PRETORIA - Jaguar Land Rover’s new 3-litre straight-six petrol engine, which we first saw in the Defender, is now available in the Range Rover Sport.
Two variants of the new mild hybrid powertrain are being offered in South Africa, these being a P360 model that’s priced from R1 369 000 and a sportier P400 HST that’s listed at R1 874 600. The P360 is good for 265kW and 495Nm and a 0-100km/h time of 6.6 seconds, says Land Rover, while the P400 produces 294kW and 550Nm and sprints to 100 in 5.9 seconds.
The advanced new engine features both a twin-scroll turbocharger and an electric supercharger to eliminate turbo lag on pull-off.
The compressor is driven by an electric motor, which also forms part of a mild hybrid system that can harvest energy when the vehicle is decelerating and store it in the 48V battery.
While the P360 version is available with a choice of three trim grades - S, SE and HSE - the P400 is available exclusively with the sportier HST trim. This model can be told apart by its carbon fibre trim on the bonnet, grille, side vents and tailgate, as well as its red brake calipers. The HST is available in five exterior colours - Santorini Black, Fuji White, Hakuba Silver, Firenze Red and Carpathian Grey - and customers can choose between two alloy wheel designs.
Inside the cabin, the flagship also features HST badging on the facia, as well as suedecloth detailing on the steering wheel and gear lever and Satin Chrome gear shift paddles.
Safety features include adaptive cruise control, with Stop & Go and Steer Assist, as well as High Speed Emergency Braking.
The Range Rover models are sold with a five-year/100 000km warranty and maintenance plan.