Startech unveils tuned Range Rover Sport

German tuner Startech has just unveiled their tuning program for the 2014 Range Rover Sport and picked the 2013 Essen Motor Show -- Europe's equivalent of SEMA -- as the debut venue. Startech has been in the Land Rover and Jaguar tuning business for over a decade, though their products are not that well known this side of the Atlantic. But the growing variety and popularity of Range Rover vehicles on this side of the pond just might change that.

Startech used the 3.0-liter SDV6 diesel engine, which already offers 292 hp and an impressive 443 lb-ft of torque, as the starting point for this project. The tuning house managed to squeeze an extra 31 hp and an extra 58 lb-ft of torque through remapped engine management, for a total of 323 hp and 501 lb-ft of torque. These figures give their version of the Range Rover sport the ability to accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 6.9 seconds, up to a top speed of 138 mph, which is actually all the speed we'd be comfortable seeing from a rather large and heavy SUV. Impressive figures from that 3.0-liter SDV6 sitting in what is aerodynamically a big chunk of granite -- it wasn't too long ago that big V8s struggled to produce figures like this.

Startech
Startech has also reworked the front fascia for greater aerodynamic efficiency. (And it looks good, too).

The changes extend to the exterior as well--in case you haven't noticed--and here Startech doesn't disappoint with a bespoke body kit that actually looks factory-quality, in addition to an imaginative rear fascia incorporating a sport-exhaust system with butterfly valves leading to four vertical tail pipes. The exterior changes include a new front bumper with integrated LED daytime-running lights, side skirts, and a rear apron with redesigned diffuser. The changes also include a redesigned hood and a rear spoiler for the top of the hatch, though our favorite visual detail in the back is perhaps the F1-style LED taillight -- an extra warning light to those who'll be following you in traffic and a prompt for them to start guessing about what version of the Range Rover this is.

Startech
The interior has also been reworked by the tuner, and will be offered with Nappa leather, among other options.

The interior has also received attention and the changes have been kept similarly modest, with napa leather and Alcantara upholstery for the seats, the instrument panels, and the door panels. A number of carbon fiber and wood inserts will be available, in addition to more basic things like Startech's own floor mats.

Prices have yet to be announced for the SDV6 version of Startech's Range Rover Sport, though it's perhaps the body kit that might entice Range Rover fans on this side of the Atlantic because the diesel V6 is not available on this side of the pond. Right now, the gas LR-V6 and the V8 are the sole powerplants available in stateside Range Rover Sport models.

By Jay Ramey