The keen eyes at Motor Authority have spied an updated Range Rover Sport. And we couldn’t be happier about it. While the current Range Rover Sport – with its optional Supercharged Jaguar 5-liter V8 pumping out 510 horsepower – is a blast both on and off road, we’re eager to see a (perhaps) even more nimble version that could be known as the R-S.
Land Rover made a name for itself with aluminum body panels reaching back to its first model. Following that lineage, the 2014 big daddy Range Rover is constructed with heaps of aluminum from the frame up through the body, saving 600 pounds compared to the outgoing model. We can only presume that the Range Rover Sport will be built in a similar fashion.
Not only will the new Range Rover Sport be lighter with an updated look, it is also reported to be quicker and more nimble. In a recent interview with Car Advice, Land Rover’s chief of chassis systems was quoted as saying of an even higher performing Range Rover Sport, “It’s one of the areas which the business can expand. You’ve seen this with Jaguar and its XKR-S edition. They’ve done very well with the R-S model…so there’s the ability to do those sorts of things with Land Rover product.”
There’s good reason for a better performing version of the Range Rover Sport. After all, Porsche has been quite successful with the updated an Porsche Cayenne. The Range Rover Sport is the brand’s most successful model in the US, and it stands to reason an even sportier version would sell even better.
For those of you wondering what point there is to a hardcore off-roader that is capable of GT speeds and handling, let us pose this question: Have you ever had to take evasive maneuvers at high-speed in a tall SUV? If you have, you’ll know the sheer terror involved in the prospects of either colliding with the traffic in front of you or swerving so hard you might roll. With that mental image, suddenly a sure and quick-footed luxury off-roader sounds very appealing. Plus, anything with the word “Sport” tacked onto the end is better; add “R” and “S” and our hearts begin thumping that much harder.
To see more pics of the spied Range Rover Sport, visit Motor Authority.
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