By Denis Droppa in Gaydon, UK
Stuffing vehicles with ever-more luxury and safety gizmos is part and parcel of keeping customers happy, but it leads to overweight cars with negatively-affected performance, fuel consumption and driveability.
Land Rover has chosen aluminium as its battle against the bulge, and is using the lightweight metal in its new-generation Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models instead of the heavier steel used in their predecessors. The company calls this the fastest, most agile and most responsive Land Rover ever.
A REAL LIGHTIE
Automakers tend to brag when they manage to lop off just 50kg off the weight of a vehicle, but the new Range Rover Sport has been put on a proper crash diet by shedding a massive 420kg – about the equivalent weight of five passengers – over the car it replaces. Later on when a four-cylinder turbo version’s introduced, it will be the first Range Rover to weigh under two tons.
The benefits to agility were obvious when I took the second-generation Sport for a spin last week around Land Rover’s test track in Gaydon. As you’d imagine with a vehicle lightened to the tune of five passengers, everything gets better: the acceleration, the braking, and the cornering.
You get a big behemoth that handles like a sporty grand tourer. Apart from the weight loss there’s lots of electrickery helping to keep this SUV well planted to the road, including an active rear differential, stability control and an understeer-limiting torque-vectoring system.
SPORTY SUSPENSION
The new-generation Range Rover Sport also comes with more sports-oriented variable suspension that stiffens and softens the dampers as conditions demand, along with sharper throttle, transmission and electric power-steering responses.
Across the range, acceleration times have improved along with fuel consumption cut by up to 24 percent depending on model, and reduced CO2 emissions. All petrol and diesel engines are paired with an eight-speed auto ‘box.
This is clearly a road-biased vehicle that lives up to the Sport badge, although it’s properly offroad-capable too with its full-time all-wheel drive, height-adjustable air suspension, and a second-generation Terrain Response system with settings for sand, mud, rocks and snow.
Customers who do wish to risk scratching that fancy paintwork on offroad expeditions will also be glad to hear the maximum ground clearance has increased to 285mm and wading depth to 850mm (respectively 58mm and 150mm better than the previous Range Rover Sport). The aluminium suspension is all-independent, but claimed to have better wheel articulation than rivals like the VW Touareg, Audi Q7, Mercedes GL and BMW X5.
Two four-wheel drive systems are on offer; a more offroad-focussed system featuring a two-speed transfer case with low range and a default 50/50 torque split front to rear, and a more road-based single-speed transfer case with a 42/58 rear-biased split.
BRUTE FORCE
At launch there will be a choice of two engines – a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 petrol engine producing 375kW and 625Nm, and a 3.0-litre turbodiesel with 215kW/600Nm. The powertrain line-up will be expanded in early 2014 by the addition of a 190kW/600Nm 3.0-litre TDV6 and high performance 4.4-litre 339kW/700Nm SDV8 diesel. In addition, a diesel Hybrid model will be available to order in 2014, followed eventually by a four-cylinder 2-litre turbo petrol.
A significantly longer wheelbase provides greater room and improved access for rear passengers in the new Range Rover Sport. Smart technologies include a built-in stolen vehicle tracker which automatically notifies customers in the event of a suspected break-in, and an InTouch app which allows Android or Apple smartphone users to locate their vehicle, and remotely check their fuel level and range.
The Range Rover Sport arrives in South Africa in November, with pricing to be announced at launch. -Star Motoring