Range Rover Sport

Range Rover Sport
Overview
Manufacturer	Land Rover
Production	2005–present
Assembly	Solihull, England
Body and chassis
Class	Luxury sport utility vehicle
Body style	5-door estate
Layout	Front engine, four-wheel drive
Related	Land Rover Discovery
Powertrain
Engine	Jaguar AJ-V8 Supercharged AJ-V8 Turbo Diesel V6 Turbo Diesel V8
Transmission	6-speed automatic
Dimensions
Wheelbase	Template:Auto mm
Length	Template:Auto mm
Width	Template:Auto mm
Height	Template:Auto mm

The Range Rover Sport is a luxury sport utility vehicle (SUV) produced by Land Rover since 2005. The fifth model in the Land Rover lineup and the first completely new model since the inception of the Freelander in 1996, the Range Rover Sport represents a new design direction for the marque as foreshadowed by the Range Stormer concept unveiled in 2005. An evolution of the concept, the Sport is marketed as a sports tourer and is intended to be Land Rover's most driver focused vehicle as indicated by its subtle rear spoiler and taillights shaped for aerodynamic efficiency. Despite this, the Sport has off-road capability at its core, matching the rest of the Land Rover lineup.

Chassis

The chassis has been adapted from the integrated bodyframe, semi-monocoque, independently suspended design which debuted on the Discovery 3 in 2004. This gives the Range Rover Sport the refinement and structural rigidity advantages of a monocoque chassis with the robustness of a separate chassis design for off-road applications. It also allows for less expensive manufacturing of the vehicles due to a large number of common components. Although sitting on a modified version of the Discovery 3’s chassis, it is smaller than its more utilitarian sibling in every dimension with a wheelbase shorter by 140 mm (5.5 in). Its smaller dimensions and its raked roofline make it impossible to accommodate third-row occupants like the Discovery 3 but as a sports tourer it was never intended to be a seven-seater.

Engine

Powertrain

The range-topping Sport is powered by a supercharged 4.2 litre all-aluminium Jaguar AJ-V8 producing 390 hp (290 kW) and 550 N⋅m (410 lb⋅ft), making it the second most powerful vehicle in the company's history, second to the larger Range Rover Vogue Supercharged which produces 400 hp (300 kW). A naturally-aspirated 4.4 litre variant produces 300 hp (220 kW) and 425 N⋅m (313 lb⋅ft) and has been adapted by Land Rover with a slightly greater capacity and increased torque. Both petrol engines have been designed with a sump and oil pick-up system to allow for operation at extreme angles. Due to lack of popularity, the naturally-aspirated power plant was omitted from the UK market in 2007. The advanced 2.7 litre turbodiesel TDV6 is an adaptation of the PSA/Ford development and produces 190 hp (140 kW) and 440 N⋅m (320 lb⋅ft) in Land Rover guise. It features a compacted graphite iron block and aluminium cylinder head with fast switching piezo crystal injectors. Debuting in both the Sport and Vogue in 2007 was the 3.6 litre twin turbodiesel TDV8. This engine is a further adaptation of the TDV6 but features a 90 degree block (as opposed to a 60 degree layout), twin variable geometry turbochargers and inlet valve deactivation. Following a short appearance in the Jaguar S-Type, the TDV8 is now a Land Rover exclusive engine. All engine variants are mated to an adaptive six-speed ZF automatic transmission with CommandShift which reacts and adapts to varying driving styles. CommandShift gives the driver the freedom to sequentially manipulate gear changes. Brembo front brakes are standard on all models except the TDV6.

Suspension

The Sport shares suspension components with a Porsche 911. Cross-linked air suspension, as standard, gives the driver the option of three ride height settings including a standard ride height of 172 mm (6.8 in), an off-road height of 227 mm (8.9 in) and a lowered access mode. There is also an extra height available which is accessed by holding the respective button for when the off-road ride height is not enough. When the vehicle bellies out, its control system will sense weight being lessened on the air springs and the ride height is automatically raised to the suspensions greatest articulation. The cross-link aspect of the suspension system, which debuted on the L322 Range Rover in 2002, results in better off-road performance by electronically operating valves in pneumatic lines which link adjacent air springs. In the event of a wheel on one side being raised when travelling off-road, the pneumatic valves are opened and the adjacent wheel is forced down, simulating the action of a live axle setup.

Terrain Response

Land Rover’s patented Terrain Response system which debuted on the Discovery 3 is fitted as standard on all models. Terrain Response allows the driver to adjust chassis and transmission settings to suit the terrain being traversed. Five settings are available via a rotary knob on the centre console. These include general driving; grass, gravel, snow; mud and ruts; sand; and rock crawl. Suspension ride height, engine management, throttle mapping, transfer case ranges, transmission settings, electronic driving aids (such as electronic traction control (ETC), dynamic stability control (DSC) and hill descent control (HDC)) and electronic e-diffs are all manipulated through the Terrain Response system. All Range Rover Sports are equipped with a standard centre e-diff from Magna Steyr Powertrain which electronically locks and unlocks and apportions torque via means of a multi-plate clutch pack located in the transfer case which also offers ‘shift-on-the-move’ dual-range operation. A rear e-diff is optional on all Range Rover Sport models and is able to lock and unlock instantaneously. An in-dash display is available which, among other things, is linked to Terrain Response and displays important off-road information such as the status of the e-diffs, the angle of the steering and wheel articulation. It is also able to inform the driver of wheels which do not have contact with the ground.

