The Sport was soon considered sufficiently glamorous to be worth the cost of special number plates like this one, issued in 2007. MICHAEL HARNETT
NEW IDEAS, NEW CHALLENGES, 2007–2009
With the L320 Sport firmly established in global markets during its first two years on sale, Land Rover were able to anticipate strong sales during 2007, and the model did not disappoint. But any elation associated with that was shortlived, because sales were badly hit by a global recession in mid-2008.
The 2007 calendar year was an exceptionally good one for Land Rover’s global sales, and in December the company announced that it had exceeded 200,000 sales in a year for the first time ever. The Range Rover Sport had made an important contribution to that figure, with a production total of nearly 62,000 vehicles. However, it was also in December 2007 that the early signs of a major global economic decline became apparent. The next two years would be a roller-coaster ride for Land Rover as a whole, and inevitably the Range Rover Sport was affected.
The 2007 calendar-year production total would be the highest that the Sport ever achieved. By the middle of 2008, the effects of that economic decline (generally now described as a recession) had become only too clear, and sales of all Land Rover models went into free-fall. Production at the Solihull and Halewood factories was adjusted to suit, and by late August Land Rover was cutting production shifts and had transferred nearly 300 staff from Solihull to the Jaguar plant at Castle Bromwich because there was no work for them on the Land Rover lines. Range Rover Sport production for the 2008 calendar year ended up 25 per cent down on 2007. The following year was even worse, with a further 36 per cent drop in production; the 2009 calendar year figures for the Sport were less than 50 per cent of those for 2007. And yet the Sport, perhaps one of the most unlikely vehicles to bounce back after such a traumatic period, survived.
The Sport was soon considered sufficiently glamorous to be worth the cost of special number plates like this one, issued in 2007. MICHAEL HARNETT
The Sport certainly did attract celebrities… and Premier League footballers. This 2007 Supercharged model was once owned by David Beckham, and has a number of aftermarket modifications. CLASSIC CAR AUCTIONS
THE 2007 MODELS AND THE TDV8
A late start to the 2007 model-year gave dealers time to move stocks of the summer-special HST model before the new season’s models were introduced. Their announcement had been held back to allow the full-size Range Rover to be first into the market with a new diesel engine option, but it was only a matter of weeks before the TDV8 engine was announced as a fourth engine option for the Sport as well. It was accompanied by some minor revisions to the Sport’s specification, changes to the paint and trim options, and some new accessories.
The TDV8 Engine
The new TDV8 was a 3.6-litre, 4-valve diesel V8 with twin turbochargers, built specifically for the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, and designed to give Land Rover a high-performance diesel in Europe, where V8 diesels were beginning to appear in SUV models from other manufacturers. With 268bhp and simply massive torque of 472lb/ft at 2,000rpm – far more than the supercharged petrol V8 – it was a quite remarkable engine.
Its origins lay in the 1998 Gemini agreement between Ford and Peugeot-Citroën to develop a new family of diesel engines for joint use. At that stage Land Rover had still belonged to BMW, but after the Ford takeover in 2000 the company had access to the 2.7-litre diesel V6 that was part of the programme, and eagerly adapted it for their own use as the TDV6.
Ford were keen to replace the BMW diesel engine in the full-size Range Rover as soon as possible, and initially considered the twin-turbocharged Jaguar version of the diesel V6 to maintain a distinction from the single-turbo version planned for L319 and L320. However, it soon became clear that there were installation problems in the L322 Range Rover, and that the only solution was to create a new diesel engine.
The TDV8 diesel engine took centre stage among the 2007 model-year introductions.
Ever since the start of the Gemini programme, Ford had kept in mind the possibility of developing a V8 version of the new large-capacity diesel, but Peugeot-Citroën had no interest in such an engine and so it did not become part of the joint programme. However, Ford were free to draw on the Gemini technology as they saw fit, and by early 2001 they were envisaging a V8 diesel as ideal for both the Range Rover and the forthcoming Range Rover Sport. From early on, they called it the Lion V8, just as the V6 diesel had been known as the Lion V6, in honour of Peugeot’s lion logo.
At this stage, Ford saw the engine as very much their own project, even though it was being drawn up for Range Rovers. Outline planning began during March that year at the Ford research centre in Aachen, Germany, and at Land Rover, Grant Horne was appointed as manager for the new engine programme. He remembered some years later:
As you might expect, the Ford people did look at other potential applications. Jaguar XJ and XK were among them, but they decided not to go ahead with them. That made our life easier because we were designing for just one application and didn’t have to take into account requirements for other applications!
Although there were several common elements between the V6 and V8 diesel designs, there were also many differences. ‘Ultimate refinement was one of the drivers in the Range Rover programme’, according to Grant, and so the 60-degree angle of the V6 block was changed for the 90-degree angle that gives smoother running with a V8 configuration. This in turn created some extra challenges associated with the oil drain for the twin turbochargers, which were to be mounted low down for packaging reasons. So to guarantee satisfactory performance at the extreme operating angles associated with off-road use, the designers chose a scavenge pump.
Packaging was again behind the decision to mount the V8’s injection pump at the front of the engine rather than at the rear, but the choice of a chain drive instead of the V6’s belt drive was prompted by expectations of greater stresses in the larger engine. The combustion chamber design – the most expensive and time-consuming element in designing a modern diesel engine – was carried over directly from the V6, and as a result the bore and stroke dimensions of the two engines were the same. This commonality was also expected to allow for both V6 and V8 diesel engines to be assembled on the same lines at Ford’s Dagenham diesel engines plant in Britain. As on the V6, the cylinder block of the V8 was to be made from compacted graphite iron, with the minimum metal around the bores and below the crank centre-line.
By early 2003 the design had been completed, and Ford handed the diesel V8 over to Land Rover as a CAD package. Development now began, with Land Rover engineers joining the engines team at Ford’s Dunton research centre. As the Ford people had little knowledge of Land Rover products and of their special needs, it was up to the Land Rover engineers to make sure those special needs were met. Among them was that there would have to be two different versions of the new engine to suit the Range Rover and the Range Rover Sport.
The main reason was the different physical configurations of the two vehicles. The Sport had a completely different mounting for the front differential from the one in the L322 Range Rover, and the sump had to be redesigned to suit this. The turbochargers had to be relocated about 100mm (4in) further back to suit the engine-bay packaging, and the front-end drive had to be redesigned to accommodate the pump for the Sport’s anti-roll suspension. This was fitted in underneath the alternator, so the alternator had to move up and the Sport version of the TDV8 engine ended up with two belt drives instead of just one in the L322 derivative. In addition, the Sport’s exhaust was specially tuned ‘to give more of a rasp’.
The Dunton phase lasted for some six or eight months, and an important programme target was to make the new engine meet the EU4 emissions regulations that would become effective on 1 January 2007. The whole programme was then transferred to the Dagenham engine plant, where Ford put in their own engine programme manager, Roland Ernst, to oversee the transition to a production engine.
The normal Ford process at that time was to build three batches of engine prototypes, but with only two years left to meet the programme’s targets, Grant Horne telescoped this down to just two batches. Experience from the V6 engine proved invaluable, and he commented:
We had a pretty good run through the development phases. No major problems showed up. There were some problems with thermal-mechanical stresses on the turbochargers, which cracked, but these were a design built on prototype tooling and so that wasn’t very surprising! We didn’t have any cylinder-head cracking problems, which you often get on new diesel engines. There were just small problems, like oil leaks from the cam covers and the sump. We had porosity of the sump as well. But we got on top of all the oil leaks.
The main differences between the first and later batches were in the breathing system, and affected the intake manifold, throttle position and the positions of the EGR coolers. These were relocated from the backs of the cylinder heads to inside the vee, giving both more compact packaging and better mixing of intake gases. Some bottom-end changes made the engine easier to manufacture, and the original sump design was changed for one that gave better noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) properties and reduced the risk of leaks.
