What's all this about?
It's midlife facelift time for one of Land Rover's best-selling models, the Range Rover Sport MkII. Having been around since 2013, around 50,000 have been shifted in the UK alone and that's an impressive number for something that's expensive in all its multifarious guises. But, while much of what has changed is minimal stuff, there are two big stories here: one is the upgrade to the range-topped, demented SVR performance version; and the other is the introduction of Land Rover's first-ever plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), the Range Rover Sport P400e.
Outline the overall, minimal changes you reference above.
Outside, the main visual updates are at the front, where Matrix Pixel LED headlights sit either side of a redesigned grille. These alterations mean the lower bumper has been re-profiled and is now 'more aggressive'. Inside, as well as 12 power charging points - including two domestic plug three-pin sockets, no less - the Touch Pro Duo 'Blade' infotainment system as debuted in the all-new Velar is included, featuring two 10-inch touchscreens on the centre stack. Further toys include the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Activity Key, allowing owners to lock and unlock the vehicle without carrying a key fob, as well as Advanced Tow Assist, Terrain Response 2 and a Gesture Sunblind for the panoramic roof.
Very nice. And how about motive power?
The familiar four-cylinder, V6 and V8 petrols and diesels are present and correct. Both forms of fuel have a 2.0-litre Ingenium four-pot entry point, with either 240hp/500Nm (SD4) or 300hp/400Nm (Si4). Then there's an SDV6 (306hp/700Nm) and a supercharged V6 petrol engine (340hp/450Nm), both 3.0 litres in capacity, while the torque-hungry will want either the 4.4-litre SDV8 (339hp/740Nm) or the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol option (525hp/625Nm). Which leaves the SVR.
What's happened to that monster?
The uprated version of the 5.0-litre supercharged V8, as already seen in the F-Type SVR and XJR575, is drafted in to the RR Sport SVR. That means power and torque hiked to 575hp and 700Nm respectively, trimming two tenths of a second off the SUV's 0-62mph time to leave the 2018MY SVR capable of a 4.5-second sprint. It'll also do 174mph flat-out, while Land Rover says there is more carbon fibre in the construction of the new SVR to aid lightness and agility. Oh, and it will relieve you of £99,680, if you want to buy one.
So where does the PHEV 'plug' into all of this?
Very clever of you. It's not the cheapest model, as £61,315 parks your backside in the hide seats of an SD4 HSE, while the P400e is anything between £70,800 and £84,400. For that, you get the 2.0-litre Ingenium petrol motor, supplemented by an 85kW (114hp) electric motor powered by a 13.1kWh lithium-ion battery mounted underneath the boot floor. Peak outputs, which are channelled through permanent four-wheel drive, are 404hp and 640Nm, resulting in a 6.7-second 0-62mph sprint, a top speed of 137mph, a fully electric range of 31 miles, quoted fuel economy of 101mpg and just 64g/km of CO2 emissions. Using a hidden port behind the Land Rover badge to the right of the radiator grille, a 7kW on-board charger can re-juice the battery in as little as 2.75 hours.
Anything else to add?
Order books are open now for the 2018MY Range Rover Sport and first cars should be delivered at the start of, well, 2018.
Matt Robinson - 4 Oct 2017
