In daily to-and-fro use, the Sport is remarkably comfortable. Soft,though well-controlled suspension, power steering and lots of sound-deadening
materials throughout the body see to that. Most of the noise comes from
the engine (our tester, a well-equipped LS, had the V6/automatic combination)
and tires; wind noise is almost nonexistent. Maneuverability is about average
for the class.
Still, that high seating position does count for something; if you can't
get past obstacles, at least you can see over them.
On the highway, the Sport does just fine, as long as you don't mind
noise levels that are somewhat above passenger-car standards. At 65 mph,
the most obtrusive noises come from the tire treads. The seats are supportive
enough to be good for all-day drives, and you can take plenty of luggage
along; even with four or five people on board, there's more than 40 cubic
feet of load space available.
In straight-ahead performance, the Sport is so-so. Even 173 horses are
somewhat hard-pressed to cope with more than two tons of mass, so acceleration
tends to be leisurely.
To be fair, though, that's true of most sport-utilities. Blazing acceleration