The new Range Rover Sport is Land Rover's first shot at the burgeoning fast-SUV market. To ensure the Sport is what it says it is, the top-of-the-range version boasts a Jaguar-sourced supercharged V-8 underhood kicking out 390 horsepower (the entry-level model gets the same 300-horse, 4.4-liter naturally aspirated version of the engine as used in the LR3). Land Rover is clearly targeting the BMW X5 for pavement athleticism, but claims far more off-road ability. The RRS's top speed is pegged electronically at 140 mph, the limit of off-road-tire technology. And yet, with extensive use of electronics and clever suspension hardware, as well as such traditional SUV items as a low-ratio transfer box, Land Rover claims the Sport can reconfigure itself at the flick of a couple of switches from fast-road handler to trailer hauler to serious off-road explorer. Despite its nameplate, the Sport is derived from the all-new, SUOTY-winning Land Rover LR3, a completely different bloodline from the Range Rover's.
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