What's all this about?
It's a midlife update for the second-generation Range Rover Sport, and in amongst the new semi-autonomous driving technology now offered, a load of fresh paint colours courtesy of Jaguar Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations department, a bigger 10-inch touchscreen for the InControl Touch Pro on-board infotainment and Low Traction Launch for better off-roading skills, the big news comes under the bonnet of the 2017MY Sport. Because we now have a four-cylinder model.
A four-cylinder Range Rover Sport?!
Indeed so. As you have probably predicted, it's one of JLR's Ingenium 2.0-litre units, which have already seen service in countless Jags and also the Land Rover Discovery Sport/Range Rover Evoque families. However, this time around it's a sequential twin-turbo motor and that means it develops 240hp and a healthy 500Nm. Those numbers are enough to get the Sport SD4 from 0-62mph in eight seconds flat and on to a top speed of 128mph, while returning 45.6mpg and emitting 164g/km CO2. It's not the only new engine, though, as there's also now a supercharged V6 petrol option.
This sounds more like it - can you expand on this, please?
Using the 3.0-litre supercharged V6 in the guise as seen in the entry-level Jaguar F-Type and range-topping XE S sports saloon, this bestows 340hp and 450Nm on the big Rangie. It's the second slowest Sport of the lot, though, the 0-62mph time of 7.1 seconds three-tenths behind that of the existing 306hp/700Nm SDV6 entry-point. The petrol V6 can only achieve 26.9mpg and emits 243g/km, which are numbers that are nothing to write home about, but as your only alternative in the petrol Sport line-up is the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 (either with 510- or 550hp, neither of which can better 22.1mpg) then the 3.0 V6 might just be the one to go for if you're vehemently anti-diesel and you're on a budget.
Where do the SD4 and S/C V6 fit into the 2017MY Sport range in terms of price?
The SD4 is available in HSE specification only and is the cheapest Sport of all, starting from £59,700 - an SDV6 in the same trim costs from £63,100, with the top diesel being the Autobiography Dynamic versions of the SDV6 Hybrid and the SDV8, both retailing at £86,800. Like the four-pot diesel, the supercharged V6 comes in one spec only, which is HSE Dynamic, and it starts at £64,400, usefully undercutting the next Sport up the tree (the Autobiography Dynamic 510hp supercharged V8, which, like the top two diesels, is also £86,800) by a huge £22,400. That's plenty of money for options, eh?
It sure is. Any last details to note?
If an SD4 owner feels a little self-conscious and decides to de-badge their Sport, you can still tell it's the four-cylinder version due to one solitary detail: the Ingenium-powered Range Rover has a single twin-exit exhaust set-up, while all other Sports get two exhausts spaced on either side of the rear bumper.
Matt Robinson - 17 Aug 2016