Upcoming Range Rover Sport Rendered
With the introduction of the new Range Rover already underway, next on the agenda is the smaller Range Rover Sport.
The Range Rover Sport was launched in 2005 and got a facelift in 2010. Next year, Land Rover will finally bring a vastly improved version, which is not only lighter, but better looking too. Codenamed L494, the second generation Range Rover Sport will adopt the new Range Rover’s D4u platform, which is made of aluminum, resulting in an overall weight loss to the tune of nearly 900 lbs.
Interior room will be increased thanks to a longer wheelbase, and a 7-seat version is also rumored. Both the exterior and interior will be influenced from the Range Rover Evoque. The company will offer the same range of diesel and gasoline engines, mated to an 8-speed ZF automatic gearbox. Prices are expected to go northwards with sales starting in the latter half of 2013.
Faisal Ali Khan is the editor of MotorBeam.com, a website covering the automobile industry of India.
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"the second generation Range Rover Sport will adopt the new Range Rover’s D4u platform, which is made of aluminum, resulting in an overall weight loss to the tune of nearly 900 lbs." Vehicle weight still over 4750 lbs, so now just obese, rather than morbidly so. Well, the UK motorway police will enjoy them, anyway. I wonder if their models delete the wood trim, leather seats and deep rugs and substitute tin, vinyl and rubber. Nah. The bare aluminum body shell of the actual Range Rover weighs just 397 lbs, according to an SAE article, which is amazingly light, only 26 lbs more than the MINI Countryman. The question is, where does the extra 4400 lbs come from? The mind boggles, as the Countryman is a bit of a waddler itself at about 3400 lbs. Must be the 4WD transfer case, airbags and LED lights plus almost six miles of wire. Anyone? http://www.sae.org/mags/aei/vehic/11341
Well this is Land-Rover's design philosophy nowadays innit? Make stuff tailored for rich but unsophicated urban types... as opposed to making stuff for rural types like they used to. It seems to be working though as JLR is making money like nobodies business. I assume that part of the secret of L-Rs new found money making success is making products with less in the way of expensive chassis and heavy duty axles in favour of cheaper independant suspension. I don't like them personally but I imagine Land-Rover can live with the disappointment as I don't have that sort of disposable income. I think the styling says it all and contains far too much bling. Like I say, unsophicated customers: The rise of nouveau riche in the developing world means that we are seeing our streets cluttered with designs that appeal to their tastes.