Introducing the new Range Rover Sport: “Lots of technology to do things no one will ever do” | Brecht Vanelliuen

Land Rover is practically considered the inventor of dynamic SUVs. In 2005, seventeen years ago, she made her debut with the Range Rover Sport. At the time, the concept was viewed with suspicion. Heavy and loud, it is difficult to reconcile with the dynamics. The public did not care that the laws of physics be mocked. The Range Rover Sport was a commercial success and high legs with dynamic lines are now popular. You can even find it in major brands. The Range Rover Sport itself? He is now in his third generation.

You will immediately have to pay 95,000 euros for a new copy. So you get a car that can do the most. Of course, no customer crosses the line and they all drive their miles in residential areas, cities, and highways. But the British know very well that the idea of ​​your car being invincible sells. So: a stunt. Tradition in Land Roar. In Iceland, a Range Rover Sport fought a stream (the lower part of a dam over which water could flow) of the Karahangukar Dam. 750 tons of water per minute flows through it. Of course, all-wheel drive overcame the natural disaster. At the wheel: James Bond’s sexy pilot Jessica Hawkins, to add another cleverly played marketing card.

The bar is raised again. Half a meter of travel per wheel, that’s easily double what’s normal. A terrain system that not only engages mechanics (with lockable differentials), but also uses sensors and a ton of software to get around silly obstacles without breaking a sweat. Sludge has a completely different program than, for example, rock. In short, there is a lot of technology out there to do things that no one will ever do.

The chance of his driver throwing the Giant into the bend with his abandonment is much greater. This also must be possible. Two-chamber air suspension (and therefore adjustable stiffness – first), optional all-wheel steering, and even electric motors that run counter-pressure to prevent the car from swerving into corners should make sure you don’t notice at least 2.3 tons of mass. We first saw almost all of these in a (new) Range Rover that you already have on HLN Except for the first driving impression of likes.

In the exclusive part where the Range Rover Sport appears (against competitors such as the Audi Q8 and the Porsche Cayenne Coupe), you also have to be smart. This series is powered, among other things, by offering voice control via Alexa (from Google). New smart solutions are also being used in the battle for better well-being. For example, Active Noise Cancellation (which removes unwanted sounds by sending an opposite sound wave through a speaker) is enabled. The speakers are built into the headrests. A previous experience (on a Land Rover Discovery) with an exclusive fabric interior as an alternative to leather didn’t work. It could also have something to do with a price tag of more than 7,000 euros. Anyway: No substance here to ease your conscience, but (optional) eco-friendly imitation leather.

The team under design director Jerry McGovern—immodest, but highly successful—built a car with style based on the recipe for success in the past. This one features a high rise belt, a sloping roofline, and a large rear overhang. The lights are getting slimmer at the front and rear and there’s more interest in aerodynamics. For example, all the glass is in one plane and door handles are now sticking out of the body.

As is almost always the case, Generation 3 is just a little bigger than before. The wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels) has grown by seven centimeters to just under three metres. The total length is now 4.94 meters, more than about ten centimeters. But the width of the folded door mirrors was actually three centimeters less. However, its width is still 2.04 meters. By the way, not only the letters “RANGE ROVER” are smeared on the trunk lid. You can still see the oval Land Rover logo. After all, this is officially a Land Rover Range Rover Sport. This sometimes causes confusion which is why Range Rover is considered a separate brand again.

Land Rover operates in a sector that is popular with the self-employed and the self-employed. However, it has been accelerated by increasingly stringent regulations in the field of carbon dioxide₂emissions and electricity. Efforts are made to catch up with men and strength. This hasn’t worked yet. An all-electric variant isn’t planned until 2024. But there’s a plug-in hybrid at launch that promises an electric driving range of more than 100 km, and therefore (for now) tax-attractive emissions of 18 grams of CO2.₂/ How many can submit. The 510 horsepower should make you forget that the price is weird.

Speaking of which: elsewhere in the range you’ll also find a 530-horsepower 4.4-liter V8 with a compressor that can hit 100 km/h already after 4.5 seconds from the start. Sports car performance. Diesel is more reasonable. There are three: all with six cylinders, three liters of lung volume and outputs of 250, 300 and 350 hp, respectively. Finally, there is also three liters of gasoline with 360 or 400 hp and limited electric support (light hybrid). Towing weight 3.5 tons is the norm. The plug-in hybrid is an exception: it tolerates “only” three tons on the towbar.

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