10:56 am, March 27, 2013
LAND ROVER have officially unveiled the new Range Rover Sport, following a glitzy Manhattan event that we attended live.
The all-new Range Rover Sport follows on from the reinvention of its full-size big brother – with aluminium architecture shaving 420kg off the old Sport’s weight. That, says Land Rover, makes the Sport both more enjoyable to drive and easier on the environment – with CO2 emissions as low as 194g/km.
Also new to the Sport is the option of seven seats – a boost in practicality helped by a 62mm increase in the car’s length. It’s still 149mm shorter than the full-fat Range Rover, though, ensuring it still slots in as the middle sibling in Land Rover’s premium line-up.
There’s also re-engineered air suspension, helping ground clearance to increase by 51mm against the old car, and new electric power steering with a ‘lighter, more direct feel’.
Engines are carried over from the larger Range Rover – a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 petrol with over 500bhp, and a supercharged 3.0-litre diesel with just under 300bhp. Land Rover suggests that in ‘early 2014’ these will be joined by two more diesels – another 3.0-litre V6, and a 4.4-litre V8.
The firm is even promising that a diesel hybrid model is on the way. Set to be available to order in 2014, the Hybrid should achieve emissions of 169g/km.
‘The all-new Range Rover Sport is a vehicle that has been designed and engineered without compromise,’ said Land Rover’s global brand director John Edwards.
‘With Land Rover capability at its heart, it is one of the most road focussed vehicles we’ve ever produced, but of course still offers unsurpassed all-terrain capability. It is a vehicle which is designed to be driven.
‘Building on the success of the recently launched flagship Range Rover, the new Range Rover Sport also employs a vast array of new technologies which help to transform its performance, refinement and all round capabilities.’
Buyers will be able to order the Sport from later this year, although given that all worldwide examples will come from Land Rover’s Solihull plant, there could well be a waiting list.
