Body kit made from polyurethane

Caractere Exclusive is introducing an aftermarket visual package for the Range Rover Sport.

Those who are not satisfied with the stock appearance of the Range Rover Sport can contact Caractere Exclusive as they have developed a styling kit manufactured from polyurethane. The body now wears a custom front bumper, roof-mounted spoiler, fender flares and a different rear spoiler housing a more prominent diffuser and two large trapezoidal exhaust tips.

Unfortunately, for now Caractere Exclusive has released only digital renders of their work but hopefully soon enough they will publish real images with their modified Range Rover Sport for which they also have a fresh set of 22-inch alloy wheels with a graphite finish.

After teaming up with Airstream, Land Rover had themselves a small yet productive Arctic Circle adventure, demonstrating the capabilities of the new Range Rover Sport Hybrid.

The world's first premium diesel hybrid SUV towed the 2.5 tonne trailer 2,500 miles to LR's cold-weather test center in Arjeplog, Sweden, after which they embarked on a journey to the Arctic Circle.

The RRS Hybrid took one some of the worst winter weather Scandinavia has experienced lately with record snow depths and icy road conditions which tested both the car as well as the trailer to the extreme. But if you're asking yourself what led to this partnership as well as this expedition, the answer is a simple game of numbers.

It turns out that European Airstream owners choose Land Rover cars to tow their trailers more than any other models build by other manufacturers. This is basically what led to the two companies joining forces in this endeavor.

This particular Airstream 684 model is basically a hotel room on wheels, featuring double beds, satellite TV and Corian surfaces in both its fully-equipped kitchen as well as its spacious bathroom. Therefor we're not going to feel too bad for the crew that took on this expedition, since they had such cozy conditions.

As for the car itself, it doesn't get much cozier than a 340 HP Range Rover Sport Hybrid, which can get you from 0 to 62 mph in just 6.7 seconds while keeping your fuel consumption to a minimum, averaging just 6.4 liters per 100km/h - which by the way is spectacular for a car that weighs 2,372 kg.

Overall, we're talking about a little under 5 tones making their way to the Arctic Circle. And even though Land Rover hasn't released any official fuel consumption numbers, we do know that the expedition was a massive success, as both the car and the trailer easily handled snowy as well as icy hills, forest tracks, strong winds thanks to Hurricane Ole, as well as temperatures that plummeted to -22 degrees centigrade.

One can always count on Harry Metcalfe to deliver a proper detailed presentation of a car, and his review of the Range Rover Sport SVR makes no exception.

As you probably know, Metcalfe works as an adviser for Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations division which built the Range Rover Sport SVR. That being said, you will get some inside information by watching the review.

The Range Rover Sport SVR is powered by a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine producing 550PS (542hp) and 680 Nm (501 lb-ft) of torque. The engine is mated to a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission that sends power to all four wheels.

While its record Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time if 8 minutes 14 seconds has been shattered by the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S (7 minutes 59 seconds), the SVR remains a very fast machine. It does 0-60 mph (96 km/h) in just 4.5 seconds and reaches a top speed of 162 mph (260 km/h).

Besides the engine, there are many more changes over a standard Range Rover Sport, all of which are detailed in the video posted below.

Debuts in New York next week

Land Rover has introduced a new HST version of the 2016 Range Rover Sport set to premiere next week at the New York Auto Show.

Slotting underneath the range-topping Range Rover SVR, the HST variant comes with a supercharged V6 3.0-liter engine developing 380 HP (279 kW) which makes it 40 HP (29 kW) more powerful than the regular Range Rover Sport 3.0-liter V6 Supercharged model. Aside from the power bump, the HST gets a Stealth Pack combined with a Santorini Black roof, redesigned spoiler and non-reflective surrounds.

It can also be visually distinguished by the unique 21-inch alloy wheels which have a dark satin grey finish and are matched with upgraded brakes packing red brake calipers. At an additional cost, Land Rover is offering a larger 22-inch set of wheels. Glossy black accents are noticeable on the hood, front wing vents, fog lamp bezels and grille while the special badging, sculpted body-colored lower door panels and extra vent detailing round off the exterior changes.

More importantly, the engineers have made some chassis revisions to enhance driving experience without altering comfort while the suspension has also been updated to diminish body roll. There's also a specially tuned Terrain Response system with a Dynamic Mode optimizing suspension, electronic systems and the electric power-assisted steering for on-road driving.

Stepping inside the cabin, there are two-tone seats trimmed in Oxford leather, along with ebony door trims and center console, ebony headlining, Noble-plated paddle shift gear levers and the compulsory HST badging. Other goodies on the menu include an aluminum trim, bright "Sports" pedals and four ebony/color combos for the leather upholstery, plus an all-ebony version.
Land Rover has announced the Range Rover Sport HST will be available on order starting next month.