Although many publishers seem to bash anything that's a sport-utility vehicle with over 500 horsepower, I have to admit I sort of adore them. They're certainly not economical but there's something to love about a commanding seating position and a vehicle that is virtually unstoppable on- and off-road.
Well, that's assuming they can go off-roading.
The U.K.-based magazine Autocar put the Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR head-to-head with the all-new BMW X5M in an interesting test. Although the legendary buff book had a wild card join in form of the Alpina XD3, we're just going to ignore that. Really, we are.
So, how does the Land Rover shake out against the latest M vehicle? It seems to go something like this: The SVR is not as sporting or has as much feeling as the X5M, however, it can do what the X5M isn't built to do. It can go off-road. The SVR feels as a large SUV should: it's heavy, and feels big. The X5M, on the other hand, feels surprisingly nimble and playable. Having just driven the all-new X5M I can confirm it is staggering how capable it is as a large SUV.
While our British friends seem to lean in favor towards the SVR, it doesn't seem to be as clear-cut of a win for JLR as Autocar makes it out to be.
Essentially, you have Shaquille O'Neal and Lebron James. Both players dominate the NBA, however, they both have two different ways about doing so. It's about deciding which way you'd like to go about it.
The verdict
The SVR isn’t half the sports car that the X5 M is – and that might be a problem for Gaydon, if either were actually supposed to be a sports car. Its grip levels and body control reserves are considerably lower than the BMW’s, and it feels big, wide, tall and heavy on the road, because it is. But none of that prevents it from being as vivid an entertainer as the BMW is a visceral athlete.
There’s no apparent sleight of hand in the Range Rover’s steering response or suspension. Its active chassis systems are invisible, its handling manners and controls honest and predictable. So you just drive the SVR – not as hard as the X5 M, but connecting with it all the more, and enjoying every mile more, too, because what you’re doing feels opulent and easy, as well as exciting.
The Range Rover Sport SVR arrows as if laser guided to a sweet spot right at the heart of the fast SUV niche. It is the ultimate 4x4: likeable, comfy in its own skin, ready to amuse and enliven at any time, but not at the expense of anything else that a Range Rover has ever been designed to do. It passes this early test of its mettle with ease.
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