Third-generation Range Rover Sport ramps up dynamism, luxury and tech, priced from $140K
- Range Rover Sport design
- Range Rover Sport interior
- Range Rover Sport powertrains, tech
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The all-new third-generation 2022 Range Rover Sport (L461) has officially been unwrapped, and Land Rover claims its latest Porsche Cayenne-rivalling SUV is nothing short of the most dynamic and capable Range Rover ever built.
With well over a million sold over two generations, the first Range Rover Sport was first introduced back in 2005 and since then has been a global smash hit, with the more athletic take on the full-size luxury Land Rover remaining a best-seller model in many of its markets, including the US, despite the current version being on sale for more than nine years.
There’s plenty of pressure, then, to get the new one right when first deliveries begin in Australia in the final quarter of 2022, priced from $139,160 plus on-road costs – a considerable price increase of $19,144 on the current entry point to the Range Rover Sport line-up.
The headline news for the latest instalment of the Range Rover Sport is the availability of four powertrains including a trick 375kW plug-in hybrid with an all-electric driving range of up to 125km.
If that’s not enough, the RR Sport bags the Land Rover’s latest chassis and in-car tech lifted from the considerably more expensive Range Rover, which is due to start arriving in Australia from mid-year.
In 2024, a pure-electric version will also join the Range Rover ranks and is expected to blend a range of more than 500km with near-supercar levels of acceleration.
Fans of fast combustion SUVs have also been catered for. Not only will there be a really punchy 390kW 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 version joining the range after launch, but a Range Rover SV will also be unleashed in 2023.
Set to produce even more power from its BMW twin-turbo V8, the high-performance Sport SVR replacement could once again have a crack at the Nurburgring lap record.
Pricing has yet to be supplied for the First Edition P530 and variants powered by the 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder petrol Ingenium engines.
But from launch Land Rover Australia has revealed the 22MY Range Rover Sport will include SE, Dynamic SE, Dynamic HSE, Autobiography and First Edition model grades, with the flagship Dynamic HSE P510 PHEV starting at $198,097 plus on-road costs.
The most expensive Autobiography models all come with 22-way heated, cooled and massaging seats but, unlike the SUV it replaces, there will not be a seven-seat version, with large families in the hunt for a luxury SUV directed towards the more expensive full-size long-wheelbase Range Rover.
Created to battle it out with the BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLE, Porsche Cayenne and even more expensive SUVs like the Lamborghini Urus, the 2022 Range Rover Sport is underpinned by an all-new MLA Flex architecture that is key to unlocking its even broader breadth of abilities.
Range Rover Sport design
With the outgoing model’s popularity still showing little signs of waning, it’s perhaps understandable that designers haven’t tried anything radical with the third-generation 2022 Range Rover Sport.
A similar ploy was taken with the flagship Range Rover that was designed and engineered alongside the Sport, hence why the similar ‘reductive’ design cues are echoed with the Sport.
Look closer, though, and there are plenty of detail changes.
Despite being roughly the same size as the model it replaces, there are shorter front and rear overhangs, the panel gaps have been shrunk to just 6mm (hinting at greater precision, designers claim), while the flush detailing, floating roof and 20 per cent smaller headlights all broadcast a more modern, sophisticated design.
Reductionism has also played a role and there’s less fancy surfacing going on that can make some versions look slab-sided, while the seamless glazing effect along the Sport’s flanks is, sadly, interrupted by the plastic finisher on the leading edge of the rear window.
At the rear there’s a conventional one-piece tailgate and the largest rear spoiler ever fitted to a Land Rover.
Pop-out door handles and the hidden front and rear wipers all reduce the drag coefficient to an impressive 0.29Cd, although we doubt that was recorded on the biggest 23-inch alloy wheels fitted to vehicles shown to us. Slightly smaller 20-, 21- and 22-inch rims will also be offered.
Now riding on a 74mm longer wheelbase (now 2997mm), the Range Rover Sport measures in at 4956mm long (+67mm).
Inside, thanks to the stretched wheelbase there’s more legroom (+31mm) and knee-room (+17mm), while raising the rear bench (+11mm) is claimed to improve comfort and posture for those travelling in the second row.
Luggage space has also improved to 835 litres (+55 litres).
Range Rover Sport interior
Like its bigger brother, the cabin in the 2022 Range Rover Sport is dominated by a new 13.1-inch floating infotainment touch-screen that incorporates Land Rover’s latest Pivi Pro operating system that works with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone pairing, plus features like Baidu CarLife integration and in-built Alexa voice control.
Ahead of the driver there’s also a fully digital instrument cluster, while the choice of veneers and finishes, plus a lack of conventional buttons, provide for a clean and minimalist look.
