THE second-generation Range Rover Sport won’t be turning up in UK showrooms until later this year, but Land Rover has already opened the order books for the new car.
Entry-level SE models will start at £51,500, an increase of just a few hundred pounds over the starting price of the outgoing Range Rover Sport.
The entry level Sport is £20,000 less than the new Range Rover
That’s despite the new car switching from a tough cross-country biased platform shared with the Discovery to an advanced new lightweight aluminium structure already seen in the new Range Rover, which starts at £71,295.
That could just mark out the new Sport as a bit of a bargain.
Besides the SE, the new Range Rover Sport range features three further trim levels – HSE, HSE Dynamic and Autobiography Dynamic – and three engines.
Two 3.0-litre V6 diesels, badged TDV6 and SDV6 deliver 258 and 292 horsepower respectively, and there’s a 5.0-litre supercharged petrol V8 as well.
All cars get eight-speed automatic transmissions and fuel-saving stop-start technology. Other features standard on all Sports include automatic headlamps and wipers, leather upholstery, heated front seats, DAB radios, powered tailgates, sat nav and the Land Rover Terrain Response system that helps drivers without lots of off-road experience to tackle difficult countryside.
HSE models get twenty-inch alloys, 14-way electric front seat adjustment, heated rear seats, power steering column adjustment, paddle gear-shift controls and a rear view camera. Prices start from £59,995.
The HSE Dynamic, which starts at £64,995, gets 21-inch alloys, a twin speed transfer box, a torque vectoring system designed to improve on-road handling, and the automatic version of Terrain Response first seen on the Range Rover last year.
The top Autobiography Dynamic, which costs from £74,995, has High Beam Assist for the headlights, interior mood lighting, adaptive cruise control, and a safety package that includes emergency braking and active front seatbelts.
Like the latest Range Rover introduced last year, the Sport is much lighter than its predecessor – up to 420kg depending on model – which helps performance, economy and handling and makes it a more serious business car contender.
It will make its first public appearance in the UK at the Royal Windsor Horse Show next week.
