NEW 2014 RANGE ROVER SPORT UNVEILED!

It’s out! The brand new Range Rover Sport has been revealed. This is the second-generation car aimed at the likes of Audi Q7, BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz ML-Class and Volvo XC 90. For the Mzansi crowd it means more BEE and moneyed musician types will be seen driving it. We think it will be here around September or October, so get your bling cheque book out.

In terms of what is on the engine equipment list at launch, we can see the 3.0-litre SDV6 turbo diesel with 215kW and the 375kW 5.0-litre V8 supercharged for the performance model. In 2014 there will be added engines, including a super 4.4 diesel worth 249kW, a milder 190kW V6 diesel, petrol as well as a hybrid. The gearbox is an 8-speed automatic system. Land Rover says 0 – 100km/h acceleration times start at 5.2 seconds across the range (pun intended), meaning the V8 will dip below this. We’ll ascertain these claims when we drive it.

The new Range Rover Sport is at least 420kg lighter than the current model, depending on which one. It is 62mm longer, and has a wheelbase that’s 178mm longer that the predecessor. While it is based on the bigger Range Rover, which itself is now about 100kg lighter than its own predecessor, the Range Sport is 45kg off the Range and shares up to 25% of its parts. And as you can see from the pics, it also has the option of a 5+2 seating configuration, much like the Discovery 4.

As far as other features go, there are things like WiFi connectivity which will benefit passengers’ devices like tablets and smart phones, Lane Departure Assist technology, Head-up Display as an option, and the new Wade Sensing feature that provides “depth” information when driving through water. Very nifty this because often we take these creatures into waters that have not been measured for depth, only to find that even this one’s 850mm wading depth is not enough.