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Driving the Range Rover Sport in downtown Phoenix, I encountered a young guy in a full-size Range Rover that was all tarted up with chrome accessories and gigantic chrome spoke wheels shod with skinny swaths of tire.

Obviously, the Range Rover’s impressive off-road capabilities had been sacrificed for urban bling. Seems a shame that the pre-eminent boondocker should be turned into a hollow fashion statement.

But so it goes, and more often than not, this is the treatment you’ll see on Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. These pricey British SUVs are not likely to be driven in harsh terrain anyway, so I suppose they may as well relinquish the claim and go strictly for the eyeball.

Which was why I was not surprised to find the test Sport wearing street tires rather than sturdy all-terrain rubber. They wouldn’t last long on Arizona’s rocky trails, but they provided a smooth ride and gripped the asphalt in turns.

The Sport, based on the Land Rover LR3, is a surprisingly agile SUV that handles well and drives with solid confidence. Despite weighing close to 5,500 pounds, the stylish craft feels more like a well-sorted luxury car than a heavy truck.

There’s an extensive level of off-road features, including a console dial for choosing various types of terrain, such as muddy road or desert trail, as well as electronic settings for hill descent and low-range four-wheel drive. Land Rover products are renowned for their ability to go nearly anywhere, from dismal swamp to lofty peak, and the Sport comes fully equipped with the right stuff.

However, I did not venture onto my usual trails. Getting a blowout in the desert during summer did not hold much appeal.

Introduced for 2006, Sport remains Land Rover’s best-selling vehicle, hitting the spot with attractive looks, rugged aura and brand prestige.

Range Rover Sport HSE

Vehicle type: Five-passenger four-door SUV, four-wheel drive.

Engine: 4.4-liter V-8, 300 horsepower at 5,500 rpm, 315 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm.

Transmission: Six-speed automatic.

Wheelbase: 108 inches.

Overall length: 188.5 inches.

Curb weight: 5,468 pounds.

EPA rating: 12 city, 18 highway.

HIGHS: Crisp handling, engine refinement, off-road credentials.

LOWS: Street tires, scattered controls, modest gas mileage.

PERFORMANCE: The 300-horsepower V-8 cranks out decent power for acceleration and merging, though some drivers might crave more. If so, there’s a pricey supercharged version with 390 horsepower.

Fuel mileage was not so hot, though I’ve seen worse. I averaged about 17 miles per gallon in a mix of driving.

The six-speed automatic shifts flawlessly and includes a sport setting for hotter performance and a manual shifter.

DRIVABILITY: A full boat of electronic wizardry and suspension engineering helps provide a superb ride, both in terms of handling and highway cruising. Very stable in all conditions, despite its tall profile and heavy weight.

The quiet highway ride, free of wind roar or engine noise, revealed a heavy dose of tire slap on rough surfaces.

STYLING: Land Rover purists howled at the stylistic shape of Sport, with its canted rear hatch and spoiler. But not everyone admires the boxy look of LR3, and Sport’s strong sales tell the story.

INTERIOR: The solid look of the big Range Rover’s cabin is reworked with a modern and somewhat techy style. Though I miss the warmth of the original, Sport’s dashboard and console are nicely functional with a solid, trucklike appeal.

The many dials and buttons to operate the myriad functions get confusing. They need to be simplified.

BOTTOM LINE: A pricey morsel but highly enjoyable. A set of all-terrain tires would provide exceptional access to the back country.

Base price: $58,225.

Price as tested: $62,400.

OPTIONS

Luxury interior package, with premium leather, heated wind screen, heated washer jets, adaptive headlights, wood trim, cool box, $3,000.

Satellite radio, $400.

Shipping, $775.