Once the development phase had ended in early 2005, preparation of the cylinder-block tooling took another nine months. Everything was ready by the engineering sign-off target date of November 2005, and the next stage was a 250-strong pilot-production batch for validation testing, assembled on the same line as the V6 diesels at Dagenham. The first full production engine was completed in April 2006, and over the next four months production engines were tested in vehicles; the first production Range Rover TDV8 was completed on schedule in August, and the first Sport TDV8 (with serial number 988098) was completed in October.
THE 2007 MODELS
The new TDV8 Sport became available in the showrooms from November 2006 as a 2007 model, and was an immediate hit. In Europe (it was not made available in the USA or the Middle East) it rapidly became the engine of choice and more or less demolished sales of the naturally aspirated petrol V8, which was thirstier and could not match its torque and acceleration. Nevertheless, sales of the less expensive TDV6 models remained strong, and out-sold those with the larger diesel engine.
Land Rover had made sure that the TDV8 model looked the part of the high-performance diesel. It came with 20in wheels as standard, and with the same Titan-finish grille and side vents used on the Supercharged models – although its Land Rover logos were in the traditional gold on green rather than silver on black. There were Brembo brakes and the Dynamic Response system as used on the Supercharged models, and the TDV8 models also came with the Positive Torque gearbox control system from the Supercharged variants, which automatically blipped the throttle during downshifting to reduce shift times.
Like the other 2007 models, the TDV8 had a tailgate that was easier to open than before, thanks to a revised pivot point. It was easier to close, too, with a power-operated latch that pulled it down for the final short distance. Across the range, a slightly revised range of paint colours was accompanied by some changes to the interior choices. Premium leather became an option for Supercharged models, and was also made available as part of the Ebony and Ivory colourway, while Straight Grain Walnut replaced the earlier Cherry Wood contrast trim option. All the instrument bezels now took on a bright painted finish, and the horn buttons, Terrain Response control, cubby-box release handle and hinge covers now came with what Land Rover called a Noble finish.
This close-up picture is of a TDV8 model, with the same silver grille bars as the Supercharged types, but with a standard green and gold Land Rover logo.
Further additions were a one-shot function for the front passenger’s window, and in Europe and the UK only, the satellite navigation could now be programmed while the vehicle was moving. (On earlier models, it had been locked for safety reasons, but of course there was never any reason why a passenger should not operate it while the vehicle was being driven.) All leather-upholstered front seats gained a useful pocket on the vertical surface of the cushion, and a powered lumbar support adjuster was added to the Memory Pack seat option. In Europe, the UK and North America a tyre-pressure monitoring system now became standard: this used monitors on each wheel and miniature radio transmitters that would send a warning signal to the dashboard if a pressure drop of 25 per cent was detected in any one tyre.
Much less visible than all this were new 18in and 19in alloy wheels, which looked exactly like the earlier ones but were actually considerably lighter. A reduction in weight of 3.25kg (7.16lb) on each 18in wheel and 2.77kg (6.1lb) on each 19in wheel made for worthwhile reductions in unsprung weight and actually contributed to an improvement in the ride quality on those models that had these wheel sizes.
New for 2007 was Straight Grain Walnut contrast trim, seen here with Alpaca upholstery.
Then, of course, there were changes in the vast list of accessories available for the Sport. The new Fender Vent option brought chromed side vents with a moulded grille behind them. The Stormer Accessories Pack made the HST-style bodykit available – and could be had ready painted if one of the 2006-model HST colours was required. A hybrid analogue-and-digital TV option acknowledged the increasing availability of digital TV signals; and lastly there was a set of G4 Challenge accessories. Inspired by the 2006 adventure challenge event, this added ‘macho style’ to the Sport, according to the 2007 sales brochure. The set consisted of an electric winch, an underbody protection shield, a raised air intake, an expedition roof rack, a rear access ladder, and a small G4 decal for each front door.
There was more: door-mirror covers were now available in body colour or in chrome, and a rear bumper tread plate branded ‘Sport’ could also be had. At the front end, a ‘bumper styling cover’ replaced the earlier A-frame option, probably because a softer appearance was considered more acceptable at a time when large 4×4 vehicles were coming under fire from various interest groups. The waterproof seat covers were now offered in Aspen or Sand as well as the original grey, and a new audio connectivity system allowed an iPod to be integrated into the vehicle’s built-in sound system. Acknowledging perhaps that the Sport had become a highly desirable vehicle and therefore more than usually prone to theft, a Land Rover Watch tracking system became available in late 2006.
Seen on a 2007 model, these were the functions that were easily accessible through the touch screen on the dashboard.
Choosing the 4×4 Info option provided this set of graphics. The transmission is in high range (Hi) and park (P), but it was fascinating to watch the movement of the suspension on the right-hand picture when the vehicle was moving slowly in rough terrain.
A European Special Edition
During the 2007 model-year, a special Stormer edition was made available in France and Belgium. This appears to have been a diesel model with the Stormer bodykit used on the 2006 Supercharged HST edition in Britain.
Colour and Trim Options, 2007 Models
There were twelve paint options for the 2007 model-year. Atacama Sand, Lugano Teal and Stornoway Grey were all new; Bonatti Grey had gone. All these paints were metallic types except for Chawton White, which was a traditional ‘solid’ type.
The four upholstery colours remained unchanged from the previous model-year. There were two ‘standard’ contrast trim options, Straight Grain Walnut replacing the original Cherry Wood; Lined Oak was also available for the HST models only. Most combinations were feasible, although Land Rover did refuse to provide some combinations that they considered did not work; in sales catalogues they also highlighted the ones they thought worked best by describing them as ‘designer’s choice’ options.
Premium leather was softer than standard leather and was ruched. Sports leather had perforations, through which a bright metallic backing was visible.
CARPETS
The combinations were dependent on the upholstery colour, and were as follows:
| With Alpaca upholstery: | Ebony carpets |
| With Aspen upholstery: | Aspen carpets |
| With Ebony upholstery: | Ebony carpets |
| With Ivory upholstery: | Aspen or Ebony carpets |
Rimini Red suited the Sport’s lines and image, but was surprisingly rare in Britain. This is a TDV8 model.
CONTRAST PANEL OPTIONS
The standard contrast panels were Rhodium, but Straight Grain Walnut was optional at no extra cost. Lined Oak was available only on HST models.
2008: A YEAR OF CHANGE AND UNCERTAINTY
The year 2008 had been planned as a celebration year for Land Rover, because it was the sixtieth anniversary of the marque. But that sixtieth anniversary was celebrated against a background of economic uncertainty on the one hand, and one of major business change on the other. It was little wonder that in December 2008 Land Rover cancelled the G4 Challenge event planned for 2009. The financial future was too uncertain to take the risk of such major publicity expense, and the company chose instead to focus its resources on the new and more eco-friendly models that it needed in the short and medium term.
The major business change saw Land Rover up for sale in the early part of 2008, along with its stable-mate Jaguar. This was the culmination of a series of events that had begun with Ford returning some disastrous financial results for 2005; by early 2007 the American company had drawn up plans to sell off elements of its European operations. Ford began to examine offers to buy Jaguar and Land Rover in July 2007; by September the Indian Tata group had entered the picture, and by January 2008, Tata had become the preferred bidder. On 26 March 2008 Ford announced it had concluded a definitive agreement to sell both Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata.
The deal was completed on 2 June 2008; the price was $2.3 billion. As things were to turn out, Tata would prove to be a strong and committed ‘parent’ for the Land Rover marque, but there were certainly those who feared the opposite in 2008 – and among them were many who worked for Land Rover.
The deal is done: Ford and Land Rover representatives sign Land Rover over to Ratan Tata of the Tata Group, along with Jaguar.
A Sport (nearest the camera here) figured on the Gerry Judah sculpture that accompanied Land Rover’s headline sponsorship of the 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The sculpture was commissioned as part of the company’s sixtieth anniversary celebrations, and was called ‘Breadth of Capability’ – a Land Rover catchphrase of the time. The Sport was a real one, but it had been made lighter by having most of its interior removed, and quite possibly the engine too.
THE 2008 MODELS
The 2008 model-year had started optimistically enough in September 2007. The TDV8 models had secured themselves a strong position in the middle of the Sport range, and in Britain and most of Europe the poor-selling naturally aspirated V8 models were dropped from the range altogether. This must have freed up engine supplies for North America and the Middle East, where the 4.4-litre V8 remained the favourite engine.
So the 2008 Sport line-up in Britain consisted of TDV6, TDV8 and Supercharged models. There were still S, SE, HSE and Supercharged trim levels, but the S was now only available with the TDV6 engine; the SE and HSE could be had with the TDV6 or TDV8 diesels; and the Supercharged model had its own high trim and equipment specification. Sales were strong globally, and Land Rover clearly felt that there was no real need to overhaul the Sport’s specification to a very great extent for 2008.
So the changes were minimal, with a few routine substitutions in the list of paint options, and an option to have the door handles painted to match the body. There was a slightly more extensive set of changes for the interior, where Brunel contrast trim replaced Rhodium as the standard fit, Straight Grain Walnut remained a no-cost option, and Dark Zebrano was introduced as a second no-cost option. For the Premium ruched leather, Tan was introduced as a fourth colour. Even the accessories list was barely altered, the main change being availability of what was called the Snow Traction System – a set of snow chains that were adjustable to fit all the sizes of wheel now available on the Sport as standard (the earlier snow-chain set had not fitted 17in or 20in wheels).
A Second HST
However, a plan was firmly in place to brighten up the 2008 model-year as the celebrations for Land Rover’s sixtieth anniversary got under way, and in March 2008 Land Rover introduced two new limited-volume models. The more glamorous of these was another HST model, and in preparation for it the mainstream supercharged model had been renamed a Supercharged HSE in December 2007. Alongside it, for what Land Rover called the 2008.5 model-year, was a new XS derivative, though this was available for a limited time period only.
The first HST in summer 2006 had established that the HST designation indicated performance combined with exclusive styling. The 2008 HST was available not only with the Supercharged engine as before, but also with the TDV8 diesel – a clear hint to the buying public that the big diesel stood for top levels of performance. With both engines, the HST had Dynamic Response suspension and Brembo brakes. The 20in Stormer wheels and bodykit of spoilers were the same as before, and so were the body-colour lower door and tailgate mouldings. This time, rear privacy glass was standard, although it could be deleted to special order.
The sales catalogues for the 2008 model-year reflected the confidence and optimism that accompanied a record-breaking 2007.
This 2008 model proudly displays the TDV8 badge of the Sport’s big diesel engine.
There were no restrictions on the paint choices from the standard 2008 palette. Premium ruched leather was standard in any one of the four 2008 colours, but it was also possible to order these seats with Alcantara centre panels (in Alpaca or Ebony only), or to have Sports leather seats in Ebony or Ivory. Lined Oak trim made a comeback as the standard fit, but both Straight Grained Walnut and Stained Zebrano (which appears to have been the same as Dark Zebrano) were optional.
The 2008 Sport HST came with privacy glass behind the B-pillars unless a customer requested otherwise. The bodykit was familiar, but this model could be had with the TDV8 engine as well as the supercharged one. Pictured is a TDV8 version, with gold-on-green grille badge.
There are no reliable figures for the number of HST models that were sold. Land Rover did not promote the HST as a limited edition but rather as ‘the absolute pinnacle of the Range Rover Sport line-up’, and no doubt the plan was always to sell as many as they could.
The UK XS Model
The second limited-volume model in March 2008 was called the XS, and was priced between the entry-level S and the SE. It was a TDV6 with Ebony leather and Brunel contrast trim, and there were just four exterior colour options: Java Black, Rimini Red, Stornoway Grey and Zermatt Silver.
‘Outside are eye-catching 19in alloy wheels,’ gushed the sales brochure (they were the V-spoke type). ‘On the inside is Personal Telephone Integration, a Premium Navigation system, and, for added comfort and a true luxury feel, leather seat facings.’ The target customers were those who might otherwise have bought an S model, and once again there is no information about volumes, although it appears that the XS was available only until April 2008. No doubt Land Rover again sold as many as demand allowed.
The XS was a short-lived special model designed to boost sales at the bottom end of the Sport range.
Colour and Trim Options, 2008 Models
There were twelve paint options for most of the 2008 model-year, although a few very early vehicles were finished in a pair of 2007 colours (Arctic Frost and Chawton White). These two colours were replaced during September 2007 by Izmir Blue and Alaska White. Lucerne Green replaced Giverny Green, and Zermatt Silver replaced Zambezi Silver. All these paints were metallic types except for Alaska White, which was a traditional ‘solid’ type.
There were now five upholstery colours, although one (Tan) was only available with Premium leather. The number of contrast trims was reduced to three. Most combinations were feasible, although Land Rover did refuse to provide some combinations that they considered did not work; in sales catalogues they also highlighted the ones they thought worked best by describing them as ‘designer’s choice’ options.
Premium leather was softer than standard leather and was ruched. Sports leather had perforations, through which a bright metallic backing was visible.
CARPETS
The combinations were dependent on the upholstery colour. They were as follows:
| With Alpaca upholstery: | Ebony carpets |
| With Aspen upholstery: | Aspen carpets |
| With Ebony upholstery: | Ebony carpets |
| With Ivory upholstery: | Aspen or Ebony carpets |
The standard contrast panels were Brunel, but Dark Zebrano and Straight Grain Walnut were optional at no extra cost.
Wheel and Tyre Options, 2008 Model-Year
Centre caps normally carried a gold-on-green Land Rover logo, but those for the Supercharged models were silver on black.
THE 2009 MODEL-YEAR: MORE GLOOM
The 2009 model-year Sport was sold against a backdrop of economic gloom and weakening demand, when sales of nonessential vehicles hit a brick wall. In Britain there were very few Range Rover Sports registered with the ‘09’ and later ‘59’ plates, although Jaguar Land Rover did register a larger than usual number themselves for use as company cars to be sold into the market after a year’s use by JLR employees. In Britain, the company held its collective breath, hoping to stimulate sales with a mid-season limited edition.
A few changes had been in the pipeline and were implemented as the model-year opened in autumn 2008. Three new paint colours were introduced, replacing two earlier ones; all three of them were shared with the Discovery 3, for which they were also new. Interiors were freshened up with the introduction of Almond in place of Alpaca for the light beige option, and for the HSE and Supercharged models it was now possible to order Premium seats with Alcantara wearing surfaces instead of the ruched leather. A wider choice of interior colour and contrast panel combinations became available, although the description in the sales catalogues of a limited number as ‘designer’s choices’ no doubt guided customer orders and helped to limit complication on the assembly lines!
There were some changes to the wheel options, too. Essentially, the three lower specification levels all moved up one size, so that the S level now had 18in wheels (instead of 17in), the SE came with 19in (instead of 18in) and the HSE with 20in (instead of 19in). As for the Supercharged models, the Stormer wheels formerly reserved for special editions such as the HST now became standard wear. The slow-selling and expensive two-piece 20in wheels disappeared from the accessories catalogue, to be replaced by three new designs that included Shadow Chrome and diamond-turned finishes. These larger wheels were what the customers wanted, but Land Rover was in no doubt that they had disadvantages. In sales catalogues they added the note that ‘wheels with larger diameters and lower profile tyres may offer certain styling or driving benefits, but may be more vulnerable to damage.’
The sales brochures for the 2009 model-year seemed to reflect the sombre mood that prevailed at Land Rover. Without digital enhancement it would be impossible to read the shadow-black lettering on these two covers!
Land Rover registered a good number of Sports for its own use during the currency of the ‘09’ registration plate in Britain, reasoning that they would create a healthy second-hand stock when trading conditions returned to normal. This one, in the Zermatt Silver introduced for 2008 and still available, belonged to the Land Rover Experience demonstrations team and was pictured at an exhibition at London’s Canary Wharf.
For 2009, Almond replaced Alpaca as an interior colour, and was accompanied on leather seats by contrast stitching in Nutmeg.
Ivory contrast stitching was used with Ebony leather, and this vehicle has the new Noble contrast trim as well.
The four contrast trims for 2009 are seen here, including the new diamond-stitched leather type.
The Stormer Edition
The mid-season boost to sales of the Sport in Britain took the shape of a 300-strong Stormer Edition, which was previewed at the Boat Show in January 2009. It was designed as a value-for-money prospect, with a lot of extra equipment loaded on to an SE-specification TDV6 model.
That extra equipment included the Stormer bodykit from the accessories range, plus 20in wheels, body-coloured side mouldings and lower tailgate, leather upholstery, front and rear parking sensors and pre-wiring for a Bluetooth mobile phone installation. The Stormer Edition went on sale in March 2009 in just three colours – Alaska White, Santorini Black and Stornoway Grey – and was priced at £43,550, which positioned it slightly above the £43,095 TDV6 SE model.
The 2009 model-year brought a greater variety of 20in wheels. A Sparkle Silver finish was standard, but the ones illustrated at top centre have a diamond-turned finish, and those at bottom left a shadow chrome finish.
The Stormer Edition gave a boost to sales in March 2009, adding the familiar angular bodykit and other items to an entry-level TDV6 model.
European Special Editions
There were two special editions for continental Europe during the 2009 model-year, both probably intended to boost sales during the period of global recession.
BLACK & WHITE EDITION
The Black & White Edition was made available in France and Germany in October 2008, and possibly also in other countries. There were sixty examples for France and 200 for Germany. These models were characterized by privacy glass behind the B-pillars, and by 20in, ten-spoke wheels with a Chrome Shadow finish.
TECHNIUM EDITION
Land Rover France had used the ‘Technium’ name for special editions of several models since 2002. The Range Rover Sport Technium Edition became available in April 2009, and was essentially a package of upgrades added to existing models. S models had Bi-Xenon lights, the Visibility Pack, rear park distance control, leather upholstery and Bluetooth connectivity in addition to the standard specification.
SE models had front park distance control, power-adjusted door mirrors, chromed sill plates, Premium carpet, leather and Alcantara upholstery, Bluetooth connectivity, and an eight-speaker harmon/kardon ICE system connectivity in addition to the standard specification.
HSE models had rear privacy glass, Premium leather upholstery, a rear DVD system, a LOGIC 7 ICE system with thirteen speakers, and Bluetooth connectivity in addition to the standard specification.
Supercharged models (rare in France anyway) had no package of extras, but were instead reduced in price during the availability of the Technium Edition.
The 2009 G4 Challenge Vehicles
Land Rover planned to run a third G4 Challenge event in 2009, and began recruiting contestants in February 2008. A key element of the 2009 Challenge was that it would raise money for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which Land Rover had pledged to support in September 2007. However, the event was cancelled in December 2008 in the face of the global economic downturn and its effects on Land Rover’s profitability.
However, a number of vehicles had already been built in preparation for the event. Among these were eight 2009-model Range Rover Sports, two with TDV6 engines and six with the TDV8. Probably all had the HSE specification. They were painted in the familiar G4 Challenge colour of Tangiers Orange, and most (possibly all) were fitted with the full complement of G4 Challenge equipment. That meant a Warn 9000XP front winch, Goodyear MT/R tyres, a roofrack, Hella Xenon auxiliary roof lights, steering and fuel-tank guards made by Mantec, and internal load guards.
Three of these vehicles actually saw use in connection with the planned event. One was used as a publicity vehicle during the event recce in Mongolia during 2008, and the other two were used during national selection events for the Belgian, British and Irish teams. After the event was cancelled, the Sports were sold off; most are thought still to exist in private ownership.
Colour and Trim Options, 2009 Models
There were thirteen paint options for the 2009 model-year, of which three were new. These were Bournville, Galway Green and Santorini Black. Java Black and Tonga Green were no longer available. All these paints were metallic types except for Alaska White, which was a traditional ‘solid’ type. Bournville was also described as a ‘pearlescent’ paint.
