- New Range Rover Sport’s unique blend of all‑terrain capability with petrol‑electric performance debuts with daring point‑to‑point race across open water
- Performance SUV wades into rising tide to beat swimmers in race from Bantham Beach to Burgh Island in South Devon, UK
- Electric‑petrol performance tested against former open‑water swimming world champion Keri‑anne Payne and athlete adventurer Ross Edgley
- Range Rover Sport launched with P400e plug‑in electric powertrain for zero‑emission EV range of 51km, fuel consumption of 101mpg and CO2 emissions of 64g/km
- Available to order from Land Rover retailers now, priced from £61,315 (OTR)
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CHALLENGE ACCEPTED: NEW RANGE ROVER SPORT CONQUERS LAND AND SEA IN UNIQUE POINT-TO-POINT
The demanding point‑to‑point is the latest in a series of challenges completed by the Range Rover Sport, including a record‑setting hill‑climb at Pikes Peak, a record crossing of the ‘Empty Quarter’ desert in the Arabian Peninsula and last year’s Downhill Alpine Ski Challenge.
With two‑time open‑water swimming world champion Keri‑anne Payne and endurance athlete Ross Edgley hitting the waves, the Range Rover Sport faced soft sand, tidal roads and waded through waves up to 850mm deep on its 14km (8.7‑mile) inland drive from Bantham Beach to Burgh Island in South Devon, UK.
The team of swimmers faced a challenging 1.5km (0.9‑mile) course across the choppy coastline while the new Range Rover Sport P400e electric‑petrol model encountered roads flooded by the incoming tide and used its EV mode to make near‑silent progress through the tiny villages along its route.
The performance SUV reached the beach just as the tide covered the sand that links Burgh Island to the mainland, leaving the Range Rover Sport to put its wading capabilities to the test and overtake the swimmers just before the finish line.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED: NEW RANGE ROVER SPORT CONQUERS LAND AND SEA IN UNIQUE POINT‑TO‑POINT
I’ve competed around the world, but I’ve never done anything quite like this. With a strong tide, I was having to try really hard to stay ahead of the Range Rover Sport – not what I usually see over my shoulder when I’m racing!
Keri‑anne Payne
Two‑time open‑water swimming world champion
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED: NEW RANGE ROVER SPORT CONQUERS LAND AND SEA IN UNIQUE POINT-TO-POINT
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED: NEW RANGE ROVER SPORT CONQUERS LAND AND SEA IN UNIQUE POINT-TO-POINT
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED: NEW RANGE ROVER SPORT CONQUERS LAND AND SEA IN UNIQUE POINT-TO-POINT
I’m used to extreme challenges and this certainly fits into that category. The waves were so powerful, I could see the Range Rover Sport was being buffeted around in the water, but it still made short work of the rising tide across the causeway to Burgh Island.
Ross Edgley
Endurance athlete
The victorious Range Rover Sport is available for the first time with an advanced plug‑in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) powertrain. It gives the P400e version an EV range of 51km, combined fuel consumption of 101mpg and CO2 emissions of 64g/km.
The Range Rover Sport P400e is the first model to use Land Rover’s advanced plug‑in hybrid electric vehicle technology, combining an 85kW (116PS) electric motor and a 2.0‑litre Si4 300PS (221kW) Ingenium petrol engine to produce 404PS (297kW) and 640Nm of torque.1
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED: NEW RANGE ROVER SPORT CONQUERS LAND AND SEA IN UNIQUE POINT-TO-POINT
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED: NEW RANGE ROVER SPORT CONQUERS LAND AND SEA IN UNIQUE POINT-TO-POINT
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED: NEW RANGE ROVER SPORT CONQUERS LAND AND SEA IN UNIQUE POINT-TO-POINT
Only a Land Rover could blend electrified sustainable performance with the absolute capability required to take on two open water swimmers. The introduction of the latest PHEV technology broadens the appeal of the Range Rover Sport. Whisper quiet in EV mode, it brings a new level of serenity to the driving experience and the transition to combined power is seamless, delivering an addictive performance boost at the top end.
Nick Collins
Vehicle Line Director, Jaguar Land Rover
Land Rover’s intelligent Terrain Response 2 system optimises all‑terrain capability for maximum traction on any surface, automatically configuring the vehicle to suit the driving conditions. Allied to the electric motor on the new P400e model, this allows for even more precise management of torque that makes the Range Rover Sport such a capable performance SUV.
The British designed, engineered and built Range Rover Sport has sold more than 732,000 since it was introduced in 2004. Since then, its unrivalled mix of refinement and exhilarating performance has seen it star on TV and in movies around the world.
Designed and engineered at Jaguar Land Rover’s manufacturing centre in the UK, the new Range Rover Sport will be produced at the company’s Solihull production facility and goes on sale at the end of 2017 around the world.
For the full story of the new Range Rover Sport visit: www.landrover.com/vehicles/range‑rover‑sport/index.html
