Range Rover Sport

THE ALL-NEW RANGE ROVER SPORT

Land Rover has shown off the Range Rover’s smaller, sassier sibling – the Sport. James Batchelor reveals the details.

Lights

Range Rover Sport SE and

Dynamic models get ‘pixel’ LED headlights and day-running lights as standard, but models higher up the range get Land Rover’s new ‘digital LED’ lights. Each headlight is made up of 1.3m micro-mirrors to avoid dazzling oncoming drivers. The lights also have four modes – country, city, highway and adverse weather – which automatically set the correct beam pattern.

Just as dealers begin to hand over the new Range Rover to eager customers, the British brand has revealed the new Range Rover Sport.

Sitting alongside the fullsized Range Rover as the more dynamic offering, the Sport will arrive in showrooms later this year with a selection of hybrid, petrol and diesel engines.

Just like the outgoing model, the third-generation Sport uses the same platform and mechanicals as the halo Range Rover.

While it might look similar at a quick glance to the outgoing car, the new Sport has a new body, platform, engines and more technology than ever.

For the time being, the range comprises SE, Dynamic, Autobiography and First Edition, with prices starting at £79,125 for the D300 SE and rising to £114,990 for the P530 First Edition.

Full-electric and SV models will arrive later on.

Long haul

In true Land Rover tradition, the Sport can tow some pretty hefty loads – up to 3,500kg with the petrols and diesels, and up to 3,000kg with the PHEVs. Customers can also choose the £385 Advanced Tow Assist package, which allows the driver to steer a trailer/caravan by using the rotary controller on the centre console. Buyers can select a twin-speed transfer box (£440) as well, and all Sports can wade in up to 900mm of water.

PHEVs

The two PHEVs (plug-in hybrids) feature a 105kW (140bhp) electric motor on the back axle. In ‘EV mode’, the car runs entirely on electric, with the rear wheels powering the car. The Sport can travel at up to 87mph in pure-electric mode until the petrol engine kicks in. Land Rover claims a WLTP-tested electric range of 70 miles and a real-world figure of 54 miles, plus 18g/ km of CO2. The PHEVs can also be rapid-charged at speeds of up to 50kW.

The new MLA-Flex liberates more space than the outgoing Sport, but there’s also more room thanks to the car only being offered as a five-seater. There’s now more rear legroom and boot space (835/1,860 litres). Those after a seven-seater will have to opt for the full-size Range Rover. The new Sport pinches much of the larger Range Rover’s dashboard, but to give a sportier feel the seats are set 20mm lower, the steering wheel is smaller and the centre console is higher. All cars get a 13.1-inch curved infotainment screen, a 13.7-inch display for the dials, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus Amazon Alexa as standard.

Engines

There’s a broad selection of powertrains on offer. The smallest engine size is three litres – there’s a 395bhp straight-six mild-hybrid petrol and two mildhybrid diesels, one with 296bhp and the other with 345bhp. A 523bhp BMWderived 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 tops the range for now. All these engines come with permanent four-wheel drive and an eight-speed gearbox as standard.

Electric power

The outgoing Range Rover Sport was offered as a plug-in hybrid later in its life cycle, but the new one comes with two right at launch. The P440e and P510e both use the 3.0-litre straight-six petrol along with a 105kW electric motor and 38.2kWh battery. A pure-electric Sport will arrive in 2024 and both this and the Range Rover EV will become Land Rover’s first EVs.

Stormer

In a nod to the concept car that spawned the original 2005 Sport, the new car can be upgraded with the Stormer Handling Pack. This adds an electronic active rollcontrol system, all-wheel steering, an electronic active diff with torque vectoring by braking and configurable programs.

Off road

Of course, while the Sport is very much a road-based SUV, it’s still a Land Rover so it has to be good off the road, too. The Terrain Response 2 system can be configured to make the Sport just as capable as the full-size Range Rover. There’s even a new adaptive off-road cruise control as well.

Rear

It’s at the back end where the new Sport differs the most from the old model. The number plate now sits in the bumper and the taillights stretch across the bootlid. The shoulder line also stretches around the entire rear of the car. Park the new car next to the old one and the third-generation Sport looks crisper and more modern than the model that it replaces.