Design Exhibition: Range Rover and Range Rover Sport

Land Rover is currently in the process of overhauling its premium SUV line-up, with all-new versions of both Range Rover and Range Rover Sport revealed, as well as a longer eight-seater version of the new car Defendercalled Defender 130.

While Range Rover has a long history that stretches back to 1970, and can be credited with inventing the luxury SUV segment, Range Rover Sport is a much newer model line.

With the first iteration landing in Australia in late 2005, the Sport sits below the full-size Range Rover as a direct competitor to similar cars. BMW X5, Mercedes-Benz GLE and Porsche Cayenne. Correspondingly, the latest version of the Range Rover Sport is only the third generation of this nameplate.

While price is the main differentiating factor between the two products, Land Rover has succeeded in establishing the Range Rover Sport as more than just a smaller, cheaper model than its flagship model, which lives up to its name. its call, delivering high performance and more dynamism. .

Aside from the basic engineering effort to make the Sport more performance-focused, one of the reasons why it can stand on its own two feet is due to the distinct design.

The latest generation of Range Rover and Range Rover Sport both adopt a modern design philosophy, focusing on smooth surfaces, reducing or hiding the number of closed lines to a minimum, and devoid of frivolous features. and gingerbread. All this helps to keep the tension ratio of both cars in focus.

Indeed, Land Rover’s exterior designer, Massimo Frascella, claims the flagship car ‘makes a stunning design statement, taking modernity and refinement to new heights. Everything is very pure and without any superfluous decorations’. This probably applies to its smaller sibling as well.

Side profile: Three lines, three corners

The most significant difference between the two models can probably be seen in the different handling of the side profiles. The silhouette of every Range Rover model can be defined only by three lines, namely a lowered roofline, a clearly oriented horizontally oriented waistline (located just below the glass doors) and a raised third line. just below the lower threshold.

The subtle difference in angles and the relationship of these lines to one another is key to Land Rover distinguishing the Range Rover models in the lineup.

In the full-size Range Rover, the hood and waistline are angled so much closer from the front to the rear that they run almost parallel to each other. This creates an upright, majestic impression that is confirmed by the subtle door sill border, which curves gently upwards as it extends beyond the rear wheel.

The vertical side drawing highlights this even further. Now integrated with the rest of the body, it draws the eye upwards and accentuates the smooth, unadorned surface of the doors. The angles of these lines, along with the flat door handles and contrasting side graphics, give the impression that the car is machined from a single piece of solid metal.

The Range Rover Sport represents a slightly different twist on the same basic principle. The waistline is tilted upwards while the roofline has a heavier taper, so much so that, if stretched, the lines would meet at a point behind the car. This has the effect of significantly narrowing the rear window, which, together with the widening rear spoiler, creates an almost sailboat-like impression that the vehicle is rushing forward.

The lower sill presents in a much more chiseled style than its pricier counterpart, with a much sharper sill line that has a steeper kick towards the rear.

Unlike the vertical graphics on its more luxurious counterpart, the Sport also marks a subtle nod to traditional sports cars and GT coupes with a horizontally oriented array of contrasts. looks like a side strip. Together, these features hint at the potential power and performance inside the Sport.

User Interface: Purity and Aggression

Likewise, the front profile of both cars bears clear philosophical differences in the side profiles described above. The flagship Range Rover takes a seamless, modern design approach where only what is needed is present.

Typical of a luxury car, the upper grille and grille are finished as standard in satin chrome (black versions are available as an option), while even the lower air intake is damaged. closed, bisected by two satin chrome surrounds. fog lights.

The Range Rover Sport, on the other hand, presents a significantly more aggressive front end that doesn’t start from the basic design principles of modernism. Unlike the top, but common in many sport models, a lower grille dominates the front end in Sport.

This area includes separate side air intakes, as well as large openings above and below the bumper to provide an additional visual indication of the power hidden in the engine compartment. Compared to the top version, the upper grille is compressed but wider, and the headlights have a streamlined L-shaped pattern to highlight the width of the car.

Similar to the more aggressive on the lower front grille, the Sport’s bonnet is also more sculptural, with a distinct power dome and contrasting black trim elements that deviate slightly from the approach. More pure design of the top.

The back end: Modern in two flavors

Arguably the biggest difference in design approach between the two models is visible in the rear end of the car. Range Rover not only differentiates itself from its siblings but also its predecessors by possessing slim but distinctive taillights that are hidden until bright.

The vertical orientation of these designs not only neatly frames the split rear door with minimal closing lines, thus creating a neat design, but also draws the eye towards the narrower stern conservatory. . Hidden pipes and the absence of other character lines complete the look of modernism.

In contrast, the Sport adopts a more conventional design incorporating LED taillights visible in a black stripe extending the width of the rear doors. Their edges wrap around the side panels, line up with the fake side rails toward the front of the vehicle, and optically extend to the vehicle’s stance.

To further hint at the Sport’s performance, the rear end is finished with a set of visible exhaust pipes and a rear diffuser.

inland

While the top-of-the-range Range Rover is available in an exclusive SV variant, complete with an ultra-luxury second row that seats two and a host of amenities including a foldable motorized picnic table, an interior front with General analog panel design. The minimalist, modern approach to the exteriors of both vehicles carries over to the interiors.

This is reflected in the slim vents, which are seamlessly integrated into a strip that runs along the top of the horizontal panel, as well as the unification of most of the controls in the smart display. large 13.1-inch curved glass center console, running Jaguar Land Rover’s latest Pivi Professional Operating System.

Unlike the Range Rover Sport, which seats only five, this flagship model is further distinguished by the choice of offering four, five or seven seats in a long-wheelbase version.

THAN: Everything Range Rover
THAN: Everything Range Rover Sport