Wednesday 17th August 2016

Range Rover Sport MY17 updates

Well if an SVR is a bit much, there's now a four-cylinder diesel too...

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While PH may focus on the more performance oriented end of the SUV market, the majority of sales of course come from further down the range. Indeed, the BMW X5, Mercedes GLE and Volvo XC90 are all available with four-cylinder diesel engines of 2.1 litres or less.

Kind of the same, but a bit different

Which is a soft way of introducing the fact that the Range Rover Sport is now available with a four-cylinder diesel, the Ingenium engine seen in the XE but with another turbo. Because, let's be honest, traditionalists may not be all that receptive to a four-cylinder Range Rover.

The numbers are competitive enough at least. The SD4 has 240hp and 369lb ft, enough for a predicted eight-second dash to 62mph, 128mph flat out, 45.6mpg and 164g/km. For reference, an XC90 D5 makes 235hp and 354lb ft, but is fractionally quicker and more efficient. For keen spotters, the four-cylinder diesel Sport is identifiable by two exhaust pipes on one side; all other models have one on each side.

The rest of the updates for the 2017 model year are much as seen in the Range Rover last week, with tech like the Low Friction Launch and InControl Touch Pro borrowed from the Jaguar F-Pace. Also new are an optional Drive Pack (blind spot monitor, sign recognition, reverse traffic detection), a Drive Pro Pack (adding adaptive cruise control and emergency braking) and a Driver Condition Monitor, to wake you up if all that semi-autonomous tech has sent you to sleep.

Is this the same house Mercedes uses?

Outside the Sport is unchanged, bar a Bright Pack optionally available on Autobiography Dynamic models. Lending the car a "more vivid" finish, its Atlas Silver front grille and bonnet mesh should ensure nobody will hold you up on the outside lane of the M40.

The updated Sport goes on sale later this year, with prices starting at £59,700 for the SD4 diesel HSE. Yep, £60K for the four-cylinder diesel. The V6 diesel kicks off at £63,100 for the HSE, rising to £80,300 for the Autobiography Dynamic. The diesel hybrid is available in either £75,200 HSE Dynamic or £86,800 Autobiography Dynamic spec. The supercharged V6 petrol also joins the range, available only as an HSE Dynamic at £64,400. Both the V8 diesel and 510hp V8 petrol are solely available as Autobiography Dynamic models, both also costing £86,800. The SVR remains unchanged at top of the range, starting at £96,900. Keep your eyes peeled at the school gates from early in 2017!

[anonymous-user]

Never thought I'd see the day a Range Rover (well, a RR Sport!) with a 4-cylinder... then again I never thought you would be able to buy a 3-Series with a 3-cyl.

I thought the Evoque and Disco sport would cater for the cheaper/smaller engined land rovers?

[Impasse]

Kierkegaard said:

Never thought I'd see the day a Range Rover (well, a RR Sport!) with a 4-cylinder... then again I never thought you would be able to buy a 3-Series with a 3-cyl.

I thought the Evoque and Disco sport would cater for the cheaper/smaller engined land rovers?

RR Classic had a four cylinder 200TDi engine fitted towards the end of its life cycle and before that the four cylinder VM diesel was used. It's not a new idea.

[scenario8]

Goodness cars are expensive these days.

4 cylinder diesel Range Rovers? I find it remarkable how much has changed in the last several years that these vehicles (and their competitors from Volvo, BMW and Mercedes et al) are accepted (mostly warmly) by the market. Is the NVH and delivery really that good?

[anonymous-user]

Impasse said:

Kierkegaard said:

Never thought I'd see the day a Range Rover (well, a RR Sport!) with a 4-cylinder... then again I never thought you would be able to buy a 3-Series with a 3-cyl.

I thought the Evoque and Disco sport would cater for the cheaper/smaller engined land rovers?

RR Classic had a four cylinder 200TDi engine fitted towards the end of its life cycle and before that the four cylinder VM diesel was used. It's not a new idea.

I meant the current Range Rover - due to its size, weight and image.

Of course every manufacturer is downsizing these days and it's the way to reduce everything from weight, emmisions, carbon foo..blah blah. I bet this engine won't make it into the normal RR.

[MyCC]

These downsized engines will help it sell more in markets where there is a heavy tax on big engine lumps.

Regards,

MyCC

[Nickbrapp]

Why does it seem Land Rover are always behind the times? They bragged about how efficient these new engines where but they are stop beaten by Volvo, and why are they now only offering stuff like traffic sign recognition which has been standard on Ford Focus' for the last 5 years?

[saaby93]

Range rover sport = freelander?

[lee_fr200]

I personally think that's a way to ruin the brand

[Dan_1981]

saaby93 said:

Range rover sport = freelander?

No.

Disco Sport = Freelander (more or less)

[T16OLE]

Then again, the old 2.7 V6 only has 187bhp & 325lbs/ft, so it doesn't seem so bad as a base model, whilst shaving off 20mpg and 0-60mph quick by 4.5 seconds

[toppstuff]

I find myself surprised at just how many of these cars seem to be around. The RRS is very, very popular.

Considering the price of the car, I find this surprising. You dont seem hoardes of other 60-70K cars around, but you see masses of these.

A genuinely aspirational product. Well done.

[seefarr]

[FN2TypeR]

At this price point I'd be looking at the XC90 if I need something of this size, the XC90 looks superb IMO and the interior is excellent. Although if I were hankering for a bigger engine it would have to be the Range Rover as Volvo don't cater for that market any more.

[saaby93]

PH said:

Is this the same house Mercedes uses?

How on earth did you guess that was a house?
It looks like a random concrete wall from here

[toppstuff]

saaby93 said:

How on earth did you guess that was a house?
It looks like a random concrete wall from here

There was a time when they would have pictured an RR on a farm ! How times have changed...

[Ozzie Osmond]

"While PH may focus on the more performance oriented end of the SUV market"

Good grief - there was a time when PH had a focus on sportscars.

Roll up, roll up, get your diesel SUV here...

[W124]

FN2TypeR said:

At this price point I'd be looking at the XC90 if I need something of this size, the XC90 looks superb IMO and the interior is excellent. Although if I were hankering for a bigger engine it would have to be the Range Rover as Volvo don't cater for that market any more.

Very true. I have spent a bit of time in them both and the Volvo feels a long, long way ahead. It is much newer though. Also, and this is a big one, the XC90 can drive itself on bigger roads. Steering, brakes, cruise, the lot. You have to touch the wheel every 20 seconds or so to let it know you are awake, but it's essentially autonomous. If you do motorway miles that puts the XC90 in another league. Saving the fact that you can't get the twin engine hybrid with a spare wheel, it's the best car on sale by miles. The RR and RR sport are way too far behind and JLR are relying on their cars static showroom appeal way too heavily if you ask me. The only car they make that I like is the XF, which is absolutely brilliant. It's kind of overlooked - but it's such a good car. As an aside, the 2.0 diesel ingenium has been nasty in every application I have driven so far - bar the XF.

[bakerstreet]

I'm guessing that this is the engine that they are going to launch the Discovery 5 with.

I have no problem with them launching a 4 pot RRS. If it makes them cheaper to run/tax then that is good thing. Also I could just about afford an early RRS now and they are now 11 years old, so in 11 years time, I should be able to afford to buy the latest RRS

However knowing Land Rover they will all be complete basket cases by then

[modeller]

They should've made the 4cyl a PHEV .. Maybe the next gen

[Hitch]

Any shots of the rear? I want to see if they've got rid of that awful bumper wedgie where the undertray is pulled up to the bottom of the tailgate.