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Range Rover Sport V8 Supercharged - EVO May 2005
“…the driving experience has moved to a level beyond
impressive and bordering on astonishing. We've driven the £57,495
range-topping Supercharged model, and it impresses from the
moment you turn the key and its Jaguar-derived, 4.2-litre, 384bhp
V8 erupts into a rich rumble; the soundtrack remains V8-delicious
all the way through the rev range. The speed of steering response
is unlike any Land Rover you've ever driven - shockingly sharp
if you'd just jumped from a regular Range Rover. …”
“Then there's the way the Sport can string together
a typical British B-road once its sophisticated active anti-roll
technology starts working through the corners. Called 'Dynamic
Response', it's standard on the top model (optional on all
others) and works by adding hydraulic pressure to the ends
of the special anti-roll bars, making them more effective
when needed but also decoupling them when they're not. It
means a better ride on the straights, although there's always
some 'chatter' coming through the steering due to the weighty
wheel/tyre combination beating the dampers on broken tarmac”
“…Overall, though, the Sport moves the performance
SUV game on several notches. And while its claimed 7.2sec
0-60mph time appears unremarkable on the face of it, this
supercharged Sport has to be a contender for world's fastest
SUV on real roads ….”
“The Range Rover Sport has another ace up its sleeve;
its new six-speed ZF autobox has the most impressive 'Sport'
mode I've ever driven. There's no hiding the bulk of the 2570kg
Sport, especially under braking, but this ultra-clever six-speeder
helps mask this with superbly judged downchanges, complete
with an electronic 'heel and toe' engine blip along the way,
giving you genuine engine braking into corners…..”
“Land Rover's first attempt at a sporty SUV seems like
a winner. …”
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