New, modern interpretation of Range Rover Sport completes three-model Range Rover portfolio
- Transformational on-road dynamics with world’s best all-terrain performance gives unrivalled breadth of capability
- Impeccable composure and refinement delivering exceptional ride comfort
- Superbly crafted, luxurious and more flexible interior
- Weight saving of up to 420kg brings agility and exceptional performance, with up to 14% CO2 reduction and improved fuel economy
- Based on Range Rover’s aluminium platform, but with 75 percent of parts specific to Sport for a unique look and feel.
- Choice of two drivetrains, including single speed transfer case with Torsen centre differential
Pretoria, 5 November, 2013 – The all-new Range Rover Sport, revealed to the South African media at OR Tambo airport today, is the ultimate premium sports SUV – the fastest, most agile and responsive Land Rover ever.
Developed alongside the highly-acclaimed all-new Range Rover, the all-new Range Rover Sport now delivers the brand’s best-ever on-road dynamics together with class-leading, genuine Land Rover all-terrain capability. The new, technology-packed, Range Rover Sport, presents customers with a more assertive and muscular exterior and a more luxurious interior.
Exploiting Land Rover’s breakthrough lightweight suspension design and innovative dynamic chassis technologies, the Sport’s all-new, first-in-class aluminium architecture achieves a weight saving of up to 420kg. This transforms the vehicle’s dynamic performance, enabling it to blend agile handling with exceptional comfort, offering a unique mix of sporting luxury and a dynamic, connected driving experience, along with CO2 emissions reduced to as low as 209g/km.
Kevin Flynn, Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover South Africa and sub-Sahara Africa said: “The second-generation Sport moves the goalposts once again. This car is a remarkable engineering achievement and its combination of lightweight aluminium architecture, powerful and fuel-efficient engines and innovative dynamic chassis technologies have made it is the fastest, most agile and most responsive Land Rover ever.
“Ground-breaking construction which sees the all-new Range Rover Sport tip the scales massively lighter than its predecessor brings benefits in a number of areas; including emissions, fuel consumption, acceleration, braking and handling. Building on the success of the recently launched flagship Range Rover, the all-new Range Rover Sport also employs a vast array of new technologies which help to transform its performance, refinement and all round capabilities,” added Flynn.
Design: assertive, powerful and muscular
The dynamic all-new Range Rover Sport has a bold and progressive exterior design that is assertive, powerful and muscular, hinting at the improved driving performance, and positioning the vehicle clearly between the Range Rover and the Evoque through a clear, shared design DNA.
Land Rover Design Director and Chief Creative Officer, Gerry McGovern, said: “The new Range Rover Sport is the ultimate luxury SUV. An all-new Range Rover Sport for a new era: relevant, sustainable and utterly desirable. Alongside the Range Rover, and the Range Rover Evoque, the all-new Range Rover Sport represents the third distinct product in Land Rover’s product revolution.”
With a fresh interpretation of the previous model’s distinctive design, the new vehicle has a sleek and contemporary appearance combined with enhanced use of space. The new Sport is just 62mm longer than its predecessor, yet at 4850mm, it is shorter than rival SUVs and most E segment sedans, bringing greater manoeuvrability and ease of parking. However, a significantly longer wheelbase (increased by 178mm) provides greater room and improved access for rear passengers.
Shorter overhangs at the front and rear, plus additional width (+55mm) give the new vehicle a more modern stance.
With its ‘faster’ windscreen angle, streamlined and rounded profile and lower, dynamic sloping roofline, the new Range Rover Sport is 8 percent more aerodynamic than the outgoing vehicle (Cd 0.34). The new Sport is 149mm shorter and 55mm lower than the all-new Range Rover on which it is based and model-for-model weighs 45kg less.
While it was developed alongside the Range Rover and shares some commonality with its sister vehicle, the all-new Range Rover Sport benefits from 75 percent of its parts being unique, a significant number of which directly influence the way the new Sport looks and feels.
To maximise personalisation, customers will be offered a choice of wheel designs ranging through 20-, 21- and 22-inches in diameter including the iconic “Viper’s Nest” wheel design, now available for the first time across all Range Rover models.
Capability: the broadest range of abilities in an SUV
The new Range Rover Sport has been engineered to deliver dramatically improved on-road driving dynamics, with more connected and agile handling complemented by enhanced ride and refinement. The lightweight aluminium suspension is fully-independent, with wide-spaced double-wishbones at the front and an advanced multi-link layout at the rear. In addition the all-new, the electric power steering is characterised by a lighter, more direct steering feel.
Wheel-travel is class-leading (260mm front and 272mm rear) and provides exceptional wheel articulation of 546mm to deal with the toughest conditions. Maximum ground clearance is increased to 278mm (+51mm) and the upgraded air suspension system automatically varies between two ride heights, while the next generation ground-breaking Terrain Response® 2 system automatically selects the most suitable terrain programme.
