Range Rover Sport Supercharged - Sport Light

The second-generation Range Rover Sport nears its final form. We drive a prototype in the UK.

The Range Rover Sport has always been the sports car of the Land Rover range, and this new one gives new meaning to the tag. Unlike the old RR Sport, which was based on the Discovery’s old-school twin-steel rail chassis, the new Sport shares a lot of the recently launched Range Rover’s aluminum monologue chassis and suspension parts? The Sport’s exterior dimensions are shorter and narrower than its bigger sibling, and it sits closer to the ground too. All of this adds up to weight savings of 45kg compared to the big Rangie, and up to 420kg over the previous model.

Range Rover Sport front

Other notable changes that improve its dynamic abilities include active dampers that take readings more than 500 times a second, a redesigned air suspension with a bigger motor for the active antiroll bars, torque vectoring and a new Dynamic driving mode, active locking differentials, and the quickest steering rack ever specified on a Range Rover.

Range Rover Sport side

As expected, the interiors mimic those of the new Range Rover and the quality of cabin materials used is much higher. It draws much from the old RR Sport in that it has driver oriented controls and a prominent, high-set center console. In line with its dynamic nature, you even sit a bit lower in the Sport than the full-size Rangie, on seats that have serious bolstering. There’s added flexibility as well, thanks to the option of two power-assisted kids’ seats that act as the third row and can fold to form a flat boot floor.

High quality cabin, controls now simplified

When it is launched, there will be two engine options on offer – a 288bhp V6 diesel and a 503bhp supercharged V8 petrol. Naturally, I made a beeline for the latter on our short test drive at Land Rover’s test track at Gaydon, UK.

Move off the line and boy is there grunt! The way it accelerates belies its still-hefty 2.3-tone kerb weight, and nudging 240kph on one of the long straights on the Gaydon test track was easy. The ZF eight-speed auto is pretty responsive with its smooth and quick shifts to give a long and relentless surge of power. Range Rover pegs a 0-100kph time of 5.0sec, which points at how much wallop it packs.

Range Rover Sport back

What’s also impressive is how the chassis never feels completely overwhelmed, and there’s a certain confidence that it inspires when driven hard. What’s really shocking, though, is how aggressive the steering is – it’s very quick off center, but once you’re used to this and realize the Sport has the body control to handle the aggression, it’s quite entertaining.

We didn’t get a chance to take it off road, but Land Rover engineers insist it’s got as much ability in the rough stuff as it does setting lap times at the Nürburgring (where, incidentally, it clocked an impressive 8m 36sec).

Sport offers two powered kids’ seats as third row

When the Range Rover Sport is launched here later this year, it won’t be cheap. Expect prices to start at around $102,800.