Range Rover Sport L494: Every Engine, Every Fault, One Workshop

Pull up next to someone in a Sport and tell them it's a 2.0 four cylinder producing 300 horsepower and 400 Nm, and they'll probably look at you sideways. The PT204 Ingenium petrol is that convincing. Bosch MED17.9.9 runs the show, compression sits at 10.5:1, and with a bore of 83mm and stroke of 92mm it's a fairly long stroke unit tuned for usable torque rather than outright revs. On paper and on the road, it does exactly what Land Rover promised.

In the workshop, though, a different story starts to emerge once the kilometres stack up. Direct injection means the intake valves never see fuel wash, so carbon builds up on the backs of the valves and eventually causes rough running and misfires. This isn't unique to Land Rover, it's a known trait of GDI engines generally, but the PT204 can be particularly stubborn once the deposits are established. Walnut blasting or a proper chemical clean is the fix, not a bottle of injector cleaner.

The timing chain is the one to take seriously. Listen for a brief rattle on a cold start, especially when it's been sitting overnight. If you catch chain stretch early the tensioner and chain replacement is manageable. Leave it, and you're looking at a much bigger job. This is also one of those engines where a generic scan tool will only tell you half the story. We run the factory Land Rover platforms, SDD and Pathfinder, which means we can read all modules, perform proper calibrations, and code replacement parts correctly rather than just clearing codes and hoping.

If you're coming from the older SDV6 diesels in this page, the Si4 is the cleaner, simpler daily driver. No DPF to manage, no AdBlue to top up, no EGR soot to deal with. The trade off is you're watching for timing chain health and intake valve carbon instead. Neither engine is trouble free, they just have different conversations with the workshop.

The 249hp tune of the 3.0 SDV6, coded 30DDTX, runs a Bosch EDC17C55, a slightly different ECU family to the higher output variants. Compression is 16.1:1, same bore and stroke as its siblings at 84x90mm, and it delivers 600 Nm of torque. In reality it drives very close to the 275hp car, and most owners wouldn't feel a meaningful difference in everyday use.

What they do feel eventually, if left unattended, is the cost of the SDV6's known weak spots. The crankshaft and timing chain assembly wear on higher mileage examples, and the front timing cover and oil cooler area are classic oil leak locations. We've seen cars that have been leaking quietly for a long time before the owner noticed anything wrong. By that point there's usually a good clean needed before any further diagnosis.

The DPF story on this engine is worth spelling out. If the car spends most of its life in Auckland city traffic, the DPF rarely gets hot enough to complete a passive regeneration. Active regens kick in but eventually the filter loads up faster than it can clean itself. The fix isn't aggressive, it's proper diagnosis of regen frequency, soot load readings from factory diagnostics, and either a forced regen or a clean depending on what the data shows. Don't let anyone skip the data and just throw parts at it.

The 275hp SDV6 runs a Bosch EDC17CP55 and produces 625 Nm from the same 2993cc V6 architecture. Where the 249hp car uses a twin scroll arrangement, the 275hp variant's tri turbo setup is what gives the SDV6 name its reputation for effortless, broad band torque delivery. It's the version most people picture when they think L494 diesel.

The fault pattern overlaps significantly with the 249hp car because the fundamental architecture is the same. Timing chains sit at the rear of the engine, which means when they do need attention it's a substantial undertaking. You want to catch this one early. A cold start rattle that disappears after a minute is worth investigating properly rather than ignoring. Crankcase breathers and oil coolers cause oil consumption and can mask other issues, and the EGR system on these tri turbo cars gets carboned up on urban duty cycles.

The air suspension is something we check on every L494 that comes through, regardless of engine. The compressor and air springs wear with age and Auckland's stop start traffic doesn't help. A car that sits noticeably lower at one corner overnight has a leak. We pressure test the system and identify which component is at fault before recommending any parts, rather than guessing.

Stage 1 tuning on the 275hp SDV6 takes it to 305hp and 675 Nm, a 30hp and 50 Nm gain. That extra torque is felt immediately in the mid range where these cars spend most of their time.

The AJ126 supercharged 3.0 V6 is a different beast entirely. Where the SDV6 diesels pull with torque from low revs, the supercharged petrol builds pressure through the rev range and rewards driving it properly. 340 horsepower and 450 Nm from 2995cc, with the Bosch MED17.8.32 or MG1CS028 managing fuelling depending on the specific build. Compression sits at 10.5:1 and the bore/stroke is 84.5x89mm, slightly oversquare compared to the Ingenium four.

This engine has its own set of known failure points, distinct from either the SDV6 diesels or the PT204 four. The supercharger nose cone bearing is the one most owners don't see coming. When it goes, it can start as a whine that gets attributed to other things, and by the time it's obviously wrong it can cause collateral damage. Related to this, the coolant crossover pipe on the AJ126 is a known weak point. It cracks, often quietly, and the coolant loss that follows can overheat the engine before warning lights catch up with what's happening.

Compared to the SDV6 cars on this page, the supercharged V6 is simpler in one respect: no DPF, no EGR, no AdBlue. You're not managing diesel aftertreatment systems or soot loads. What you are managing is a pressurised induction system and a cooling circuit that needs to stay honest. The trade off is a higher fuel bill, but for owners who want the petrol driving experience in an L494, this is the engine to have.

Stage 1 tuning takes the AJ126 to 400hp and 500 Nm, a 60hp and 50 Nm gain. On an engine that already pulls this hard, that's a meaningful step up. We also offer DTC removal on this platform.

The 306DT is the top spec diesel in the L494 lineup and it shows: 306hp and 700 Nm from the same 2993cc V6 package the other SDV6 tunes run. The ECU configuration on this variant is notably more complex, covering Bosch EDC17CP55, MED17.5.4, MED17.8.32 and MG1CS028 depending on build date and specification. That matters for diagnostics because you need the right tooling to talk to the right module correctly, and generic scan tools frequently can't navigate the full module network on these cars.

The 306DT has its own specific weak spots on top of the shared SDV6 fault pattern. The crankshaft damper and front pulley are known to fail on this engine code, and when they go they can throw the accessory belt or cause vibration that gets misdiagnosed. EGR coolers and DPF issues follow the same pattern as the lower output SDV6 cars, but with 306hp on tap this engine is often driven harder, which can actually help DPF regeneration on open road runs. The timing chains still deserve attention on high mileage examples.

The crankshaft damper failure is worth highlighting because it's the one that catches people off guard. The damper is a rubber bonded component and the rubber separates with age and heat cycling. You might notice a new vibration through the steering wheel or floor, or nothing at all until the belt comes off. On a car with this level of ancillary drive loading, losing the belt is not a minor inconvenience. We check the damper visually and by feel on every service booking.

Stage 1 tuning on the 306DT delivers 330hp and 750 Nm, a 24hp and 50 Nm gain. The torque figure in particular is substantial for towing or motorway work.