There are different cars at different price points to cater to customers from varying demographics. An P800,000 sedan could be fit for one person, and the equivalent of that for another might be a P1.4-million crossover. Either way, the purchases of those vehicles would make sense for their respective buyers.
However, as you go further upmarket, some products tend to make less sense. The argument that you’ll get more value for your money from a more affordable car usually becomes stronger the bigger the price tag gets.
Recently, I was handed over the keys to a vehicle that would challenge that very argument: the Range Rover Sport. Specifically, the range-topping, diesel-powered Dynamic SE D300 variant that stickers for P14.49 million. Initially, “sobrang mahal naman” was my take on it. Prior to my test drive, I had never experienced any Range Rover—Sport or otherwise—so I figured this should be interesting.
Interesting it was, as I was treated to a one-on-one discussion with Jaguar Land Rover Philippines president Chris Ward himself when I picked up the unit at the JLR showroom in Greenhills. He walked me through some of the most important bits of the vehicle, and honestly, it was a bit of information overload. That said, what made the strongest impression on me was that every part of the Range Rover Sport was purposefully built with comfort, safety, or performance in mind.
The way the seat hugs you when you sit, the alignment of the armrest on the door panel with the center console, and even the angles of the screens and the positioning of the buttons. He also emphasized how smart these Land Rovers have become in this era, pointing out that the computers in the Range Rover Sport can make hundreds of adjustments to the suspension per second to adapt not only to the current road conditions but also to upcoming ones, by making use of the navigation system, among other features.
After a good half-hour of one the most fun and interactive automotive-related (informal) lectures I’ve ever had, I began my weekend with the Range Rover Sport.
The first day was the most ideal ‘first drive’ I could think of. There’s EDSA, where Top Gear Philippines video producer Charles Banaag had field day riding shotgun, fiddling with all the controls within reach of the passenger seat. I was behind the wheel dealing with sensory overload, having to weave through traffic while trying to digest all the screens and controls around me. I also had to take in the fact that the ride was incredibly supple and appreciate how the SUV just ate up road imperfections with ease. I tell you, it’s a nice feeling to be both overwhelmed and in absolute awe of the car you’re driving while you’re actually driving it.
I was able to stretch the Range Rover Sport’s legs right away upon reaching Cavitex. The 3.0-liter twin-turbo in-line-six diesel engine promises 296hp and 650Nm of torque, and it delivers that power smoothly. Peak torque kicks in the rev band early at 1,500-2,500rpm, and you’ll feel that pull when you stomp on the pedal. There’s turbo lag, but the boost the twin turbos give is quite a lot. For such a big vehicle, it accelerates very quickly.
After the expressway—where the vehicle rides like a cloud, by the way—I had to get through some busy highways in Cavite. It was more of an EDSA-like experience, so it was already light work for me then, and it was further proof of just how easy the Range Rover Sport is to drive, even through traffic.
To cap my first day, I had to drive back to Manila, and as the sun set, the rain started pouring—as if to give me the full test-drive experience on just my first day with the vehicle. I had zero complaints driving the Range Rover Sport through a downpour, and I had little fear of driving through floods given the claimed 900mm maximum water-wading capacity. Luckily, my route was clear and I didn’t have to, but it was reassuring to know that the near-P15-million vehicle I was driving wasn’t afraid at all of Metro Manila’s typical floods.
My second day with the vehicle was the real revelation. My girlfriend Ruth and I were headed north and were set to drive hundreds of kilometers that day. From the moment she boarded the vehicle, she felt comfortable—she kept raving about how ergonomic the seat position was and how it was easily the nicest one she’d been in. I’ve tested a lot of cars in this line of work, so Ruth has had her fair share of seat time in different vehicles, but I wasn’t at all surprised by her first impressions.
During the long drive, we got to fully enjoy one of my favorite features in the Range Rover Sport: the Meridian sound system. It’s crisp, clear, and by far one of the best stock audio setups I’ve tried out in any vehicle from any brand. Land Rover’s interior design—specifically the sound-deadening inside the cabin—goes a long way in improving the sound quality here, so it’s ultimately resulted in this wonderful listening experience.
The extensive drive also proved how driver fatigue isn’t a huge issue in the Range Rover Sport. It’s not just because of the driver-assist features like adaptive cruise control, but because of the supremely comfortable ride that the vehicle provides and the ergonomics from behind the wheel. We always go back to ergonomics.
Everything—including the mirrors—is easy to look at, all the controls are within reach, and the driver’s seat is as soft and plush as it gets. It’s comfortable enough that you can spend hours behind the wheel without a) complaining how your back is starting to hurt, or b) feeling like the seat is eating you up too much that your drive becomes too unengaging.
And that’s the thing: Despite this looking like it’s a car you’d need a driver for, it’s also one that’s fun when you’re the pilot.
As part of my third and final day with the Range Rover Sport, Ruth and I went out on a quick drive with Charles and his fiancee Q before returning the vehicle to Greenhills. It was a simple road trip from Laguna to the metro, but it was also a good test of the backseat. While I wasn’t able to enjoy a single minute in the second row, I know full well that my passengers had such a pleasant time at the back. Like the ones up front, the rear seats were designed with utmost comfort in mind.
As I approached the end of my test drive, it was then that I realized that this wasn’t exactly a ‘test drive.’ My time with the Range Rover Sport wasn’t for a typical car review, where we try to be as objective as possible and tell our readers what a certain vehicle is about and how it drives, and so on. This drive was an experience, and it was one of the best ones I’ve had so far.
Whenever someone asks me whether this certain car is worth it or not, I tell them my opinions, but I also emphasize how, at the end of the day, what’s most important is how the car they’re asking about makes them feel. In the case of the Range Rover Sport, which is a really expensive P14.9-million SUV, I can confidently say it’s worth the asking price. And that’s something I rarely say about luxury vehicles.
Not for me, of course, but for the well-off folks with pockets deep enough to get this as a family car. I say this not because the vehicle passed some scientific test or met this mechanical parameter I’ve set, but simply because it made me feel like it’s worth all that dough. It’s not just one or a few things per se, but the whole package put together that truly gives you value for your money. It’s something I’ve only come to understand after I’ve gone through the Range Rover Sport experience. You can forget what I said about this being too expensive.
When I returned the Range Rover Sport, I went back to my family’s Nissan Terra, which was the car I was to drive home after this whole experience. The transfer between cars took mere seconds, and the moment me and my three companions got into the Terra, everything just felt…bland.
It’s not that the Terra is bad because it’s really not, but because it paled so much in comparison to the Range Rover Sport we just hopped out of. The seat positions weren’t as ergonomic, the materials in the cabin weren’t as premium, and the overall experience just wasn’t as good. The fact that the Range Rover Sport made a very decent P2-million SUV look and feel lackluster was the thing that drove my point further: For the people the Range Rover Sport was built for, it’s worth every peso.