Fifth generation air suspension provides up to 115mm of regular movement: from the lowest setting ‘access height’ (now 10mm lower at 50mm for easier entry and exit), to the standard off-road height – Off Road 2, which is 65mm above normal, tarmac ride height. An automatic extension, triggered by sensors, and a further, manually-selected extension, each raise the Sport by another 35mm.
The automatic, extended height is triggered if the suspension is trying to lower, but recognises an obstacle preventing this. The air suspension system will then raise the suspension height by 35mm above Off-Road 2 to provide the required additional clearance. In addition, the driver can also request a final 35mm of clearance via a dashboard control. Total movement range is thus 185mm.
The re-engineered air suspension system also has a new +35mm intermediate setting (Off-Road 1) and this off-road mode remains available at much higher speeds (80km/h up from 50km/h) than was possible before.
A choice of two full-time 4WD systems will be offered. One system provides a two-speed transfer case with low-range option, for the most demanding off-road conditions with a front-rear 50/50 percent default torque split, and 100 percent locking capability.
The alternative system is 18kg lighter and features a single-speed transfer case with a Torsen differential, which automatically distributes torque to the axle with most grip, working together with the traction control systems to deliver excellent traction in all conditions. The default front-rear torque split of 42/58 percent is designed to provide a rear-wheel drive bias for optimum driving dynamics.
Powertrains: three engine choices from launch
At launch, Range Rover Sport customers will have a choice of three powerplants: two supercharged petrol engines (5.0-litre 375 kW V8 and the new 3.0-litre 250 kW V6) and a 215 kW 3.0-litre SDV6 diesel engine. All are paired with an advanced, electronically controlled ZF 8HP70 8-speed automatic gearbox.
Acceleration times for the 0 – 100 km/h dash start at just 5.3 seconds for the flagship V8 S/C, while fuel consumption is cut by up to 24 percent.The weight reduction measures on the all- new Range Rover Sport open up the future possibility for the fitment of a smaller, lighter power plant, such as a four cylinder engine.
Sustainability: first in class with lightweight aluminium construction
The all-new Range Rover Sport is the first vehicle in its segment to feature an advanced all-aluminium body structure, which not only contributes to outstanding agility and driving dynamics, but also delivers significantly reduced weight and enhanced sustainability.
Engineered in parallel with the highly-acclaimed new Range Rover, the new model’s lightweight aluminium body structure employs a combination of pressed panels, plus cast, extruded and rolled aluminium alloy parts, so the strength is concentrated precisely where the loads are greatest. The vehicle’s platform is 39 percent lighter than the previous model’s.
Interior: modern and luxurious with a strong sporting character
The new Sport provides an interior with distinctive Range Rover Sport design cues, superior detailing and craftsmanship.
A design benchmark in its segment, the Sport interior offers a unique blend of style and understated luxury with strong, elegant lines, top quality materials and an extra dash of sporting character. Strong, architectural forms within the interior have been enhanced by a cleaner, purer surface treatment, beautifully executed with more luxurious soft-touch surfaces in key touch points around the cabin.
The sporting ambience of the interior is also reflected in the smaller diameter, thicker steering wheel, vertical gear shifter, higher centre console, configurable mood lighting and more generous seat bolsters. The Sports Command Driving Position (CDP) combines the supreme sense of confidence and control offered by the Range Rover, with a more sporting seating position similar to the Evoque.
Interior packaging is optimised to create a more spacious rear cabin with 24mm more knee room, while occupants also benefit from the wider cabin.
Technology: customer-focused vehicle and safety features
The all-new Range Rover Sport has been developed as the ultimate ‘no compromise’ vehicle that will fit perfectly into its customers’ lifestyles. It has been engineered to incorporate the latest developments in customer-focused vehicle and safety technologies to enhance comfort, confidence and safety behind the wheel.
New or enhanced chassis technologies for the new Sport include Adaptive Dynamics featuring continuously variable dampers, and on more powerful models, a dedicated Dynamic mode in the Terrain Response® 2 system for enthusiastic on-road driving. This system is combined with twin-channel Dynamic Response active lean control, a Dynamic Active Rear Locking Differential, and Torque Vectoring by Braking, which transfers torque to the outside wheels during cornering, reducing understeer.
The new model introduces a digital camera system which supports driver assistance features that help deliver improved driver awareness for example Automatic High Beam Assist. Another unique innovation on the Sport is the optional Wade Sensing™ feature that provides ‘depth’ information when driving through water, made even more beneficial to the driver now that the Sport’s maximum wading depth has increased by 150mm over the previous model to 850mm.
Conclusion
The all-new Range Rover Sport, with its greatly enhanced versatility, is destined to continue the outstanding success of its predecessor, which quickly became one of Land Rover’s most popular models following its introduction in 2005, with sales exceeding 380,000 units to date.
Designed and engineered at Land Rover’s development centres in the UK, the new model is produced in a state-of-the-art low-energy manufacturing facility at Solihull, UK.
The All-new Range Rover Sport is priced from R824 500, with the flagship V8 Supercharged HSE Dynamic at R1 263 600.