A digital rear-view mirror is available, plus new non-leather alternatives that are 30 per cent lighter than leather while using just 25 per cent of the CO2 it takes to produce, according to Land Rover.
As well as being odour-free, the new advanced fabrics also keep you warm in winter and are better at dissipating heat in summer months, but will be priced in line with premium leather options.
Mirroring the Range Rover flagship, the Sport should be among the most refined SUVs money can buy thanks to the same application of JLR’s active noise cancellation tech that uses microphones to monitor sound within the cabin and then cancel it out using speakers in the head restraints.
There’s also the option of an incredible 29-speaker 1430W sound system when you finally become bored of all that peace and quiet.
A new air purification system developed by Panasonic has also been included that is claimed to deliver PM2.5 filtration which helps to “significantly reduce odours, bacteria and allergens including SARS CoV-2 virus”.
Range Rover Sport powertrains, tech
The 2022 Range Rover Sport comes with JLR’s latest mild-hybrid Ingenium 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, along with a BMW-sourced V8 and a new extended-range plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Whichever powertrain you go for, it will be paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The fastest version, until the Range Rover Sport SV arrives, is the P530 that will be available in limited numbers to Australian buyers for only the first 12 months the Sport is on sale and only with First Edition trim.
Producing 390kW and 750Nm of torque, against the clock the V8-powered Range Rover can haul itself from 0-100km/h in just 4.5 seconds with its new Dynamic Launch control activated.
Performance figures for the Ingenium-six petrol and diesels will be revealed later, but Land Rover has detailed its new plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Combining a 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder petrol, a 105kW electric motor and a large (for a PHEV) 38.2kWh battery, total system power is an impressive 375kW.
Off the line the PHEV, dubbed the Range Rover Sport P510e Electric Hybrid, can reach 100km/h from rest in just 5.4 seconds. But more impressive is it can cover up to 125km on all-electric power alone.
Engineers suggest that figure will enable most owners around the world to complete up to 75 per cent of their journeys on zero-emissions battery power alone.
Topping up the battery also takes just 60 minutes for a 0-80 per cent recharge using a 50kW fast-charger – figures that put the Sport P510e among the best in class for plug-in hybrids.
Land Rover’s MLA Flex platform is made up of more than 80 per cent aluminium and 20 per cent steel for improved rigidity, and with the Sport application engineers say they’ve increased body rigidity by up to 35 per cent over the outgoing model.
The new Range Rover Sport structure is now so stiff, Land Rover claims, it now matches many sports cars for rigidity which bodes well for on- and off-road dynamics.
Speaking of the latter, thanks to its air suspension and latest Terrain Response 2 system, the Range Rover Sport goes even further when the going gets rough.
The big SUV can raise its body by up to 135mm in the most extreme circumstances, providing a maximum ground clearance of up to 281mm (PHEV 274mm).
That means the Sport can still wade in water at depths of up to 900mm.
Land Rover has even added an adaptive off-road cruise control that analyses body tilt, roll, pitch and yaw rates and then automatically determines the correct speed to navigate the difficult terrain beneath.
In terms of off-road capability, the new Range Rover has a maximum approach angle of 33 degrees, a departure angle of 30 degrees and a ramp-over angle of 26.9 degrees.
As per the previous model, the Range Rover Sport can tow up to 3500kg (PHEV 3000kg) and has both Hitch Assist and Trailer Stability aids, once the electronically deployable tow bar is locked into place.
Those figures match the more rugged Toyota LandCruiser.
Back on road, the Sport is truly in its element thanks to the car-maker’s latest Integrated Chassis Control system that can handle up to 500 complex calculations a second, reading the road (using the sat-nav data) for up to 3km ahead, pre-arming both the dual-chamber air suspension, dampers and all-wheel drive for what’s to come.
Unlike the bigger Range Rover, all-wheel steering is only standard on the P530 V8 and the plug-in P510e.
For all other models you’ll need to option the Stormer Handling Pack that not only adds rear-steer but also active anti-roll bars, an electronic active differential and torque vectoring – all of which aim to boost agility that, Land Rover hopes, will see the Range Rover Sport beat all its rivals for handling.
Comfort has also not been overlooked thanks to its dual-chamber air springs that can soften off the spring rate when you’re not in the mood to break Nurburgring SUV lap records.
Stay tuned for our first drive of the all-new Range Rover Sport later in 2022.
How much does the 2022 Range Rover Sport cost?SE D250 – $139,160SE P360 – TBADynamic SE D300 – $151,026Dynamic SE P400 – TBAHSE D350 – $168,638Dynamic HSE Dynamic P400 – TBADynamic HSE P510e PHEV– $198,097Autobiography D350 – $191,141First Edition D350 – $196,359First Edition P530 – TBA
* Prices exclude on-road costs
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Keyword: New Range Rover Sport makes world debut