There were again five upholstery colours, although one (Tan) was only available with Premium leather. Trim finishers and door contrast panels were now treated separately, and there was a new and complex matrix of options. Most combinations were available, although Land Rover did refuse to provide some combinations that they considered did not work; in sales catalogues they also highlighted the ones they thought worked best by describing them as ‘designer’s choice’ options.
The table opposite uses Land Rover’s interior option codes for clarity and to save space. The codes were as follows:
| TAC | Ivory Premium leather with Aspen carpet |
| TCA | Ebony cloth with Ebony carpet |
| TCB | Ebony Premium leather with Ebony carpet |
| TCH | Aspen leather with Aspen carpet |
| TCL | Ebony leather with Ebony carpet |
| TCQ | Ebony Sports leather with Ebony carpet |
| TDA | Ivory Premium leather with Ebony carpet |
| TDB | Ivory Sports leather with Ebony carpet |
| TEN | Tan Premium leather with Ebony carpet (not available with diagonal stitched inserts) |
| TEZ | Ebony leather and Lunar Alcantara with Ebony carpet |
| TFJ | Almond leather with Nutmeg carpet |
| TFK | Almond leather and Nutmeg Alcantara with Nutmeg carpet |
| TFL | Almond Premium leather with Nutmeg carpet |
Contrast stitching was an option with Ebony leather only.
Premium leather was softer than standard leather and was ruched. Almond Premium leather had contrast stitching in Nutmeg, and Ebony Premium leather had stitching in Ivory. Sports leather had perforations, through which a bright metallic backing was visible. The leather and Alcantara option had plain leather for the bolsters and Alcantara for the insert panels; Lunar Alcantara went with Ebony leather, and Nutmeg Alcantara with Almond leather.
CONTRAST PANEL OPTIONS
S and SE models: Brunel was standard for the trim finishers. Diagonal-stitched door insert panels were standard for the S, and Straight Grain Walnut for the SE. There were no options for the S, but diagonal-stitched and Dark Zebrano inserts were both available for the SE.
HSE, Supercharged and HST models: Noble was standard for the trim finishers. Diagonal-stitched door insert panels were standard for the Supercharged models; Dark Zebrano was standard for the HSE; and Lined Oak for the HST. Straight Grain Walnut was an option for all these models, while Dark Zebrano was optional for the Supercharged and HST types; Premium leather inserts were optional for the HSE and HST models.
Wheel and Tyre Options, 2009 Model-Year
Centre caps normally carried a gold-on-green Land Rover logo, but those for the Supercharged models were silver on black.
For the 2009 model-year, Land Rover also introduced an Option Pack system. This grouped some of the most popular options into a series of packages, so making choices easier for customers and reducing complication on the assembly lines. There were seven Option Packs, as follows:
Clear View Pack: Front fog lamps, headlamp washers, automatic headlamps, rain sensor, electrochromatic (self-dipping) rear view mirror. (Suitable for the S models only, because all this equipment was already standard on the others.)
Cold Climate Pack: Heated windscreen, heated washer jets, and heated front and rear seats. (All this equipment was standard on Supercharged models.)
Dynamic Pack: 20in ten-spoke or Stormer wheels, Dynamic Response system, Brembo brakes, and Bi-Xenon headlamps. (Not available on TDV8 or Supercharged models.)
Hi ICE Pack: Harmon/kardon ICE system with eight speakers, passive sub-woofer audio amplifier, and in-dash 6×CD autochanger. (All this equipment was standard on HSE models and above.)
Memory Pack: Memory for seats and door mirrors with three settings for the driver; power lumbar support adjustment for the driver’s seat. (All this equipment was standard on HSE models and above.)
Premium ICE Pack: Harmon/kardon LOGIC 7 ICE system with thirteen speakers, active subwoofer, DSP amplifier, and rear headphone module. (All this equipment was standard on Supercharged models.)
Tow Pack: Fixed-height swan-neck tow hitch (or receiver) and electrics.
