2014 Range Rover Sport "SuperCharged" - "Mini" Review

"Battery Tender Unnecessary" (carac)
12/22/2013 at 15:20 • Filed to: None

Pow-Pow-Power Wheels

I read !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! of the full size and thought I would write about the "Avigo Tuned" 2014 RRS.

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I've always liked the Range Rover Sport. Growing up I found the P38A Range Rover a handsome, if oddly proportioned, truck. The problem I always had with it and subsequent full-fat Range Rovers was that the greenhouse felt too large in relation to the rest of the car; it was too top heavy design-wise. The Range Stormer concept and Range Rover Sport that followed were much better looking takes on the classic profile in my eyes. And six years after they debuted...I bought a two year old S/C'd one (the 380ish hp one) for less than 2/3rd what the first owner paid. Two years later I replaced it with a 510hp 2012. Now the 2014 is out, looking better, and despite what the spec sheet says, appears to be MUCH smaller than the 2013...

Exterior

The 2014 RRS is good looking with a sleek, deeply raked windshield. They've incorporated a lot of design elements from the Evoque and the result is a more refined, while still imposing appearance. But I don't remember the press photos only showing two doors. And the lights don't appear work, which will be a problem when trying to get a state inspection sticker. And the hood, brake duct, and side vents don't appear to be functional. All that being said, it's pretty.

Interior

The original Range Rover Sport interior was probably the biggest letdown in terms of quality materials and design. The dash was that soft touch rubber/plastic you find in BMWs and MB entry level sedans. The NAV/stereo was laughably outdated. Nothing felt like it was supposed to in a SUV of that price range. The face lifted 2010 model did a LOT to remedy this. With the exception of buttons, nearly everything you see and touch is leather or metal. The dashboard, the door rests, etc were now covered in leather. They also got rid of the "button-bloat." A 2010+ Range Rover Sport had half as many buttons and a much improved NAV/stereo system. They have been making constant improvements year over year since then as well...but this 2014 seems like a step backwards.

First off, the dials are stuck at 2500rpm and 57mph. It also seems to think that it's always 72 degrees at 2:30PM on 10/28/2013. The odometer is broken from the factory, and none of the steering wheel controls appear to function.

Push button start is also standard. But the NAV system has experienced a major downgrade. I don't know if it just didn't have the newest map update but it always thought it was on "Unnamed Road." The bluetooth pairing is not working either. I also call into question the ergonomics of placing the horn on the dashboard.

The seats are FIRM and are minimally bolstered, which isn't that big a deal due to handling (which we'll discuss in a minute). It does come with a cupholder.

Gearbox

Everyone complaining about how antiquated modern single-clutch automatated manuals are should experience the 2014 RRS. You only get two gears, forward and reverse.

Acceleration

Land Rover has apparently dumped their famous and brand-defining 4WD for a RWD system with a electric motor per wheel. The advantage appears to be instantaneous torque and, with enough traction, wheelie levels of acceleration. The disadvantage is everything else.

Brakes

Nope

Handling

Range Rovers are known for their Terrain Response system. In previous years this included a module in the center console, behind the transmission selector, where you would select from three ride heights, 5-6 traction programs, and whether you wanted high or low range transfer case. They seem to have ditched all of this in the 2014. There's a blank space behind the climate controls so maybe it's just an option this example didn't come with. Speaking of which, I hate blank switches/areas. I would say it handles "like a go kart" but it's more "toy-like" which is appropriate due to the smiles it elicits.

Ride

The old RRS was much firmer than the full RR but it always felt like you were floating on a firm cloud. The 2014 feels like the axles are bolted to the chassis, not unlike a first-gen BMW X3. For shame Range Rover. It doesn't help that the tires have the stiffest sidewalls of any tire I've ever seen.

Audio

"SUPER-COOL SOUND SYSTEM!" iPod integration is standard.

Toys

It is one

Value

At $299 it's a little pricey but I think most would say the reaction from the new owner is priceless.

( Full disclosure : My Sister purchased this Avigo Range Rover Sport for her friend's kid and didn't want it to end up being as well built as a British-Leyland Rover so she asked me to assemble it. I built it in her spare garage over the course of an hour or so. I exceed the 130lb weight limit so driving impressions will be limited to what I could get out of the 3 year old kid driving it. )

The Cycle Continues

I vividly remember a Christmas morning in the early 80's. I ran down the long hall from my room to the living room to find a red C4 Corvette parked under the tree. It ran for less than an hour on a charge, took half a day to recharge (some things apparently don't change despite 30 years of battery tech). It and the Fisher-Price Cozy Coupe were two major automotive influences in my development. If you were to dig deep enough into my parents photo albums, you would find pictures of me sound asleep in both. I apparently refused to go to bed when there was a new car to be driven and my parents would wait until I passed out to pick me up and carry me to something softer than an ABS plastic seat. 30 years after that C4 Power Wheel and I don't have kids myself, but I found myself doing what my dad did late one night, all those years ago.

14-17 hr charge and about an hour of use? Sounds like a Nissan Leaf (Ba-Dum-Tish).

I can't remember exactly how long that C4 Vette lasted but I had two siblings to push when the battery ran out so it felt like forever.

Handbuilt Quality

...and yes, "So You Want a Supercar - Part 3" is still coming. Putting the finishing touches on.

Merry Christmas Jalopnik

DISCUSSION (37)

Road Magazine > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/22/2013 at 15:23

Haha, this is awesome. Deserves to be on front page!

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/22/2013 at 15:23

That's the coolest power wheels i ever seen!

I wish they comes in shape of G-Wagen, and maybe i'll bought that.

N/A POWAAAHH > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/22/2013 at 15:26

Awesome! You know what would be cool? If you modified it to look like it was lifted with offroad tires.

oldirtybootz > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/22/2013 at 15:32

The details on that are fantastic, well worth $300 I'd say. I had a Power Wheels Porsche 930 when I was little, but when we moved to our current house thete wasn't much room for mw to drive it, so it sat in the garage unused for most of its life. I loved that car though, if I ever find one I may have to get it.

fintail > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/22/2013 at 17:32

Good one, I laughed out loud. That's really detailed compared to the power wheels back in my day.

My niece just got one for her 3rd birthday, I think it's supposed to be a Mini, one like this:

Kinja'd!!!

Smiley Cyrus-Poo > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/22/2013 at 17:45

Nice. Won't have to worry about rust on the Avigo Range Rover Sport.

Kinja'd!!!

ranwhenparked > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/22/2013 at 17:55

Wow, Power Wheels have come a really, really long way in the past few decades. The attention to detail is excellent. I don't know how much they cost in the late '80s, but it was probably not too far off - inflation adjusted, and it looks like you get more for the money these days.

Patrick George > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/22/2013 at 17:57

They have Power Wheels with audio inputs now? Like, for kids who have iPods? I guess I shouldn't be surprised by this. (Hysterical review, by the way.)

strokeofgenius > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/22/2013 at 18:03

Love it! I had always hoped that my niece and nephew would get into power wheels at an early age. They never did. If they had, I was planning on upgrading them to the high dollar electric toy cars with functioning radios/disc brakes/actual leather seats/rubber tires/actual suspensions/etc... They drifted to video games unfortunately. Their love of video games did save me a few thousand dollars so there is that.

Jonathan Harper > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/22/2013 at 18:28

This is fantastic!!! Cheers BatteryTender!!

silveradoJay > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/22/2013 at 18:57

It took me a shamefully long time to realize this wasn't about a 3rd party tuned RRS... oops!

ScreenShot > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/22/2013 at 19:26

So, there is no supercharger, then... got it.

vc-10 > fintail
12/22/2013 at 19:45

Wow... a Mini Paceman which is actually, you know, mini!

Biased Plies > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/22/2013 at 19:53

Excellent review. I think you've persuaded me to purchase one of these.

Just one thing; how well does the new model deal with motorcycle gangs? I want to make sure it hasn't lost its ability to plow through them because of the reduction in weight, wheelbase and overall size.

monovich > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/22/2013 at 20:05

" My Sister purchased this Avigo Range Rover Sport for her friend's kid"

Damn... can I be your sister's friend?

jariten1781 > Battery Tender Unnecessary
12/22/2013 at 20:28

I figured out pretty quickly that it was a toy, but for some reason I thought it was some super fancy RC car. I was like 'damn they really put together a nicer interior on that little RC car than when I was a kid.' Then I realized that it was a Power Wheels and I thought 'damn they really put together a nicer interior on that Power Wheels than when I was a kid.'