2015 Range Rover Sport: Real World Review

What is it?: 5 (+ optional 2) passenger, four-wheel-drive, luxury SUV

Price: $63,350 - $101,465+

Competitors: Porsche Cayenne, Mercedes GL, BMW X5

Alternatives: Cadillac Escalade, Jeep Cherokee

Pros: Elegant and classy, the benchmark off-road; surprisingly capable on

Cons: Doesn’t come cheap; thirsty; lousy infotainment system

Would I buy it?: If I had the cash and wanted an SUV, the Range Rover Sport would be my choice.

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The first time I drove the 2015 Range Rover Sport, I did so through the belly of a Boeing 747. It was quite entertaining, and a novel way to ensure we writers wouldn’t forget the experience. The fact is, though, this was the least memorable part of that first drive event. The part I recall most is how savage yet sophisticated that supercharged V-8 remains. And how well the damn thing handled.

I came away in love (after all, the 510 horsepower, 5.0-liter V-8 hit 60 mph in just 4.7 seconds and boasts an optional active-roll system and electronic differential): In a previous life, I toyed with the idea of buying an ’09 Sport with the V-8, but instead settled for a Cayenne GTS — despite my wife’s yearning for the Range. Why? I wanted something sportier, something that reminded me that having kids and needing space didn’t mean I couldn’t drive something fun. At that point, back in 2009, the Range Rover was Sport by name but not in reality.

The new, aluminum, unibodied Sport does, however, do real justice to its name. It’s not as precise as the Cayenne, but it’s brute strength and muscle stands out as being characterful — a little like SRT’s take on the Jeep Cherokee. And yet the Range can manage off-road duty like nothing else in the segment.

It is expensive, though — not unlike the Porsche or its competition. I had a new 340 horsepower V-6 Range Rover Sport press car on my driveway the other week, and with options, it fetched $82,000. 82k is extortionate for a non-V8-engined Sport, especially when a V-8 starts at $80,000. Add a few options to that model, however, and the price can soon rocket north of $100,000.

And if you don’t option the V-8, you’re sure to miss it. The supercharged six is, though, mighty smooth, plenty fast and more fuel-efficient (albeit still thirsty). With a starting price of $63,350, in theory, you can get one for closer to what you may deem acceptable for a luxury SUV.

Behind the wheel, the driving position is very high, like you’re perched on top of the world. It feels as if small children could walk unassisted under the SUV and you’d never even notice, or that you could tangle with a Hummer and have a 50/50 chance of coming out on top.

You wouldn’t, of course.

While the interior is fresh and free from clutter — a Mercedes level of luxury — the infotainment system is shocking. It’s not that it’s lacking in features it just doesn’t do anything with ease, or indeed well. The navigation, too, will get you more lost than James May; it really is the car’s Achilles heel.

But it does drive so damn well that you don’t especially care. The rear legroom is improved and with the optional panoramic roof; the additional light delivers an airy feel. The SUV seats five comfortably, but there is an option for an “emergency” third row for folks with no legs.

As for reliability, a key topic when consumers debate Jaguar Land Rover products, the most recent study by J.D. Power suggests Land Rover is still lagging towards the bottom of the pile, while — oddly — its sister company Jaguar lands towards the head of the list for initial quality. While reliability is a tough question to answer in a review of a new car, one thing’s for sure, the woes you heard from the late ‘80s early ‘90s are surely not so much of an issue today with regards to Land Rover products; it wouldn’t put me off owning one, anyway.

But, at the end of the day, is this car truly worth $63,000 and up? The truth of the matter is, with either V-6 or V-8, it probably isn’t — but then is any car that costs this much worth it? Maybe it’s because I’m now older than I was back in 2009 — or maybe it’s because I’m poorer — but as love this car, it’s difficult to comprehend why you wouldn’t just buy, say, the cheaper upcoming Land Rover Discovery Sport or a basic Jeep Cherokee.

But then we never think logically about things we love, do we? And while I may now be more pragmatic in age, after a week pretending to own the new Range Rover Sport, my wife still yearns deeply for one.

And if I’m honest, so do I.