Driving technologies

Dynamic Response incorporates active electro-hydraulic anti-sway bars which react to cornering forces and activate and deactivate accordingly resulting in sublime on-road handling. Dynamic Response also aids off-road performance by decoupling the anti-sway bars to allow maximum wheel articulation. The system in an evolution of the acclaimed ACE (Active Cornering Enhancement) system available on the Discovery Series II but is described as proactive rather than reactive. Positive Torque, a system standard on all TDV8 and Supercharged models, electronically blips the throttle, resulting in faster downshifts and the availability of vast reserves of torque. The speed sensitive steering system, adopted from Jaguar is standard on all models and there’s the option of active bi-xenon headlamps which act with the angle of the steering to aid vision. Active Cruise Control (ACC) with Forward Alert system incorporates an integrated front bumper radar which detects vehicles travelling ahead and adapts the vehicle’s speed to match. The system scans the road ten times a second, has a 16 degree field of view and Land Rover claims it is able to discriminate between a heavy vehicle and an adjacent lane motorcycle travelling at least 180 metres (590 ft) ahead. Four preset distances are selectable and will ensure the Sport maintains the desired distance from the vehicle it is following.

Concept

The Range Rover Sport made its first appearance in late 2004, in concept car guise as the Range Stormer. This was a low-slung, short wheelbase 3-door coupe that depicted a significant aberration in design brief for a Land Rover. The marque's first complete concept car sported split-folding gullwing doors, one-piece skeletal seats and 22 inch alloys. To the disappointment of many, the Range Rover Sport was comparably of much more conservative design featuring five doors and a wheelbase hardly shorter than that of the Range Rover Vogue.

Controversy

The Range Rover Sport made the Premier Automotive Group the target of a protest by Greenpeace in 2005. The protesters infiltrated an assembly facility and temporarily delayed production of the vehicle. Greenpeace quoted issue with contributions to greenhouse gas emissions, and by extension, global warming, that would result from the vehicle's inefficient combustion of hydrocarbons. The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates for the non-supercharged car are 14 mpg_‑US (17 L/100 km; 17 mpg_‑imp) (combined). Although, it must be noted that for this test the EPA used their newly calibrated system for 2008 and on. Greenpeace stated they did not take issue with the production of vehicles such as the Land Rover Defender as they are typically used for off-road applications on a much more frequent basis than vehicles such as the Range Rover Sport which they claim "has been tuned primarily for on road performance".

The Sport has also managed to attract resentment from within Land Rover's fanbase, particularly from existing Range Rover owners. Although derived from the Range Rover family with styling cues such as the floating roofline and the clamshell bonnet, they claim the Sport is a lesser vehicle than its larger, more up-market sibling and is not worthy of the Range Rover name.

Future models

The 2010 model year Range Rover Sport is expected to make its debut in September 2009 along with updated Vogue and Discovery 3 models. A mild facelift is expected to produce revised front and rear bumpers, lights and grille. Interior revisions are also expected to occur but more significantly, three new engines are expected to debut. These include naturally-aspirated and supercharged adaptations of Jaguar’s all-new direct-injected 5.0 litre AJ-V8 engine producing 283 kW (385 PS; 380 hp) and 373 kW (507 PS; 500 hp) respectively and a revised 3.0 litre TDV6 producing 205 kW (279 PS; 275 hp) and 600 N⋅m (440 lb⋅ft), adapted from Jaguar’s AJ-V6D Gen III. In the Range Rover Sport, this engine will feature parallel sequential turbochargers - a single variable geometry turbocharger and a single fixed geometry turbocharger which will only be activated when required as seen on the Jaguar XF Diesel S. All of the new engines are expected to produce increased power and torque than their predecessors whilst delivering better fuel economy and reducing CO2 emissions.

It is speculated that a second generation Range Rover Sport, codenamed Project L494, will arrive in 2014. It has been publicly announced by Land Rover executives that the marquee is investing in lightweight construction methods and materials and that its next generation of large vehicles will all be at least 500 kg (1,102 lb) lighter than the current models. This has led many to believe that these vehicles will be based around aluminium bodyshells featuring Jaguar’s revolutionary rivet bonding techniques apparent on the current all-aluminium XK. Also very likely to appear are hybrid (most probably diesel hybrid) powertrains in the form of Land Rover’s ERAD (Electric Rear Axle Drive) system which debuted on the LRX concept in 2008, and the adoption of Land Rover’s e_Terrain Technologies, such as a stop-start system and bio-fuel compatibility, as seen on the Land_e concept in 2006.

External links

• Official description from Land Rover
• Range Rover India Tata Motors blog