Sport supercharged is a bit special is the first time you overtake something at about 50mph. Floor the throttle, the V8 growls, the supercharger whines and before you’ve had chance to work out what happened you’re past the slow-moving vehicle and are barrelling off down the road at a pretty silly speed.

The supercharged gets Range Rover’s new Dynamic mode in the Terrain Response system. This firms up the dampers, allows a little more slip from the traction control and means that you can punt along at quite silly speeds. The ride comfort does suffer, thanks to the firmer damping and the 20-inch rims wrapped with low profile tyres, but the tight body control and lack of roll in bends is worth it.

The SC gets the new variable ratio steering too, which is further enhanced in dynamic mode. This makes the Sport extremely easy to drive with precision. With the extra engine power, Land Rover elected to fit the Sport supercharged with a high-spec Brembo system with 380mm front discs. The brakes do a fine job of hauling over 2.5 tonnes of car to a stop, with decent feel too.

Verdict

The Range Rover Sport Supercharged is a total extravagance. It has so much power, and despite Land Rover’s promises that it’s cleaned up its act, the size of the car means it’ll never be particularly frugal. The new Dynamic Terrain Response is good too, and so are the brakes, but ultimately, I’d take the 3.0 TDV6 and look a lot less like a footballer’s wife.

By Tom Phillips