The New Range Rover Sport: Bigger and Better than Ever?
When a car maker announces the latest incarnation of one of its flagship models you instantly get that eye rolling “inner sigh” when it is described as revolutionary. However there is no such trepidation with the new Range Rover Sport as it looks so similar to current models. The fact is, three quarters of its components have been enhanced or modified, which makes it an all new animal entirely.
The rhetoric from Land Rover was much the same as you would expect with slogans from every angle. But with all that was said, it goes towards what customers really want from a more luxurious Range Rover, just with increased sportiness. Land Rover claims that they have managed to build the “fastest, most agile, most responsive Land Rover ever” with an unrivalled breadth of ability.
Getting under the skin of the new Range Rover Sport does highlight just how seriously the engineers have taken this challenge as seventy five percent of the car’s components are different from those on the previous model. Normally, this would worry you slightly given how good the flagship car was, but the engineers have been keen to stress that this level of change is aimed at making sure no expense is spared.
One of the biggest redesigns has been to the suspension system, lowering the vehicle in order to get it closer to the layout of a Sports-Utility-Vehicle. This achieves better poise, grip and a sensational handling experience on winding roads. The interior has also experienced a turnaround with flexible seating layout known in-house as 5+2; with five normal seats, and two in the rear. The rear seats are electronically controlled to allow them to retract when not in use to free up boot space when needed.
The improvements don’t just end with the handling and clever seating though; there have been changes to the cars smaller details to revolutionise the cabin. Extensive effort was put into the design of the rear of the car in terms of the hinges, rear lights and wipers to provide more headroom for passengers in the back. The results are astonishing with Land Rover claiming that there is 910mm of room in the boot seats, which is more than the Mercedes E-Class can manage.
Functionality was not the only push with Land Rover putting a lot of time and money into improving the legendary luxury standards of their Range Rover. There are more gadgets and boundary-breaking technology; including a heads-up display, wide-angle rear parking radar and an all-new depth wading sensor.
Despite all this work Land Rover claim there is less noise and that these new aspects will be also implemented into the Hybrid.
All in all the new Range Rover Sport sounds a bit special, let’s just hope it lives up to the hype.
