Land Rover Range Rover Sport to compete with Toyota Land Cruiser

Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) have a charm of their own, which is distinct to any other type of car. Be it size, muscularity, style, power or built, SUVs exude a sense of class and dominance at the same time. Most of all, utility vehicles are safe, have a noticeable road presence and can travel in unfavourable terrains as well. In the past few years, the market for SUVs in India has really come to life with more models being launched and several car makers competing for the top spot. What is interesting to see is that now even mass buyers are going for utility vehicles, which is mainly due to the introduction of several compact SUVs. In fact, Renault Duster and Ford EcoSport are some of the few cars that have done well in the recent past despite tough market conditions. Manufacturers of luxury vehicles have also enjoyed a reasonably good stint in 2013, something that can be seen by the number of new cars that have been introduced.

Just a few days ago, British auto maker Land Rover launched its latest SUV, the Range Rover Sport at a base price of Rs. 1.1 crore (ex-showroom). Land Rover is a part of the Jaguar Land Rover Group, which, in turn, is a subsidiary of Indian auto maker Tata Motors. Jaguar Land Rover Group, on the whole, has been quite aggressive towards the Indian car market in 2013. While Land Rover launched the Range Rover Sport recently, a few months back Jaguar introduced the F-Type. Industry experts feel that Jaguar Land Rover, since its acquisition by Tata Motors, has grown in India in terms of confidence and sales. Present at the launch event of the Range Rover Sport was Rohit Suri, the Vice President at Jaguar and Land Rover in India, who spoke about this luxury Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV).

"The new Range Rover Sport is a premium SUV with greater heights in design, technology, driving dynamics and interior luxury. The engine with superior technology, provides better fuel efficiencies," he was quoted as saying. Industry experts feel that the Range Rover Sport is going to face tough competition from the Toyota Land Cruiser 200, which has done reasonably well in India. The Range Rover Sport, in India, comes in two engine options, one diesel and one petrol. Diesel version of Range Rover Sport is fitted with a 3.0-litre V6 turbocharged engine, which is capable of delivering an output of around 290 bhp along with 600 Nm of peak torque. Industry experts feel that the diesel version of the Range Rover Sport is going to be the most preferred variant, which will bought a major percentage of buyers who choose this car.

The other variant of Range Rover Sport is much more powerful in terms of output and torque. This version of Range Rover Sport runs on a 5.0-litre V8 drivetrain, which is capable of churning out around 508 bhp of maximum power and peak torque of 625 Nm. The performance oriented engines of both versions of this luxury SUV come with engines that are mated to an 8-speed ZF automatic gearbox. The USP of Range Rover Sport is its all-aluminium monocoque structure, which is a change from other models produced by the firm. In addition, the new Range Rover Sport is wider and longer than its previous generation model.

Toyota Land Cruiser 200, on the other hand, has been in the Indian market for a while now and has managed to carve a niche for itself. It is powered by a 4.5-litre diesel engine that is mated to a 6-speed automatic gearbox. This diesel powertrain enables the Land Cruiser 200 to produce an output of around 261 bhp along with peak torque of 650 Nm. This all-wheel drive vehicle, according to company claims, is capable of travelling in the toughest of terrains.

Industry experts feel that it would be tough to choose between these two SUVs, if one has to pick a winner, Toyota is known throughout the globe for producing vehicles with superiorly refined engines that perform exceptionally well and the Land Cruiser 200 is no different. On the other hand, Range Rover Sport is a highly powerful vehicle that is strongly built and features high safety standards. Analysts say that the Range Rover Sport is going to attract slightly more buyers than its Toyota counterpart as it is a relatively new vehicle. How the Land Rover Range Rover Sport fares in the market, only time will tell.