All New Last Year, 2007 Range Rover Sport returns with refinements
By Daniel Souza
The combination of a strong V8 power, the shortest wheelbase currently offered by Land Rover North America, and a low, wide stance makes the British vehicle an attractive option for buyers that can fork out sums north of $70k.
The price tag on it may raise the hair on the back of some driver’s head, but the SUV comes packed with enough options as to almost justify writing the big check.
This more muscular-looking Range Rover comes equipped with the popular Terrain Response™ system, also present on other Land rover models. The system provides the Range Rover Sport with a competitive edge in off-road capability—if you can throw a vehicle with this premium price in a puddle of mud. I did.
After finding the perfect off-roading area nested in the heart of
At first the Range Rover Sport proved to be confident and responsive. The Terrain Response™ system worked as predicted and gradually steered us through the mud-filled terrain.
Then Souza senior thought the vehicle could go through a soft, lake-like area in our off-road course. Before the adventure, we raised the SUV using the electronically controlled air springs that provide automatic leveling and three selectable ride heights—access (for entry), standard, and off-road.
The exploring began with a confident feel, but soon the Range Rover Sport started to struggle through the clay-like mix of water and dirt. Its pavement-friendly 255/50YR19 radial tires became as slippery as ice skating with only your socks. And though the Terrain Response™ system tried its best to make sense of the mud fest, it was my old man’s expertise and experience that got himself and it out of the ditch. If you plan on doing the same, may I suggest some beefy off-road tires?
But the Range Rover Sport features more than just a grown up backyard toy. Add a choice of two sophisticated V8 engines—Supercharged and naturally aspirated, four-corner independent air suspension, an electronically controlled six-speed automatic transmission, permanently engaged four-wheel drive, plus a long list of premium cabin features and the result is an SUV with a major accent on sport.
Common traits shared by the Supercharged and naturally aspirated V8s that power the Range Rover Sport are aluminum block-and-head construction, chain-driven double overhead camshafts, and four-valve combustion chambers. The 4.4-liter naturally aspirated V8 features electronically-controlled continuously-variable intake and exhaust timing and electronic throttle actuation. Peak outputs are 300 bhp at 5,500 rpm and 315 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000 rpm.
Training an SUV to behave well both at high speeds on torturous, undulating pavement and while traversing challenging off-road terrain is no mean feat. To advance the Range Rover Sport to a new level of dynamic capability, Land Rover engineers dug deep and employed the best available technology.
To match stopping power with acceleration and speed, both Range Rover Sport models are equipped with high-capacity four-wheel vented disc brakes. Four-piston front disc brakes supplied by Brembo ® are standard on the Supercharged model and optional (with Dynamic Response in the Dynamic Response Package) on the HSE. The parking brake is electronically applied by simply pulling a small console lever.
As for interior amenities, the Range Rover Sports can please both the luxury-demanding (think Oak dark wood or light Cherry Wood trim, soft Lux or sport leather trimmed upholstery) as well as the tech-driver (Personal Telephone Integration System with Bluetooth ® capability, a nice male or female British accented voice, GPS navigation, etc.)
As for gas mileage, the old adage comes true: if you have to ask, you can’t afford.
Base Price - $57,250
Price as tested - $70,250
Daniel Souza can be reached at sixth.gear.herald@gmail.com or visit his blog at http://sixthgearherald.blogspot.com
2007 Land Rover LR3
By Daniel Souza
With interior changes only for 2007, the boxy SUV continues to wow critics (by snatching 25 awards in
Three models are offered: the LR3 V6 SE is powered by a 216 bhp 4.0-liter V6 while both the V8 SE and the V8 HSE are powered by a 300 bhp 4.4-liter DOHC V8.
The V8 option will enable the driver with an extra, sometimes needed hmmph, where the V6 can be a little more (and I mean very little) conservative on sipping on gas. Or as the English would say, it has proper petrol consumption.
The soul of the LR3 is attributed to its off-road competence. The vehicle comes equipped with Terrain Response™ that automatically adjusts a whole host of electronically controlled systems to suit driving conditions.
At the touch of a knob on the center console, the driver commands the LR3 to orchestrate a series of decisions made by the vehicle.
The LR3 then manages the engine’s throttle response, the transmission’s shift characteristics (and gear selection), the center differential’s operation (and if equipped, the rear differential also), the air suspension, and many dynamic systems including DSC, 4ETC, and HDC, for maximum traction, stability, and control.
The Oreo-sized button can point to 5 different settings: general, grass/gravel/snow, mud/ruts, sand, or rock crawl.
Grass/gravel/snow will maximize traction on firm but slippery surfaces. Wet leaves and grass or hard-packed snow and ice are the perfect conditions for this setting.
As for mud/ruts, this setting can make a dramatic difference on soft, wet ground where some degree of wheelspin is important in order to maintain momentum. Since low range is recommended for this program, the driver will be prompted to switch the transfer gearbox selector when you select this program.
