Alongside the redesigned LR4 and updated Range Rover comes a new Range Rover Sport for the 2010 model year. On display at the New York Auto Show, the Range Rover Sport receives two new engine options and a number of exterior and interior refinements.

LED headlamps combine with a new two-bar grille, front bumpers and fenders to improve the car’s road presence. At the rear, new light clusters and a revised bumper design mirror the smoother front-end. The interior has been redesigned, using higher quality materials, soft-touch finishes and better craftsmanship to create an environment that is “truly worthy of the Range Rover brand,” the company said in a statement.

But the most significant changes on the 2010 Range Rover Sport are to its powertrains. The vehicle can be ordered with either a 510 horsepower LR-V8 5.0-liter supercharged mill, or a 375 hp LR-V8 5.0 liter naturally aspirated engine. The new naturally aspirated vehicle can hit 60 mph in 7.2 seconds, while the supercharged variant takes just 5.9 seconds. Both LR-V8 engines are mated to the ZF HP28 six-speed automatic transmission.

The front brakes for the naturally aspirated vehicle are four-piston units mated to 14.2-inch ventilated front discs, while the rear brakes are single-piston units and with 13.8-inch rotors. The supercharged model sports 15-inch discs with six-piston calipers in the front, and 14.3-inch discs with single-piston calipers in the rear.

Steering response is improved on the Range Rover Sport with the stiffening of the front suspension lower arm forward bushing, enhancing the sense of driver involvement with the vehicle at higher speeds.

The Terrain Response system boasts a series of improvements, including improved performance when tackling challenging terrain like sand or large rocks. For soft sand conditions, a “sand launch control” mode makes for noticeably easier drive-away. New, speed-dependent wheel-slip targets for the traction control system permit only very limited initial wheel-slip, helping to prevent the wheels digging down into the sand. The system also has an improved rock crawl program for better control while traversing boulders or driving through rocky terrain.

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