Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF RANGE ROVER WITHIN RANGE THE 2017 RANGE ROVER SPORT TAPS INTO ITS BOSTON-RUGGED SIDE. BY ROBERT COCUZZO Cleans up nice! While honoring its rugged, offroad heritage, the 2017 Range Rover Sport has evolved from its spartan beginnings: High-tech amenities like lane-departure warnings and automated emergency braking come standard, with more active-safety tech add-ons available. When the first Range Rovers rolled out in the UK nearly fifty years ago, they were built for off-road domination. All- wheel drive. Guerilla-grip suspension. Vinyl seats. Plastic dash. If their interi- ors got dirty, drivers could just hose them down. This utilitarian design was thanks to a WWII-era jet-engine pioneer named Charles King, who had by then set the land-speed record by strapping a jet engine to a car. Rugged as they were, King's early Range Rovers were so highly regarded that they quickly landed in the Louvre as masterpieces of industrial design. The Queen of England bought one, and, to his chagrin, King's hulking globetrotters were quickly domesticated for the English gentry. "To use them for the school run, or even in cities or towns at all, is completely stupid," King told a London newspaper before his death, in 2010. While he might be roll- ing in his grave knowing Range Rover remains synonymous with luxury, King could take some comfort in the fact that the latest generation of Range Rover, the 2017 Sport, has honored its rugged roots. The Supercharged model hums with a 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 engine that packs more than 500 horsepower—ready to dominate much more than just pavement. On the dash, a computer serves as an "All-Terrain Info Cen- ter," allowing an operator to maximize the SUV's off-road performance. So while you may not want to drive up the side of a volcano, with the Range Rover Sport, at least you know you can. From $81,645. Land Rover Sud- bury, 83 Boston Post Road, Sudbury, 508-650-8822; landroverofsudbury.com . SPACE C ARNOISSEUR 120 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM