Land Rover let the press drive the new Range Rover Sport for the first time this week, and couldn't keep its Nurburgring lap time to itself for the new sporting SUV. The Sport (presumably in 5.0-litre V8 Supercharged petrol form with the trick torque vectoring differential and Dynamic mode on Terrain Response) is able to lap the 'Green Hell' in 8 minutes 35 seconds. That's according to Nick Rogers, Vehicle Line Director, Range Rover Programmes.
That lap time is achievable thanks to a serious loss in bulk, the new Sport some 420kg lighter than the car it replaces, while the 510hp and 625Nm of torque from the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine also helps. That new lighter structure not only aids Nurburgring lap time, but increases economy too, though efficiency isn't likely to be on drivers' minds when setting that lap time.
What it does also allow is Land Rover to consider fitting an in-line four-cylinder engine to the Sport. Indeed, Land Rover staff are fairly open about the company's plans to offer the Sport model with a four-cylinder unit. Expected to be a turbocharged petrol engine, it will join a diesel hybrid in the line-up, the full range of engines anticipated to be available by early 2014.