Range Rover and Range Rover Sport Get Powerful New Engines for 2010

The new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport may only look slightly different from the ‘09 models; and while there are some aesthetic changes, the real difference for both vehicles lies under their respective hoods. 

Standard models will get a new 5.0-liter V8 engine that makes 375hp and 375 ft-lbs of torque. This is an increase of 20 percent on the horsepower side and 16 percent on the torque side. Better yet, the new engine boasts a seven percent increase in fuel consumption over the outgoing engine. 

In the Sport model, this enough to achieve a 0-60 mph time of 7.2 seconds.

As for the Supercharged versions, they get a powerful new supercharged 5.0-liter engine with 510hp and 461 ft-lbs of torque. These models can run the 60 mph sprint in just 5.9 seconds - not bad for some of the heaviest vehicles ever made.

To help give the Range Rover Sport an even more sporty feel, it will be equipped with paddle shifters.

Another important highlight is the use of an adaptive damping suspension on Range Rover Sport Supercharged models. Working with the existing Dynamic Response system, this new setup uses DampTronic Valve Technology shocks which adjust 500 times a second, reacting to the road conditions. Both a “soft” and a “hard” setting can be pre-selected to better suit the driver’s needs.

There are plenty more innovations on the new models, but we’ll end off with a final tech gadget. On the Range Rover Sport, a 5-inch Thin Film Transistor (TFT) info screen (like the one introduced on the current 7 Series) will sit inside the instrument cluster, providing the driver with vehicle information. Rather than static physical readouts, the info is projected on the screen, which reverts to its black “off” setting when the vehicle is turned off. The Range Rover will employ a similar TFT screen measuring 12-inches, doing away with any physical gauges. 

GALLERY: 2010 Range Rover and Range Rover Sport

More on the 2010 Range Rover and Range Rover Sport after the jump: