2011 Range Rover earns top value award for fifth straight year

The 2011 Range Rover Sport has taken top honors in the annual Automotive Lease Guide's Residual Value Awards, marking the fifth straight year Land Rover's dynamic model has earned the title.

Winners are selected based on research used to compile the guide, renowned as the industry standard for projecting how well an automobile will hold its value over time. The Range Rover Sport earned honors in the Best Luxury Utility Vehicle category.

In presenting the award, James Clark, ALG's general manager, said, "Residual value remains the best metric for evaluating the overall strength of an automotive brand."

Clark went on to praise Land Rover for the proven success of the Range Rover Sport model line.

For 2011, the Range Rover Sport goes from strength to strength, offering superior levels of performance and refinement in a package built to cross any terrain the world has to offer.

The Range Rover Sport sells in three standard versions: HSE (manufacturer's suggested retail price starting at $60,495), luxurious HSE LUX and all-powerful Supercharged (an Autobiography model is available by special order).

Base and LUX models are powered by a 5.0-liter V-8 engine making 375 horsepower and 375 pound-feet of torque. The Supercharged model adds an Eaton compressor with dual intercoolers, which boosts power to 510 horsepower and 461 pound-feet of torque. Both engines work in harmony with a six-speed adaptive CommandShift automatic transmission. CommandShift offers three modes: normal, sport and manual, as well as steering wheel-mounted paddleshifters on the Supercharged model.

The harmony of this powertrain combination is obvious: The 5,709-pound Supercharged rips off zero-to-60 mph acceleration runs in just 5.9 seconds (normally aspirated models do the job in 7.2 seconds).

Hauling the Sport Supercharged down from speed are antilock brakes equipped with Electronic Brake Assist and six-piston front calipers; normally aspirated models get four-piston units. Regardless of model, power flows through Land Rover's permanent four-wheel drive system, which benefits from an electronic two-speed transfer case and Electronic Traction Control. The heart of the Range Rover Sport's go-anywhere capability, however, is the Terrain Response system.

Terrain Response automatically tailors performance settings for the transmission, throttle, brakes, suspension and traction control to get you across any topography in safety and comfort. All you need to do is select the mode that best suits your driving conditions (general driving, grass/gravel/snow, sand, mud and ruts or rock crawl) via a dial mounted on the center stack, then head on your way. The Sport Supercharged benefits from Dynamic Mode, a sixth Terrain Response setting that delivers sports car performance on tarmac.

Further driver-assistance enhancements include Hill Descent Control with Gradient Release Control, Dynamic Stability Control, four-corner air suspension and Roll Stability Control. The Sport Supercharged also gets Adaptive Dynamics with precision DampTronic Valve Technology. This system monitors vehicle road response up to 500 times per second and instantly adjusts the active dampers to deliver the ideal ride, regardless of conditions.

Land Rover vehicles have owned the off-road crown among SUVs for decades, but another key to their value retention is world-class interior refinement. The Range Rover Sport has an array of amenities and infotainment components.

The HSE delivers standards such as leather upholstery along with leather on the steering wheel and gear knob, eight-way power seats plus lumbar support for the driver and passenger, keyless entry and an electronic sunroof. Also on the list are Bluetooth connectivity, a rearview camera, premium hard-disk drive navigation, an iPod interface, a USB port and a 5-inch Thin Film Transistor LCD virtual instrument panel.

Choosing the HSE LUX broadens the list of standards to include the extended leather package with contrast stitching on seats, center console and door panels, power front-seat side bolsters, a center console cooler box and the comfort climate pack (optional on the HSE), which provides heat for the front and rear seats, as well as the steering wheel, windshield and washer jets.

The top-flight Sport Supercharged has all of these standards along with some notable options (shared with the HSE LUX) including a rear-seat DVD entertainment system, black lacquer finish interior trim and perforated leather on the front seats.

Options across the model line include an active rear-locking differential; high definition and satellite radio; a harman/kardon premium 480-watt surround-sound system with 13 speakers plus a subwoofer and the vision assist pack with adaptive front lighting, automatic high beam assist and a surround camera system .

Schedule your test drive with Land Rover Las Vegas at 5255 W. Sahara Ave. or online at www.lrlv.com.