Range Rover Sport 2018 pricing and spec confirmed

Land Rover has opened its order books for 2018, announcing the pricing for the facelifted version of its hot-selling Range Rover Sport that cops a price hike.

The Range Rover Sport is expected in Australia in April, and it follows the Range Rover flagship’s lead with the option of a plug-in hybrid drivetrain to be offered alongside petrol and diesel variants.

But it all comes at a cost. The entry-level SD4 S diesel, for example, increases in price by $4200 to $95,100 plus on-road costs.

Land Rover has sold 2499 Sports to the end of October this year.

The cheapest petrol variant will be the new Si4 at $97,100.

The HSE grade in the TD4 and SD4 have been dropped for 2018, so the lowest price you will pay for those three letters is for the SDV6 HSE which is now up $2700 at $134,700.

Price rises for the SE SD4 appear huge at $14,950 above the current vehicle’s $83,450 but the version has a specification realignment that adds more features to the incoming vehicle.

The new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) – with the same petrol-electric drivetrain as the 2018 Range Rover – will be $146,600. That offers buyers similar performance as the petrol V6 but with fuel consumption as low as 2.8 L/100km and a 51km electric-only range.

The new PHEV replaces the outgoing model’s V6 diesel-electric hybrid that had a price of $187,900.

Land Rover will launch the Sport in a new line-up with six grades, from the S through to the SVR.

The option of a plug-in hybrid drivetrain will be offered alongside petrol and diesel variants.

Upgrades to the specifications start from the bottom. The entry-level Sport will have an increased feature list that will include 'Touch Pro Duo' multimedia system from the Velar, auto wipers, dual-zone air-conditioning and LED headlights.

The upmarket HSE and Autobiography variants get matrix LED headlights and the top-shelf SVR will have pixel LED units.

Safety gear includes auto emergency braking, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, park sensors and camera.

The entry-level Sport will have an increased feature list that will include 'Touch Pro Duo' multimedia system from the Velar.

The Range Rover Sport comes up against European rivals including the Porsche Cayenne, BMW X5, Audi Q7, Mercedes-Benz GLE and even its cousin, the Land Rover Discovery.

Land Rover has sold 2499 Sports to the end of October this year, down 3.3 per cent on the same period in 2016, bettering the slide of the premium large SUV sector that is down 14.6 per cent.

In comparison, the Discovery's sales are off 46.1 per cent to 1224 units year-to-date October, while the Mercedes GLE is down 12.4 per cent at 1982 sales, and the BMW X5 – the segment’s most popular large SUV – fell 13.8 per cent to 3170 units.

Do the extra features justify the price hike for the refreshed Range Rover Sport? Tell us what you think in the comments below.