Previewed by the Range Stormer design study at the 2004 North American International Auto Show, the Range Rover Sport entered production the following year at the Solihull plant in the United Kingdom. A bit smaller than the Range Rover, the L320 sold in excess of 410,000 units through 2013 when the ground-up redesign was introduced.
The second generation switched to the D7 platform, a significant improvement over the Discovery 3-based chassis of the L320. The first generation was offered with a supercharged V8 engine of Jaguar origin, yet the L494 improved that recipe with the introduction of the SVR. The first Range Rover Sport to bear this name pumps out 543 horsepower and 502 pound-feet (680 Nm) from 2,500 up to 5,500 revolutions per minute.
The Special Vehicle Racing was facelifted at the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show for the 2018 model year, with Land Rover improving the breed to 567 horsepower and 516 pound-feet (700 Nm) between 3,500 and 5,000 revolutions per minute. Its force-fed lump is connected to one of the best automatic transmissions in the business, the long-serving 8HP from ZF.
Land Rover completely redesigned the Range Rover Sport once again in May 2022 on the MLA-Flex platform of the fifth-generation Range Rover. With this makeover, Land Rover had also switched from the Ford Motor Company-era V8 to a different one that might seem familiar displacement-wise. It rocks 4.4 liters, and you know this number from the BMW N63.
The Munich-based automaker’s first hot-vee V8 is also the first V8 in BMW’s history to feature turbocharging. It was riddled with problems back in 2008 when it entered production, but over time, the Bavarian automaker ironed out most of them. There’s also an M-specific version dubbed S63, but the Range Rover Sport P530 currently on sale doesn’t feature that one. N63B44T3 is the codename of the 2023 model’s engine, which is – once again with a feeling – connected to the ZF-supplied and designed 8HP gearbox.
P530, as you’re well aware, stands for petrol in British English and 530 horsepower in the metric system. Rated at 523 mechanical horsepower and 553 pound-feet (750 Nm) between 1,800 and 4,600 revolutions per minute, this mill is pretty darn impressive, given that it’s a non-M motor.
The question is, can the 2023 Land Rover Range Rover Sport P530 hold its own against a 2021 model year Special Vehicle Racing in a straight-line showdown? Archie Hamilton is much obliged to answer that question with a handful of drag races. Pictured at the racing driver’s usual filming locations for this kind of content, the old and new models are fully stock.
On paper, the third generation is heavier and down on power, but it’s also torquier over a wider RPM range. Unless the launch control and transmission do their thing perfectly right, there are slim chances of a win for the third generation. As to which of them is faster, let’s just say that you’re better off waiting for the 2023 reveal of the 2024 model year SVR.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News