When left on general, Terrain Response™ is never off, and the general setting is compatible with all on- and off-road conditions. Think of this as being comparable to the "automatic" setting on a digital camera.
As for sand or rock crawl mode, let’s just hope you don’t have to go there. If you do, just make sure that you have your owner’s manual nearby.
Graced with all the diversity in terrain response, what truly dropped my jaw (and everyone else that drove it) was when the driver took the feet of the gas pedal. The LR3 calls it Hill Descent Control, or HDC. Easily switched on or off by a bright yellow sign also located in the center console, this setting does the braking for you.
“It’s like driving on-road when we actually are completely in off-road terrain,” said SUV enthusiast Erin Masihdas of
To ensure safety, hill descent automatically limits forward speed to 2.2 mph in low range and 3.7 mph in high range.
Now, a few paragraphs back I said that the V6 engine option can offer proper petrol consumption. I would like to ratify such statement by reminding that proper consumption on the V6 happens only when compared with the LR3’s optional V8. The difference comes with a mere extra 1 mpg in highway consumption.
The rectangular-shaped SUV pleases off-road, but it disappoints at the pump with a 14 mpg city and 19 mpg hwy (V6) and 14 mpg city and 18 mpg highway (V8).
Base price - $42,150
Price as tested - $53,950
Daniel Souza can be reached at sixth.gear.herald@gmail.com or visit his blog at http://sixthgearherald.blogspot.com
2007 Honda Fit vs. 2007 Nissan Versa:
By Daniel Souza
On a constant effort in providing drivers with options to dodge ever rising gas prices, Nissan and Honda add small hatchbacks to their lineup hoping to win big on the battle for a presence in the under-$20K entry vehicle.
The two Japanese makers aren’t fighting alone. The industry realized—some sooner than others—that city-minded drivers want something zippy, economical and something they can brag about to friends.
But to earn drivers’ bragging right is not as easy as it may seem. The entry level market boasts competition from every side. It helped boost the once not-so-popular Korean vehicles (think Hyundai, Kia and Suzuki), it still boasts another tough Japanese competitor (think Toyota Yaris) and it is getting a big push from some a domestic maker, like the Chevy Aveo.
Both Nissan and Honda hope to lure buyers to their sub-compacts with their reputation. Both vehicles are less than a year old to the market. But both of them have proven good business abroad.
The Nissan five-door received its name to reflect its "versatile space" provided by the roomy interior and cargo area. In creating the Versa packaging, the design and engineering teams at Nissan found a way to put a big interior in a small car. The interior length, front to back, is over six feet long.
The Fit doesn’t stay behind though. Dimensionally compact on the outside, the interior provides a surprisingly large passenger and cargo space. At the foundation is the Fit's Magic Seat®, an innovative 60/40 split rear seat that allows the seat backs to fold down or the seat bottoms to flip up, providing five distinct seating and cargo carrying configurations. With all seats in the upright position, passenger volume measures 90.1 cubic feet (slightly less than an Accord Coupe's passenger volume) with 21.3 cubic feet of cargo capacity behind the second row.
Though there’s ample space inside, don’t expect big numbers in engine performance. Both vehicles house a conservative four-cylinder engine that will gasp for a shorter gear when going through a long steep hill (such as the famous point of the mountain).
The Fit boasts a 1.5-liter SOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder VTEC engine generating 109 horsepower at 5800 rpm and 105 foot-pounds of torque at 4800 rpm. The Versa on the other hand comes in first here with a 1.8-liter DOHC inline 4-cylinder turning 122 horsepower and 127 foot-pounds of torque.
The Versa’s engine is powerful and responsive, but it also delivers excellent fuel economy. Estimated fuel economy is 30 mpg city/36 mpg highway with the CVT transmission, 30 mpg city/34 mpg highway with the 6-speed manual transmission, and 28 mpg city/34 mpg highway with the 4-speed automatic transmission.
It beats Honda’s Fit. The three-lettered hatch delivers an estimated 28mpg city/34 highway when mated to a manual five-speed, 27 mpg city/35 mpg highway equipped with a regular five-speed automatic and 27 mpg city/34 mpg highway with its sporty S5 automatic.
On the other hand Honda’s Fit brags a top five-star safety rating for frontal crash performance from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The Versa stays behind here, earning only a four-star rating for frontal crash. As for side crash the Versa earns a top five-star rating while the Fit gets a five-star rating only for front seats. Rear seats received a mere three-star rating as reported by the NHTSA’s safercar.gov.
Though the Fit is a great option as a subcompact, it was the Versa that was fitted with first place having best overall feel and handling, gas consumption and safer option, all with a stronger engine. But before buying any of these, take the time to do a thorough research. It always pays off.
| Honda Fit | Nissan Versa |
| Base price - $13,850 | Base price - $12,550 |
| Price as tested - $15,970 | Price as tested - $16,550 |
Daniel Souza can be reached at sixth.gear.herald@gmail.com or visit his blog at http://sixthgearherald.blogspot.com
