G14 AUTOMOTIVE THE CAR PAGES Roving the range with deep pockets
and requires premium gasoline, which is why Tata has gone out of its way to make prospective buy- ers want it. What we’re discussing here is
I
an object of pure lust, the 2010 edition of the Land Rover Range Rover Sport Supercharged with options, possibly the most luxuri- ous of full-size SUVs. TataMotors, part of aMumbai-
based multinational conglomer- ate that acquired Land Rover from FordMotor in 2008, makes no pretense that the vehicle is meant for anything other than enjoyment and prestige. This is the SUV as ceremonial elephant. Step in. The Range Rover Sport Supercharged smells rich. It is the aroma of Windsor premium leather and straight-grain walnut —leather on the instrument pan- el, and on the seats with contrast stitching;matte-finished wood that gives the impression the floor-mounted center console and other interior elements were carved from the soul of a walnut tree. Under its tutelage, Ford em- phasized the technical prowess of the Range Rover line. Buttons and dials were all over the instru- ment panel and center console. The feeling was more aircraft flight deck than luxury coach. Tata has changed that, giving the Sport Supercharged fewer but- tons with greater ease of use. It matters not that underneath
its considerable finery, the Sport Supercharged remains a truck with a hydro-formed, box-steel ladder-frame. (Tutorial:Hydro- forming, widely used in the auto- mobile industry, employs high- pressure hydraulic fluid in the shaping and strengthening of complex pieces of malleable met- als.)
So, yes, the new Range Rover
Sport Supercharged remains tough. It can acquit itself in off- road travel. But who, in his or her right mind, would attempt such a thing? It would be akin to plan-
ndia’s TataMotors is keenly aware that no one needs an $80,000 sport-utility vehicle that gets 14 miles per gallon
2010 Range Rover Sport Supercharged NUTS&BOLTS
Bottom line: In terms of utility, there is nothing in the Range Rover Sport Supercharged that trumps many less-expensive full-size sport-utility vehicles. But it beats all of them in the matter of luxury, and it gives most of them a run for the money in the field of sport.
Ride, acceleration and handling: Ride and acceleration are excellent, as is handling on long stretches with gentle curves. City handling is borderline horrendous. Caution is advised in tight curves.
Head-turning quotient: Simply sumptuous. Looks and feels rich.
Body style/layout: Construction is integrated body frame using hydro-formed steel pieces. Frame is ladder type with welded steel sides. The front-engine, four-wheel-drive Range Rover Sport has four side doors and a rear hatch. It is available as the HSE and the Supercharged model driven for this column.
Engine/transmission: The standard engine is a 5-liter, 32-valve supercharged V-8 (510 horsepower, 461 foot-pounds of torque). The transmission is a six-speed automatic than can be shifted manually.
PHOTO BY LAND ROVER
WARREN BROWN On Wheels
ning an evening at a landfill in black tie or gown. I was tempted. Remodeling of
the minor sort continues apace on our Northern Virginia house. Such endeavors yield lots of trash —and much aging junk that nev- er should have been bought in the first place. I was planning to load the Range Rover for several runs to the Fairfax County Land- fill in Lorton. But I couldn’t bringmyself to
do it. The vehicle was too pretty, too precious. Also, it was less accom- modating for dirty duty than, say, a GMC Yukon SLT, available for
roughly $30,000 less than the Range Rover Sport Supercharged. The Yukon has a maximum 109 cubic feet of cargo space. The Range Rover gives you a maxi- mum of 71 cubic feet, which means it is far more “sport” than “utility.” But that is exactly the point,
which raises the question:How do you make a ceremonial ele- phant dance? In the case of the Range Rover Sport Supercharged, carrying a factory weight of 5,816 pounds, you give it a big V-8 en- gine and a sophisticated suspen- sion (four-wheel independent, double wishbone front-rear, ride control and height adjustable) designed to make it appear nim- ble. This almost works. The super-
charged 5-liter, 32-valve V-8 (510 horsepower, 461 foot-pounds of torque) installed in the Range Rover Sport (thus the “Super- charged” moniker for this one) is an undoubtedly robust engine. It produces such thrust you almost
have to warn passengers before tapping the accelerator. The thing is fast. It’s not nimble. It remains a
truck, and trucks, by genetics and design, remain the elephants of the vehicle world. Real-world experience says you
don’t want to drive the Range Ro- ver Sport Supercharged in con- gested, contentious urban traffic. It’s still too big, too heavy and too clumsy to find true happiness in that sort of outing. Nor would you, or should you, attempt to take tight curves at high speeds in this one. The Sport Supercharged comes
admirably equipped with com- pensatory electronics—patented “All-terrain Dynamic Stability Control,” cornering brake control, and emergency braking assis- tance. But not one of them is en- gineered to overcome the laws of physics.
brownw@washpost.com Brown is a special correspondent.
