Yahoo Autos 2018 Range Rover Sport: The Sporting Life
Land Rover would like you to know that, despite the presence of the Evoque (and now the Velar) in its Range Rover lineup, it has sold more than 732,000 Range Rover Sports worldwide since the model’s 2004 introduction as a smaller, more nimble, less expensive complement to the full-size Range Rover. For 2018, the Sport is getting a refresh, including a goosed SVR model now boasting 575 horsepower.
Aside from the range-topping supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 in the SVR, the Sport offers the same V-8 with 518 ponies on tap, a supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 in 340- and 380-hp strengths, and a 254-hp turbo-diesel 3.0-liter V-6. The base gas and diesel sixes are available in SE and HSE trims, while the 380-horse V-6 sees duty in HSE Dynamic models. The 518-hp V-8 is available in the widest variety of models: It’s on offer in the HSE, the HSE Dynamic, and the luxe Autobiography. And a recently announced plug-in hybrid—the P400e—is on the way for 2019.
What’s News
Range Rover boasts of the vehicle’s striking new design, but frankly it looks pretty much just like the previous Sport, and that’s no bad thing. While the sleek new Velar is handsome-on-handsome, the Sport retains a bit more of that square-shouldered stolidity that has traditionally endeared us to Land Rover products.
Inside, the big news is the fitment of Land Rover’s new Touch Pro Duo infotainment system consisting of two identical 10.0-inch touchscreens, as seen in the Velar. The top screen resembles an iPhone caught in a taffy puller, while the lower screen comprises the upper console. We’re not entirely sure we’re in love with the arrangement, although it’s certainly powered by a speedier processor than Jaguar Land Rover’s older systems. JLR’s Activity Key, a sort of Fitbit that does nothing but help you open and close your automobile, is available for outdoorsy types who’d rather not carry around their fancy key fobs while engaging in their active lifestyles.
The 2018 Sport offers up to 14 points at which to power accessories, including an AC power outlet. Land Rover also has made a step into the world of gesture-based controls with the Sport: Swipe your hand rearward in front of the rearview mirror and the sunshade will magically retract. Swipe forward, and it will close. Wave your hand back and forth willy-nilly, and we’re not quite sure what might happen. Best case scenario, you get a very slow strobe-light effect. Worst case? It’s British—make up your own jokes.
Watch Out! It’s the SVR
Massaged by the power-mad hands at JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations division, this year’s Range Rover Sport SVR features a 25-hp bump over its predecessor. It’s 575 ponies are accompanied by 516 lb-ft of torque, which Land Rover claims is good enough for a zero-to-60-mph charge in 4.3 seconds. (That would match our quickest test of the previous SVR; we’re betting this one will hit 60 even more quickly than Land Rover suggests.) Top speed? 176 mph, thank you very much. SVO claims its suspension modifications for 2018 reduce squat under heavy acceleration and dive under braking, as well as improve turn-in, grip, and body control.
For extra SVR-ness, the superheated Sport now comes with a carbon-fiber hood featuring integrated cooling vents. If you’d like to show that off, opt for the exterior carbon-fiber package, which leaves the center of the hood unpainted while adding natty weave details to the bumper, grille, fender vents, mirror covers, and liftgate. If the standard 21-inch wheels aren’t enough, 22s are available in two finishes. New Supersport seats save 66 pounds over the standard units and offer front and rear heat—all while increasing rear legroom. Headrests are emblazoned with the SVR logo, as are the illuminated sill plates. The price for all this? A cool $114,595, which is less than Porsche will demand for a Cayenne Turbo.
If you’re down for the Sport’s cause but don’t require the SVR’s neck-snapping wooliness, the V-6 SE starts at $67,745, while the diesel SE Td6 adds two grand to that. HSE models will run you $73,345 for the 340-horse V-6 and $75,345 for the diesel, while eight-cylinder power is within your reach at $83,045. HSE Dynamic models are gasoline only, with the 380-hp six coming in at $83,145 and the V-8 at $86,545. And, of course, for the sybarites, there’s really only one option: the $97,045, V-8–only Autobiography.
