August 11th, 2017 | By Jesse Ialuna

The Range Rover Sport is a beautiful sport-utility vehicle that comes from the English brand, Land Rover. Now the Range Rover Sport that we tested was a surprisingly quick and great handling vehicle for a rather large SUV that weighs around 4,700 pounds. The handling was also superb as it took sharp corners fairly easily and didn’t corner like a bulky SUV. This brings me to the next point, power.

In the U.S, the Range Rover Sport comes in nine different trim levels, ranging from 254hp to 550hp. The basic trim level is the 3.0L V6 Supercharged SE trim ($66k), then following it is the 3.0L V6 Turbo-diesel SE ($68k). Which is followed by the 3.0L V6 HSE ($71k), 3.0L HSE Turbo-diesel ($73k), and 3.0L V6 HSE dynamic ($81K).

For the V8 trims, Land Rover offers the 5.0L V8 Supercharged ($81k), 5.0L V8 Supercharged dynamic ($84k), 5.0L Supercharged Autobiography ($95k), and last but certainly not least, the highest trim, being the 5.0L V8 Supercharged SVR ($111k), which produces 550hp.

Inside the 2016 Sport HSE model we tested, perforated leather upholstery was plentiful, and a heated steering wheel, three-zone automatic climate control, 16-way power heated front seats were paired with memory settings, sharp looking xenon headlamps, and clean looking aluminum interior accents were present. These all are upgrades from the basic HSE trim.

The included paint scheme of white, which was enhanced by the blacked-out roof, looked stunning. Our tester also came with the $1700 Stealth package that added dark colored exterior accents, and the standard wheels even had a luxurious look to it. Even without these luxurious touches, the 2016 Range Rover Sport is one of the richest looking sport-utility vehicles for the price, even with all the add-ons and the interesting black leather smell, the Sport made a very bold first impression. This Range Rover Sport HSE greeted us with a black infotainment screen which lasted about 25-30 seconds after our initial entry.

When in use, the infotainment system is neatly designed and user-friendly. The posh interior is filled with high quality materials and in my opinion, keeps the luxurious look and feel of the entire lineup of  Range Rover Sports, and due to the  $72,000 price tag, as equipped, the Range Rover gave a lot for the money. The velvety-soft leather was nicely bolstered and the lack of sagging leather was a plus. Especially in the  front seats, where there was a total two of USB ports adding a convienient touch for the occupants. The front seats were nicely positioned, and included airplane style arm rests on the front seats.  The stylish dark-aluminum interior trim gave the cabin an elegant and modern touch, and the metal was made to have a smooth, almost aerodynamic texture. The added touch of paddle shifters added to the sportiness, also.

The Range Rover Sport has the power to back up the sporty looks and feel. The higher models are equipped with a direct-injected, supercharged, and intercooled 5.0-liter V-8 that produces up to 550 horsepower. Even with the engine having been installed in an SUV that has a weight of nearly 4800 pounds, the eight cylinders are capablle of launching the Range Rover Sport from zero to 60 mph in a mere 4.7 seconds on the average all-season tires.

The Range Rover Sport SVR, which is the most exclusive, fastest model, is a major competitor to the newly released fully electric Tesla Model X, although the Tesla is much quicker, bringing the SUV to 60 mph in an incredible 3.3 seconds on high-performance tires. But it lacks the styling and the intimidating growl  of 5.0-liter roar of the Sport SVR. The other competitors, Mercedes-AMG GLE63 S 4MATIC and the BMW X5 M both go from 0- 60 mph in an impressive 3.8 seconds. But these German performance SUVs also aren’t as good-looking or better sounding.

Among truly off-roadable SUVs, the Range Rover Sport is one of the best choices for the money, in my opinion. When pondering the nine trim levels, though, I belive the HSE adds more quality than it does price. By stripping down on options and power, a buyer could choose the Sport SE and still get an extremely nice interior and near parrallel performance. On the contrast, for only a bit more money, the SVR remains at the top of the lineup and promises to deliver excellence to whoever purchases the beast