Capacities: There is comfortable seating for four adults. A fifth person can be squeezed into the center of the rear seat for short trips. Maximum cargo capacity is 71 cubic feet. Maximum payload, the weight of what can be carried onboard, is 1,219 pounds. The Range Rover Sport Supercharged can be equipped to carry a trailer weighing 7,716 pounds. The fuel tank holds 23.3 gallons of gasoline (premium required).
Mileage: Bring lots of money . . . and avoid city traffic. This thing swills fuel at the real-world combined rate of 13 miles per gallon.
Safety: Standard equipment includes front and rear ventilated disc brakes, electronic stability and traction control, four-wheel anti-lock protection, emergency braking assistance, side and head air bags, xenon high-intensity-discharge headlights, adaptive (swivels in turns) headlights, and front and rear proximity warning parking sensors.
Price: The 2010 Range Rover Supercharged has a base price of $73,345. The dealer’s invoice price on that model is $66,744. Price as tested is $80,495, including $6,300 in options (Windsor leather, straight-grain walnut veneer, rear-seat audiovisual entertainment system, active cruise control and backup cameras. Add an $850 destination charge. Dealer’s price as tested is $73,327.
on
washingtonpost.com Chat with Warren Brown
11 a.m. Fridays at
washingtonpost.com/discussions. Also, listen to On Wheels with Warren Brown from noon to 1 p.m. Sundays on WMET World Radio (1160 AM) or
www.wmet1160.com.
MaLLOYAUTOMALL.com LOW PRICES... DRIVE OUR BUSINESS! *
$DOWN %APR/60mos
PAYMENTS for 90 days
ON ALL MODELS *On approved credit through MMAC to qualified buyers. 0% excludes EVOs. ALL NEW
2010 MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER
ac, cd, pw, alloys, fog lights, All Wheel Control & more! #L16820 $
1,000 REBATE
INTRODUCING THE ALL NEW
2011 MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE GS SPORT
ALL NEW
2010 MITSUBISHI LANCER ES
ac, cd, pw, rear wing spoiler & more! #16714 $1,500
FACTORY REBATE
MSRP $24,760 NOW $ $20,754 $329/mo*
MaLLOY MITSUBISHI
Prices Include all rebates, incentives & is plus tax, tags, $695-$750 freight and $389 proc fee. Restrictons may apply. Ends 7.31.10 MaLLOYLINCOLN-MERCURY $14,570 $240/mo *
Corner of Rt. 1 & Opitz Blvd. Woodbridge, VA 888-545-0296
14655 Jefferson Davis Hwy. Woodbridge, VA 888-545-0296
TAKE A TEST DRIVE! %
/60 MOs. AVAILABLE
APR ALL NEW ALL NEW
2010 HYUNDAI ACCENT GS Fully Factory Equipped, Auto
ALL NEW #28852 * % $12,780
MaLLOY HYUNDAI
FOR 60 MONTHS
Corner of Rt. 1 & Opitz Blvd. Woodbridge, VA
$14,580
*0% available on Accent and Elantra; Must finance through HFC; on approved credit only. Prices Include all rebates, incentives & is plus tax, tags, $750 freight and $389 proc fee. Ends 7.31.10
866-484-3103
2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA GLS Fully Factory Equipped, Auto
#28942
$500 APR CASH
LOYALTY CASH on most models
500 MAZDA
$ includes MAZDA3 #16165
*On approved credit. Both MAZDA3 pricing and Mazda CX-7 pricing reflect $500 Mazda Loyalty Cash. MAZDA3 pricing includes $500 APR cash. Prices are plus tax, tags, $750 freight and $389 proc fee. **Must finance thorugh Chase for $500 APR cash. Ends 7.31.10
MaLLOY MAZDA
Corner of Rt. 1 & Opitz Blvd. Woodbridge, VA 866-484-3103
**
2010 MAZDA3 VIN-JM1BL1SF8A1314675 Fully Factory Equipped! Manual
ALL NEW
2010 Mazda CX-7 VIN-JM3ER2W50A0320633
Fully Factory Equipped! Auto *
Factory Rebate $2,000 Malloy Discount $3,872
18,888 NOW $
Factory Rebate $2,000 Malloy Discount $2,514
17,999 MSRP $24,305
ALL NEW 2010 Mercury Mariner
3M - AKJ17936 For 60 Months on approved credit. ALL NEW 2010
Mercury Milan 3M - AR63312
5
LINCOLN NAVIGATORS
IN STOCK! ALL NEW 2010
Mercury Grand Marquis
SEVERAL IN STOCK!
Mountaineer ALL NEW 2010
Mercury SEVERAL IN STOCK!
Prices Include all rebates, incentives & is plus tax, tags, $725 freight and $389 proc fee. Offers on vehicles in stock and on order. Offers End 7.31.10
OPQRS
BD
SUNDAY, JULY 18, 2010
$1,000
OWNER LOYALTY
$1,000
OWNER LOYALTY
COME IN AND TEST DRIVE!
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156