Master Blaster!

In recent years, a number of luxury car brands have joined the party and produced their own luxury SUVs. Despite some big names, and some equally big price tags, from my vantage point the Range Rover stands head and shoulder above them as the ultimate luxury 4x4.

If the Range Rover is the ultimate luxury SUV, then the Range Rover Sport is its athletic sibling. With sleeker lines and more dynamic performance it appeals to a wider and younger generation of luxury 4x4 buyers.

For 2010 the Sport received a comprehensive upgrade, making it faster, more comfortable and more efficient - to deliver a drive which is simply exhilarating. Our test vehicle was the most dynamic Range Rover Sport of them all. While the other powerplants are exceedingly good, the 5.0-litre V8 supercharged beast is just awesome. It's one thing to add power and speed to a new vehicle, but responsibly it should be accompanied by equally good handling, ride and control. In this regard, the Land Rover engineers have delivered a vehicle that is quick, extremely comfortable and brimming with technology and driving aids - making it equally at home in the city or when trekking through rough terrain.

To give some idea of the instant power of the supercharged engine, it is capable of going from a standing start to 160km/h and coming to a complete halt all within just 15 seconds. This is the kind of performance that some sports car manufacturers would kill for! The 5.0-litre supercharged V8 produces 375kW of power and 625Nm of torque to deliver this blistering result.

Along with the supercharged V8, the Range Rover Sport can also be specified with the naturally aspirated 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine, or the TDV6 3.0-litre diesel with sequential turbochargers.

One of the major enhancements to the Range Rover Sport was a program of chassis system modifications that have transformed the Range Rover Sport's on road dynamics, while improving its all terrain capabilities. On road steering is precise and perfectly weighted, while handling and ride comfort are first class. Whether weaving around tight corners or tackling dirt roads, the Sport tracks supremely, with things only likely to get exciting with a major driver error. Even then, there is a raft of electronic programs working in the background to mitigate most errors. Adaptive Dynamics works in conjunction with Active Ride control, and Terrain Response now comes with a road focus program to help agility and ride quality.

Standard control systems are electronic parking brake, slip control system, electronic brakeforce distribution, all terrain ABS brakes, electronic traction control, dynamic stability control, electronic differential control, emergency brake assist, enhanced understeer control, hydraulic rear brake boost, roll stability control, trailer stability assist and hill descent control with gradient release control.

Standard across all Range Rover Sport models are push button start, Terrain Response and electric park brake, permanent four-wheel drive, centre electronic differential with low range transfer box, electronic cross linked air suspension with automatic load levelling and multiple modes, power assisted, speed proportional steering, rain sensing wipers and automatic headlights, rear view camera, front fog lights, park distance control, alarm system and remote central locking.

The Supercharged model gains a rear view camera, adaptive Bi-Xenon headlights with cornering lights, automatic beam assist, front park distance control, 20-inch wheels and extra seating controls. Over and above this the supercharged variant also comes equipped with high performance brakes, adaptive dynamics, 14 speaker audio system and chrome exhaust tailpipe.

Transmission is a 6-speed adaptive auto gearbox with CommandShift and steering wheel gear paddleshift.

Our test vehicle was finished in an electric blue body colour with an interior of white leather, black wood veneer and grey highlights. Seating was extremely comfortable with driver and passenger 8-way seat adjustment. As would be expected, this model comes pretty much with the lot, which includes everything from tailgate power latch, auto dimming interior light, adjustable front arm rests, Harmon Kardon 14-speaker audio system, subwoofer and amplifier, Bluetooth connectivity, 12-inch TFT dual view touch screen and driver information centre and much more.

I had previously driven the Range Rover Sport at launch overseas where it went unchallenged across some very demanding terrain, including door handle water crossings, uphill muddy trails, sharp descents and tight track work. The only terrain that I had not driven the Range Rover Sport was in sand.

Many Sport owners would probably never push the vehicle to extremes, so its fierce capabilities may generally remain academic.

It was therefore with expectant anticipation that I took delivery of our supercharged test vehicle. It looked to be the perfect combination for a weekend of sand driving. A Range Rover Sport with supercharged engine and wide 20-inch wheels. With most vehicles, success in sand comes down to a combination of power and traction. Even where traction is dicey, momentum will normally come to the fore, so with power to burn I didn't expect too many problems.

Sometimes things don't go as planned and so it was with our expedition onto the beaches of South Australia. The Range Rover Sport has some low body fairings, so we had the front lower bumper removed prior to heading to the sand, so as not to build up sand at the front end. On the beach we became bogged on a number of occasions, and when driving some dunes we found that the departure angle wasn't all that great as the rear bumper clipped the sand. The combination of filling with sand whilst simultaneously maintaining upward momentum caused the rear bumper to part company from the vehicle. The essential problem was that the RRS tyre and wheel choice is weighed towards highway driving. Our wide rims were fitted with high-speed low-profile tyres that had virtually no sidewalls to bag when the accepted practice of reducing tyre pressure was applied.

I know that the Range Rover Sport is a capable, all-terrain vehicle, but all of its electronic tricks could not get us through on this occasion. Undoubtedly, a wheel and tyre combination more appropriate for off road use would have seen the RRS perform sensationally, as expected. In softer sand, with sand dialled up on the Terrain Response system and the ride height in its highest position, the RRS was able to perform barely adequately. We tried everything, including deactivating dynamic stability control to reduce the level of electronic traction control intervention, but this too made minimal difference. While it was with disappointment that we returned the RRS with its tail between its legs, it more than proved itself in the environment that most buyers will enjoy - namely as a safe and luxurious vehicle that will spend most of its life on highways. Notwithstanding, the 5.0-litre V8 supercharged RRS is a vehicle that takes luxury touring to new heights.

Brian Tanner