Land Rover unveils the third-generation Range Rover Sport SUV. With a host of powertrains, including a V8, on offer, the new Range Rover Sport promises low-speed agility and high-speed poise from a new four-wheel steering system, and features an overhauled interior with JLR’s latest Pivi Pro infotainment.
The latest Range Rover Sport was developed alongside the fifth-generation Range Rover, which was revealed last year, to ensure consistency within the Range Rover family, but also, crucially, enough distinction between the two models.
Digital LED lighting units at the front, the slimmest ever fitted to a Land Rover, create a daytime running light signature. At the rear, uninterrupted LED light graphics introduce surface LED technology to a production vehicle for the first time, claims Land Rover.
Inside, it has been designed to be more driver-oriented than its Range Rover sibling. The steering wheel is similar, but the seating position is 20mm lower.
The high centre console rises up into the dashboard, which has a 13.1-inch curved screen that uses JLR’s Pivi Pro infotainment system, plus a 13.7-inch driver’s display. It has over-the-air updates, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and Amazon Alexa capability.
The new Range Rover Sport is an evolution of the outgoing model in appearance, keeping its short overhangs and steeply raked windows at the front and back. It has a 75mm longer wheelbase than before to improve rear leg room.
The range-topping variant for the Range Rover Sport globally, for now, is the 525hp, twin-turbocharged, 4.4-litre BMW-derived petrol V8, which can accelerate from 0-100kph in 4.5sec. Additionally, the new plug-in hybrid is expected to be a strong seller, too. In its most powerful form, it uses a 3.0-litre six-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine with a 141hp electric motor, powered by a 38.2kWh battery, for a total output of 503hp. It completes the 0-100kph sprint in 5.4sec and delivers 112km of EV range with CO2 emissions of 18g/km. Combining its petrol and electric reserves, it offers 740km of range.
The initial line-up for the Range Rover Sport internationally is completed by a number of 48V mild-hybrid options, which use either a P400 straight-six Ingenium petrol engine or six-cylinder D300 and D350 diesel powertrains.
While the SVR will be powered by the V8, the electric model could use a drivetrain sourced from technical partner BMW, such as that found in the top-rung iX M60, which makes 611hp.
The new Range Rover Sport sits on JLR’s flexible mixed-metal architecture, known as MLA-Flex, which is also used by the Range Rover. The firm claims it has 35% higher torsional stiffness than the outgoing model, which lays the foundation for a number of chassis technologies all specially tuned for the car. The model’s Dynamic Response Pro uses a 48V electronic active roll control system, capable of applying up to 1,400Nm of torque across each axle.
The Range Rover Sport is now available with all-wheel steering, which, with torque vectoring by braking and the electronic differential, should mean improved cornering agility. The steering system enables rear-wheel steering of up to 7.3deg out of phase with the front wheels to achieve better manoeuvrability at low speeds, as well as turning in-phase for improved stability at high speeds.
The model, which has Land Rover’s latest Terrain Response 2 system for off-roading, introduces the brand’s new adaptive off-road cruise control. Drivers can select one of four settings and the system adjusts the speed accordingly so the driver can focus on steering.
While the new Range Rover Sport will go on sale overseas this year, it is safe to expect a market launch in India sometime next year. Deliveries of the full-size Range Rover SUV in India are expected later this year. Read our exclusive review of the new Range Rover SUV in the latest Autocar India May 2022 issue, on stands now.
