New Range lighter, faster, more fuel efficient

Sheldon Williams, Gleaner Writer

Long before it arrived in Jamaica last Wednesday to much fanfare, the 2014 Range Rover Sport had been garnering a lot of attention worldwide. It was no different when it was unveiled at ATL Automotive Ltd, Oxford Road, New Kingston, only a few hours after a private viewing to Automotives.

Put on show beside its predecessor, the HSE S0V6 Sport, the design change was obvious. The chrome sport side fender vent grilles have been made much bigger and bonnet breathing vents have been introduced. The mesh front bumper grille also looks more pronounced and is bordered by signature Xenon LED headlamps. The new SUV now sports Pirelli tyres, moving away from Bridgestone. The headlamps and brake lamps have also been redesigned and there is now a power tailgate. The dual exhaust has a new look and the spare tyre is no longer affixed under the vehicle but is kept inside the boot.

Suzzette Campbell, marketing and communications manager of ATL Group Marketing, told Automotives that "this second generation Range Rover Sport has been creating quite a stir. It has earned the distinction of being the fastest production SUV ever, having broken the record at Pikes Peak International Hill climb in Colorado - a 12.6 mile course, 14,115 feet, 156 corners - in just 12 minutes and 43 seconds".

She added, "in a unique duel of British legends of land and sky, the mighty Spitfire aircraft lost a race to the Sport at the Goodwood Aerodrome. The Sport has its sights set on conquering challenges, namely the Dead Sea, the Himalayas and the Pole of Cloud".

Acting Jaguar Land Rover Brand Manager, Sloane Jackson, revealed that it is the first lightweight all-aluminium body that has been built as an SUV. "It's a bigger, wider vehicle, providing a lot more space, than the older model that's sitting next to us. And at the same time it's significantly lighter. It's in excess of 300 kg lighter than the previous car," said. "Added to that, it has this new eight-speed ZF gearbox transmission, as well as the three litre engine that boasts more power. It has 292 horsepower, up from 258 in the 2013 model, and its one of the first to come with this new gearshift".

The weight reduction and a more powerful engine allow the new Range Rover to accelerate even faster than its predecessor. "You used to go zero to 60 in 8.8 seconds. It used to return about 33 miles per gallon. This car using a much more powerful engine is turning around 37 .7 miles per gallon and going zero to 60 in 7.1 seconds. That's very quick for a diesel SUV. To put it into perspective, our Golf GTI that is one of our sports cars is 0 to 60 in 6.9, so that gives you a give perspective of really how quick it is," Jackson said.

The patented terrain response system, which allows the driver to adjust chassis and transmission settings to meet specific driving conditions, has been designed for easier usage. Jackson explained "It's a turn knob design, so you go from no programme to grass novel snow to mud ruts to sand and this is for sand launch. With this it will actually limit the slip and actually just launch it off the sand. The same can be said for mud ruts, which raise the suspension, put it in the four-wheel low, lock up the differentials and give you significantly more capability off-road than you can ever imagine".

Another new feature is Ecodata, which tells the driver how much fuel is actually being used and provides fuel-consumption tips. It also tells the impact of fuel on driving style and provides a history and overview of the fuel the driver used in past excursions. Another option is stealth mode, which makes everything brighter on the inside. The vehicle can also provide other data to tell the driver the positions of the wheels, the vehicle's direction (with the use of a compass) and altitude.

The height of the 2014 Range Rover Sport can also be adjusted and it has a maximum laden height of almost 900 millimetres (three feet), which will prove useful when driving through water.

Other notable standard features include the SE trim, which includes 19-inch alloy wheels (the one Automotives viewed wore 21-inchers), power-folding heated mirrors, a self-leveling air suspension, front and rear parking sensors, keyless ignition/entry, 14-way adjustable power front seats, front seat memory settings, a power tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, leather upholstery, and dual-zone climate control.

Also standard are a voice-controlled navigation system, an eight-inch touchscreen display, a rearview camera, Bluetooth and an eight-speaker sound system with a 10-CD changer, auxiliary audio jack and USB/iPod integration.

The 2014 Range Rover Sport is available for $18.8 million.

Photos by Sheldon Williams