Range Rover Sport upgraded

The wraps have come off the 2021 Range Rover Sport and while it may look the same on the surface, it will be available with a brand-new twin-turbo six-cylinder diesel engine.

Along with the big-daddy Range Rover flagship SUV, the upgraded 21MY Range Rover Sport will debut Jaguar Land Rover’s newly-developed Ingenium 3.0-litre turbo-diesel engine.

Coming to Australia in December, the MY21 Rangie Sport will ditch its current 4.4-litre turbo-diesel V8 for the newer, smaller, cleaner, more efficient yet more powerful six-cylinder engine.

The new 3.0-litre diesel features 48-volt mild-hybrid tech, bringing “for more immediate power delivery and superior efficiency,” according to Range Rover.

Offered in three power levels, the new engine generates the following outputs:

As well as improved power levels compared with the outgoing V8 diesel, the new engines emit 13 per cent less CO2 while NOx levels are down by more than 50 per cent.

The Range Rover Sport engine range will also include several petrol engines including a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo (P300) worth 221kW/400Nm and its plug-in hybrid sibling (P400e), which bangs out 297kW/640Nm and has super-low fuel consumption of just 3.3L/100km.

There’s also a pair of beefy 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engines generating 386kW/625Nm (P525) and a mammoth 423kW/700Nm (P575).

There are no significant changes to the exterior or interior of the 2021 Range Rover, although a new cabin air ionisation system has been added.

There is also a new Range Rover Sport SVR Carbon Edition which features a racy exterior comprising an exposed carbon-fibre bonnet with cooling vents, along with a handful of other carbon accents.

There’s a carbon engine cover, steering wheel trim and gloss-black split-spoke 22-inch lightweight alloy wheels.

It’s powered by the P575 powertrain, a 5.0-litre supercharged petrol V8 that belts out 423kW and propels the almost 2.4-tonne behemoth to 100km/h in 4.5 seconds. Top speed is 283km/h.

Although Range Rover Sport sales are down 30 per cent for the first six months in a COVID-affected year, it’s still the third most popular large luxury SUV in Australia with 12.5 per cent market share (805 sales).

The top spot is held by the Mercedes-Benz GLE with an 18.4 per cent market share (1188 sales) and second place is owned by the BMW X5 with a 16.4 per cent share of the segment (1060 sales).

Stay tuned for details on Australian model grades, pricing and specifications for the 21MY Range Rover Sport, which is coming Down Under in time for Christmas.

Range Rover ditches V8 diesel