Chris Cordes
Expedition Leader
Current Progress
Every auto manufacturer produces at least one vehicle that just doesn't seem to fit in. Whether it's a big car trying to be small, an economy car trying to be roomy, or an SUV trying to be a sports car, purists often shun these “frankenmodels” and tend to discount them without a fighting chance. The Range Rover Sport is one of those vehicles. Wander into any Land Rover off-road rally while talking about your Sport and comments about getting groceries and taking the kids to soccer practice will be let fly quicker than blame at a congressional hearing. I admittedly was one of those purists who thought that the modern Land Rovers, especially any bearing a sport badge, were nothing more than a stylized shadow of their predecessors. Luckily for me, the sale of my Range Rover Classic and the search for a new vehicle led me to discover just how wrong I was about not only modern Land Rovers in general, but the Range Rover Sport as well.
When I began my hunt for a new adventure vehicle, my thoughts lay with trucks like the Jeep Wrangler and Toyota Land Cruiser 60 Series; but for all their capability I really didn't enjoy driving them. If I'm honest I found them top heavy, narrow, and truthfully uncomfortable and slow on long trips. Which brought me to a key question; why am I buying a vehicle that's frustrating on pavement if that's where I spend 95% of my time?
My thought process quickly switched to finding a vehicle that was very comfortable, had enough power to cruise at 75 on the highway, and handled as well on the road as it did off it. My logical conclusion was a Range Rover. A white 2008 Sport model to be exact. Now let me explain myself before being hurled into the volcano. First I've always loved the look and feel of the sport so personal preference did play a factor. There's something about the short slanted lines that attracts me to these things like a fly to honey.
Second, and more importantly, is the off-road capability. While the Sport isn't a direct competitor with the LR3 in the off-road category, it does share many of its features and much of its performance. Besides the frame and suspension system borrowed from its Discovery brother, the Sport utilizes many of the same four-wheel drive components including the terrain response system. This means that all the fun modes and computer settings that help the LR3 conquer obstacles are also on the sport.
Additionally the sport packs a little extra punch on certain terrains due to the 5.5 inch shorter wheel base that helps it clear obstacles and avoid high centering.
So great, all that being said its still the soccer mobile right? Not so much. Even in its stock form I found this car to be extremely capable. On 20” wheels I was able to take it through some of the hardest passes in Sedona and over a few obstacles that even my former vehicle, with front and rear lockers, struggled to overcome. That being said it does have some weaknesses in its stock form which throughout this build I will be addressing. Things like the original low profile street tires, marginal clearance, and lack of reserve cargo space.
Over the next few months I'll be continuing to update this vehicle and its build thread so stay tuned! It should be an interesting ride.
Every auto manufacturer produces at least one vehicle that just doesn't seem to fit in. Whether it's a big car trying to be small, an economy car trying to be roomy, or an SUV trying to be a sports car, purists often shun these “frankenmodels” and tend to discount them without a fighting chance. The Range Rover Sport is one of those vehicles. Wander into any Land Rover off-road rally while talking about your Sport and comments about getting groceries and taking the kids to soccer practice will be let fly quicker than blame at a congressional hearing. I admittedly was one of those purists who thought that the modern Land Rovers, especially any bearing a sport badge, were nothing more than a stylized shadow of their predecessors. Luckily for me, the sale of my Range Rover Classic and the search for a new vehicle led me to discover just how wrong I was about not only modern Land Rovers in general, but the Range Rover Sport as well.
When I began my hunt for a new adventure vehicle, my thoughts lay with trucks like the Jeep Wrangler and Toyota Land Cruiser 60 Series; but for all their capability I really didn't enjoy driving them. If I'm honest I found them top heavy, narrow, and truthfully uncomfortable and slow on long trips. Which brought me to a key question; why am I buying a vehicle that's frustrating on pavement if that's where I spend 95% of my time?
My thought process quickly switched to finding a vehicle that was very comfortable, had enough power to cruise at 75 on the highway, and handled as well on the road as it did off it. My logical conclusion was a Range Rover. A white 2008 Sport model to be exact. Now let me explain myself before being hurled into the volcano. First I've always loved the look and feel of the sport so personal preference did play a factor. There's something about the short slanted lines that attracts me to these things like a fly to honey.
Second, and more importantly, is the off-road capability. While the Sport isn't a direct competitor with the LR3 in the off-road category, it does share many of its features and much of its performance. Besides the frame and suspension system borrowed from its Discovery brother, the Sport utilizes many of the same four-wheel drive components including the terrain response system. This means that all the fun modes and computer settings that help the LR3 conquer obstacles are also on the sport.
Additionally the sport packs a little extra punch on certain terrains due to the 5.5 inch shorter wheel base that helps it clear obstacles and avoid high centering.
So great, all that being said its still the soccer mobile right? Not so much. Even in its stock form I found this car to be extremely capable. On 20” wheels I was able to take it through some of the hardest passes in Sedona and over a few obstacles that even my former vehicle, with front and rear lockers, struggled to overcome. That being said it does have some weaknesses in its stock form which throughout this build I will be addressing. Things like the original low profile street tires, marginal clearance, and lack of reserve cargo space.
Over the next few months I'll be continuing to update this vehicle and its build thread so stay tuned! It should be an interesting ride.
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