New Gen Range Rover Sport – Improvement on Performance and Sophistication, but Lacks the Sporty Character
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p>Range Rovers are quite well known nowadays for their luxury ride experience, and the rigid off-road capability, that could handle almost any terrain. The levels of refinement and luxury inside the all-new Range Rover Sport are phenomenal. Land Rover has made a great improvement over the previous generation Range Rover Sport, which had more grunt and sportiness. The new one, however, has more to offer in terms of refinement and luxury along with improved handling and performance. One thing to consider is whether it justifies the “Sport” badge at the end of its name. The answer to this is, not well enough. There is nothing to complain about the great improvement in handling, but being a big SUV has some limitations concerning its weight.
We must not forget that the new-gen Range Rover Sport is a highly capable SUV that is derived from Land Rover’s flagship Range Rover SUV. Although, it’s more of a mid-sized SUV than the full-sized Range Rover, which makes it more of a performance SUV that accommodates the luxury factor as well. Talking about its performance characteristics, as we’ve earlier mentioned about the powertrain options, the Range Rover Sport comes with two engine options that are further incorporated with mild-hybrid and plugin-hybrid technology.
2024 Range Rover Sport – 3.0 Litre Diesel Powertrains
Compared to the petrol powertrains, the diesel engine feels more punchy in performance due to an additional 700 Newton-meters of torque that provides great power output in the initial and mid-range.
However, the performance magic subtly fades in the top rev range. Also, the 8-speed torque converter is not as quick in gearshifts as you’d get to see on its close rivals such as the Porsche Cayenne and the BMW X5. Overall, the performance from this 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine feels great to drive and doesn’t feel like you’re driving a diesel engine. It performs great with a decent amount of comfort and refinement from the diesel motor along with the standard air suspension setup that further enhances the ride experience while beautifully maintaining the high-speed stability of the vehicle. The best part about this diesel engine is its efficiency combined with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, that comes into play wherever you need that additional power to overtake or push this SUV to its maximum rev range. This mild-hybrid system performs quite better mated to the 3.0-litre diesel engine rather than its 3.0-litre petrol variant when we’re looking for mileage and efficiency.
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h4>2024 Range Rover Sport – 3.0 Litre Petrol Powertrains
The petrol powertrains are quite linear in power delivery as compared to the diesel ones. However, the ride quality is slightly better with a rich six-cylinder exhaust note. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t make a big difference between different powertrains except for a small shift of character. This 3.0-litre petrol engine has more power than the diesel unit but limits the torque band to 660 Newton-Meters only. There’s also a plugin-hybrid variant available with this petrol engine which is capable of reaching motorway speeds on electric power alone. Driving the 3.0-litre petrol feels better in the commute with the same but much more responsive 8-speed automatic torque converter.
Quick and Responsive Handling Dynamics
There’s a massive amount of improvement in terms of handling the big-size Range Rover Sport, all thanks to the rear-wheel steering addition.
This rear-wheel steering, however, comes at an additional price for which you will have to opt for the “Stormer Handling Package” when deciding to buy your personalized Range Rover Sport SUV. Including the Stormer Handling Package is a must if you really wish to drive out the true characteristics of the new generation Sport. The Range Rover Sport feels its big-sized road presence due to the higher seating posture where you’ll experience a commanding view of the outside world. Along with that, the bigger rear-view door mirrors and the large rear window provide a clear view of what is going on behind you. No matter what powertrain you’re driving, the 2024 Range Rover Sport provides you good confidence and pleasure to drive around town or on the highways without much stress to your joints. The 8-speed transmission does its job adequately well as the gearbox changes ratios smoothly, and you can even switch to manual gearshifts with the help of paddle shifters at your convenience.
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p>Moreover, the dynamic air suspension plays an important role in the improved handling and stability of the 2024 Range Rover Sport. As with most Land Rover cars, this air suspension is adjustable in decreasing or increasing the height of the vehicle if you’re in a situation where you need to cross a river and the ground clearance isn’t adequate enough. This dynamic air suspension further aids the new generation Range Rover Sport to manage and adjust the pothole or speed bump detections on the road in coordination with the advance driver assistance systems. But the tuning of this dynamic air is quite stiff as compared to its better-tuned rivals like the Mercedes-AMG GLE53. Also in corners, it doesn’t feel confident enough as you’d get to experience from a Porsche Cayenne being a performance SUV. But, if you take the Range Rover Sport for an off-road adventure, the standard all-wheel-drive terrain response system works seamlessly great as you’d expect from a Land Rover vehicle.
Driving the Range Rover Sport in tight spaces is not a big problem at all despite its big dimensions, you’ll get a crisp and clear 360 surround camera view of all the unseen spaces with the help of multiple high-definition cameras and parking sensors present outside the cabin. It further aids with a warning signal if anything comes near the vehicle at low speeds while maneuvering the city traffic. Considering the Stormer Handling Package, another advantage you can expect from the new Range Rover Sport is the rear-wheel-steering system which significantly reduces the turning radius of the Sport.
2024 Range Rover Sport – Safety and Braking Performance
Safety is a priority for manufacturers like Land Rover, the new generation Range Rover Sport has scored a five-star rating at the Euro NCAP with 9 airbags. The score assessment comprises of 85% rating for both adult and child occupant protection, 69% rating for pedestrian protection, and 82% for driver assistance systems.
Talking about ADAS (Advance Driver Assistance Systems), the new Range Rover Sport comes equipped with some basic ADAS features as standard including Automated Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Assist, Lane Keep Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, and a Rear Collision Monitor.
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p>Rest of all, braking performance is decent with minimal drag to bring the car to a stop with disc brakes at work on each wheel.