Details of Cars

Range Rover Sport: Land Rover’s mid-size luxury SUV since 2005

Exotic Cars LAND ROVER

2018 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR
2018 Land Rover Range Rover Sport SVR. Photo by Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Range Rover Sport is a mid-size luxury SUV produced by the British manufacturer Land Rover, part of Jaguar Land Rover, at the Solihull plant. It was introduced in 2005 with the first-generation L320 model, succeeded by the second-generation L494 in 2013 and the third-generation L461 in 2022.

Range Rover Sport at a glance

Range Rover Sport key facts
Maker Land Rover (Jaguar Land Rover), Solihull
Concept Range Stormer, 2004 North American International Auto Show
First generation L320, 2005
Second generation L494, 2013
Third generation L461, 2022
First-generation chassis adapted from the Discovery 3, wheelbase 140 mm shorter
Seating five, no third row
Brakes Brembo front brakes on V8 Supercharged and TDV8
Stormer designer Richard Woolley
Stormer top speed 289 km/h (180 mph)

English Wikipedia is the only source used here, so the facts were not cross-checked against a second source; figures are the maker’s claims.

History of the Range Rover Sport

The Range Stormer

Range Rover Sport SVR at the IAA 2017
Range Rover Sport SVR at the IAA 2017. Photo by Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Range Rover Sport was prefigured by the Range Stormer concept, introduced at the 2004 North American International Auto Show: a low-slung, short-wheelbase three-door coupé with split-folding gullwing doors, one-piece skeletal seats, a clamshell bonnet and 22-inch alloys, designed by Richard Woolley, the marque’s first complete concept car, with a claimed 289 km/h top speed, four-wheel drive and a weight of 2,500 kg. The Sport itself was much more conservative, with five doors and a wheelbase barely shorter than the Range Rover Vogue. A Stormer replica was built by West Coast Customs for the Crown Prince of Dubai, and the original is displayed at the Heritage Motor Centre in Gaydon.

First generation (L320)

The chassis was adapted from the integrated bodyframe, semi-monocoque, independently suspended design that debuted on the Discovery 3 in 2004, giving monocoque refinement with the robustness of a separate chassis off road and cheaper manufacture thanks to common parts. It is smaller than the Discovery 3 in every dimension, with a wheelbase 140 mm shorter, and its raked roofline leaves no room for a third row. Brembo front brakes are standard on the V8 Supercharged and TDV8 and optional on others.

Design and features

  • Platform: shared with the Discovery 3 at first.
  • Seats: five only.
  • Concept: the Range Stormer.

Range Rover Sport versions

  • L320 (2005).
  • L494 (2013).
  • L461 (2022).
  • SVR: a high-performance version seen in photographs; not described in the source read.

More Land Rover cars are in our Land Rover collection and more supercars in Exotic Cars.

Sources

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