Just because Range Rover is busy these days making the Evoque, it doesn’t mean they forgot about the good old Sport! The car is thoroughly upgraded for 2012.
On sale from October starting from £48,795 in UK, the 2012 Range Rover Sport gets an upgraded diesel engine, new ZF 8-speed automatic transmission, and a new voice command system, amongst other improvements and upgrades to its rich list of features.
The new 3.0 liter TDV6 engine now generates 256hp instead of 245 hp whilst CO2 emissions have been reduced from 243g/km to 230g/km. The combined fuel economy has improved from 30.7mpg to 32.1mpg.In conjunction with the new 8-speed gearbox, the Range Rover Sport SDV6 comes equipped with the ‘Drive Select’ rotary gear shift and steering wheel-mounted paddle shift. it also gets DPF filter and is EU5 compatible.
For those not interested in diesel, there is the still the option of choosing a 510 hp supercharged V8 from Jaguar XFR.
Interms of design and styling, changes to exterior detailing and new interior colour ways for the Autobiography Sport are among the refinements, and so is the next generation 7-inch touch-screen with Dual View technology.The car features tailgate graphics for a distinctive new look and a Gloss Black treatment to the headlight inners and grille surround. New 20-inch wheels finished in Sparkle Silver with high-gloss lacquer are also a nice touch.
The Sport can be specified with Hi-ICE and Premium audio systems, offering a staggering 825W of power through 17 speakers on the Premium Harmon Kardon LOGIC 7. The new ‘Say What You See’ voice command helps the driver learn commands with useful step-by-step screen prompts and allows the use of spoken short codes too.
For greater convenience, the 2012 model also features a power tailgate. Operated by the button located on the fascia, the key fob or tailgate, the lift height can now be set by simply holding the tailgate at the desired height and pressing the tailgate button for 10 seconds.
A Luxury Pack is also available on the 3.0 SDV6 HSE bringing equipment levels close to that of Supercharged models. The pack includes contrast stitching on selected upholstery, 20-inch alloy wheels, Premium ICE, extended leather pack, HSE Luxury badge, heated steering wheel and adaptive cruise control. The Luxury Pack costs £3,065.
| 5.0 LR-V8 SC | 3.0 LR-SDV6 256hp | |
| Height mm (in) | 1784 (70.2) | 1784 (70.2) |
| Width mm (in) | 2158 (85.0) | 2158 (85.0) |
| Length mm (in) | 4972 (195.7) | 4972 (195.7) |
| Wheelbase mm (in) | 2745 (108) | 2745 (108) |
| Turning Circle m (ft) | 11.9 (39.04) | 11.9 (39.04) |
| Drag coefficient Cd | 0.38 | 0.37 |
| EU Kerb Weight kg (lb) | 2590-2679
(5710-5906) |
2535-2670
(5589-5886) |
| Front suspension | Air sprung Independent double wishbone | Air sprung Independent double
wishbone |
| Rear suspension | Air sprung Independent double wishbone | Air sprung Independent double wishbone |
| Brakes Front | 6 piston sliding calliper, 380mm ventilated disc | 4 piston sliding calliper, 360mm ventilated disc |
| Steering | Speed proportional rack & pinion | Speed proportional rack & pinion |
| Four Wheel-Drive system | Full time 4 wheel drive with std locking centre differential & Terrain ResponseTM | Full time 4
wheel drive with std locking centre differential & Terrain ResponseTM |
| Engine type | Longitudinal V8, 32 valve, four OHC, supercharged | Longitudinal V6, 24 valve, four OHC, direct injection diesel, parallel sequential turbochargers |
| Displacement cc (cu in) | 4999 (305.1) | 2993 (182.6) |
| Bore/stroke mm (in) | 92.5×93 (3.64×3.66) | 84×90
(3.30×3.54) |
| Compression ratio | 9.5:1 | 16.1:1 |
| Max power hp (kW) | 510 (375)@6000-6500rpm | 256 (188)@4000rpm |
| Max Torque Nm (lbft) | 625 (461)@2500-5500rpm | 600 (443)@2000rpm |
| Fuel consumption EU urban/extra urban/combined (mpg-L/100km) | 13.0/26.3/19.0 – 21.8/10.7/14.9 | 28.8/34.9/32.1 – 9.8/8.1/8.8 |
| Emissions | EU5 | EU5 |
| CO2 g/km | 348 | 230 |
| Transmission | ZF 6HP28
6-speed auto |
ZF 8HP70
8-speed auto |
| Fuel tank capacity litres/imp gals/US gals | 88.1/19.4/23.3 | 84.1/18.5/22.2 |
| Range (EU), miles (km) | 367(590) | 603 (914)* |
| 0-60mph (sec) | 5.9 | 8.5 |
| 0-100kph (sec) | 6.2 | 8.9 |
| Top speed mph (km/h) | 140 (225) | 124 (200) |
*manufacturer’s estimate
