2010 Land Rover Range Rover Sport HSE

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Let's get this out of the way, right off the bat. The 2010 Land Rover Range Rover Sport HSE is too expensive for mere mortals. It's hard to justify buying a luxury vehicle that costs twice as much as the popular alternative -- that is, until you spend some time behind the wheel. The 2010 Land Rover Range Rover Sport HSE carries a base price of $59,645 ($70,845 as tested), a 4 year/50,000 mile warranty and EPA fuel economy estimates of 12 city/17 highway. Let's drive.

Larger Exterior Photos: Front Rear

Last weekend, my wife and our friend Heather went to a show together on Saturday night, and Heather's husband Andy had to work, so their sons, Matthew (12) and Ethan (7) were at loose ends. I volunteered to take the kids out to the movies, giving me an excuse to see "How to Train Your Dragon" (3.5 stars) without looking like a total geek. Matthew and Ethan would provide cover, I'd get to see a movie I was excited about, and I'd come off looking like a good guy. That's a win-win-win, in my book. Plus, I'd get to use Matthew and Ethan as test passengers, exploring the Range Rover Sport HSE and gathering their impressions.

All three of us agreed that the Sport is a great-looking SUV. It is big and imposing, and looks sleek and powerful in traffic. At just over 4' tall, Ethan needed assistance getting in and out of the back seat. I noticed that even though the Sport seems to have running boards, they're just cosmetic -- the rocker panels are attached to the doors, and swing away when open. That's great for keeping the backs of your pants clean, because the door jams are protected from dirt; but it's not so great for shorter passengers and kids. In on-road mode, the Sport has 6.8" of ground clearance. In off-road modes, the suspension boosts that up to 8.9", making for quite a climb for the kiddies.

Larger Interior Photo

Once you've experienced true luxury, it's hard to go back. I pointed out the features of the Luxury Interior Package ($3,800) and Extended Leather Pack ($1,000) on the Sport. Matthew really appreciated the quality of the leather on the dash and door panels. "It's nicer than my baseball glove," he concluded. I had to agree -- the Sport's level of fit and finish is on the order of fine furniture. Sure, there's some plastic, but it's well-finished and substantial. The impressive part of the Sport's interior is the way that metal, plastic, wood and leather come together, and the way that quality imbues the cabin.

An SUV is about more than looks and feel, though - it's about function. The Sport excels at this, too. Take the instrument panel, for instance. The important gauges, speedometer and tachometer, are big and bold, and flank a very readable thin film transistor (TFT) driver's information center (DIC). The DIC is easily configurable, and important functions toggle with a button at the end of the turn signal stalk. Okay, and it's gorgeous to look at.

The Sport gets high notes for seating comfort at all positions, as well. Ethan had to ride in the back seat, but he was very pleased with how good his view was from back there. He had no trouble seeing out of the side windows, and didn't seem to feel isolated from what was happening in the front cabin. He was still able to monopolize the conversation without raising his voice. He's good that way.

The normally-aspirated 5.0 liter V8 under the Sport HSE's hood is tuned to produce 375 hp and a walloping 375 lb-ft of torque. I've driven the Supercharged version as well, with its 510 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque. I actually prefer the normally-aspirated HSE version, because the Supercharged comes loaded down with a full package of options, and starts at a base price of $74,195. The HSE is plenty fast, 7.2 seconds from 0-60 according to Land Rover, while the Supercharged gets to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds -- ridiculously fast. Still, the HSE provides plenty of driving thrills, with a great sense of acceleration and smooth power delivery. It's up to you to decide how much power is enough. The HSE has enough power to make Matthew and Ethan scream like little girls, and I think that's plenty.

I have spent some time off road in the Sport, though I didn't take this example into the dirt. Every time I get off road in a Land Rover, I fall in love with Terrain Response all over again. Terrain Response is the system that controls how various technologies (throttle response, braking, suspension settings, traction control, etc.) are applied when traversing different surface conditions. A smart, prudent driver can use Terrain Response and common sense to get the Range Rover Sport over, around and through some astonishing obstacles. It is such fun, it's almost criminal to confine a Range Rover to pavement.

In day-to-day driving, the Sport is smooth and controlled, with a solid feel. Cruising in the Sport gives me confidence, makes me better looking and makes me feel rich. Seriously.

Matthew is very analytical. He wants facts about the vehicle before he will render his verdicts, and he asked some very pointed questions as we sailed down the road in the Sport. "How can you justify spending $70,000 on a car," he demanded to know. Well, I can't. But I have the kind of brain where I have to justify every dime that I spend on anything, and my level of income and my resources demand that I keep track. I had to explain to Matthew that not everyone is on equal monetary footing. There are people who are willing to pay top dollar for the best -- and in my opinion, the Range Rover Sport HSE is among the best SUVs on the planet.

If you're considering a Range Rover Sport, there are several other mid-size luxury SUVs you ought to drive before you make a decision. Mercedes-Benz's GLK, Audi's Q5, BMW's X5 and Porsche's Cayenne are in and around the target price and size, and represent great German engineering. Acura's RDX, Lexus's GX and Infiniti's EX bring the Japanese prowess with technology to the forefront. Cadillac's SRX lacks the off-road pretensions of the Land Rover, but can surprise with luxury.

After the movie, during our ride home, I asked Matthew and Ethan to sum up their feelings for the Range Rover Sport. "I think you should buy a cheaper car, like a Prius, and give the rest of the money to the homeless," declared Matthew.

Ethan had a better idea. "Buy a really cheap car, and give the rest of the money to me!"

I think Ethan's on to something.

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.