After the cultural earthquake that was Land Rover's decision to offer two-wheel drive in Freelander and
Evoque
, the brand has again been fracking its off-road bedrock by removing the low-range gearbox on entry versions of the
new Range Rover Sport
. Along with other tarmac focused decisions like fitting a BMW M-style active rear diff, the aim in part is to release the sport in the Sport. But can it really match the X5 and Cayenne and still keep up the pretence of being unstoppable off-road?
Will the basic versions still do this though?
To try and convince us it hasn't muddled up the famed DNA to create a dangerously confused Frankenbeast, Land Rover took us to Dubai for a pre-launch demo ahead of first deliveries in September.
"On-road dynamics were absolutely paramount to us," says project engineering chief Craig Carter, looking very comfortable at the (Jaguar-sourced) wheel of the top-spec five-litre supercharged version. "90 per cent of the time we can now match the BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne." Bold claims indeed.
Speed humps
We're about to get a power demo on the ruler-straight desert road ahead of us. It looks empty, but Carter radios a locally based test engineer at the back of our small convoy anyway: "Any cameras down here?"
Camo remains to prevent locals trying to buy
"No cameras, but watch for camels," comes the reply. We spy no speed-limiting humps, and Carter immediately calls up all 510hp. The car is ballistically quick, pulling off that authentic seat-pinning action of a properly fast motor. As we tear off, a fabulous snarl shatters the cabin hush via one of Jaguar's 'bark tubes' that pokes through a hole in the bulkhead.
After hitting 60mph from zero in five seconds dead, the five-litre will carry on to a limited 155mph. Carter reckons that's achieved in sixth with two more gears to go.
Cost of living
Quick in a straight line is something you'd expect. It's also expensive at £81,550 for the sole Autobiography spec. A similar power-for-price trade-off is expected from next year's 339hp V8 diesel and SDV6-based diesel hybrid.
Flat out in the desert the V8 feels immense
Of more interest is the dust storm around ditching the low-range gearbox from the entry 258hp TDV6 SE 3.0-litre diesel (£51,550) and the cheapest SDV6 with the 292hp version of the same engine (£59,995). Expect the same for the new two-litre turbocharged petrol version expected very soon and likely to bring the start price closer to BMW's £45,000 entry for the X5.
The new Sport is already much lighter thanks to a wholesale switch to the new Range Rover's aluminum platform, knocking off a whopping 420kg like-for-like from the old Discovery-based Sport. These two base diesel models drop to 2.1 tonnes after losing another 18kg by removing the low-range gearbox and replacing the locking centre diff with a lightweight Torsen (torque sensing) diff. On the road this passive system has a slight rear bias to make it a bit more oversteery, according to Carter, but off-road the tech is a long way from the Land Rover ideal. "It has to sense slip to work but the golden rule off-road is that you don't slip," he says.
A luxurious place to soak up 42-degree heat
The solution was to borrow some electronic brake trickery from the ESC anti-spin tech. A split second of slip is allowed, enough for the Torsen to do its thing, then a dab of brake stops the slip, leaving the opposite wheel to take on the work. We'd love to report that at this juncture a dromedary, representing ghosts of Camel Trophies past, hawked a massive green one on the bonnet and flounced off. No reason they should get the hump according to Carter [Enough camel jokes already - Ed.]
"It will beat all competitors with a locking diff," says Carter. Everywhere a low-range equipped Sport will go, the Torsen-fitted lightweights will follow, he claims. Of course, it's easy to argue that off-road ability is an unnecessary appendage on a car with the image of the Sport. Even the tweedier country customer is probably more impressed by the option (£1,500) to make it a seven-seater. It's fair to say on-road abilities are more important overall, but there's a certain irony that the X5-chasing tech available with the Dynamic pack isn't available on cars without the heavy low-range gear set.
No low-range for entry-level versions
Anyone wanting the full air-sprung, limo-riding, dune-blasting, corner-baiting Sport has to pay from £64,995 for the SDV6 HSE Dynamic. This hands you not only the active rear diff made by the same British engineering firm that created BMW's M Differential, but also active dampers, active anti-roll bars and torque vectoring. The latter is Land Rover picking the most expensive option from Bosch's electronic brake dabbery menu. It pinches the inner wheel for sharper, less-understeery cornering, and is the same system as used by the McLaren 12C, Carter tells us.
Switch to Dynamic and the dials go red (both on the TFT digital version and the analogue) and among other parameter changes, the ESC allows more slip. This frees it up to four-wheel-drift, says Carter. We look up from our notebook to confirm he actually said this, before a demonstration.
About the one place a V8 petrol makes sense
Via some sand. In 42 degree heat, we're driven through some of the iconic 'waves of sand' dunes (near Madam, if any Dubai PHers are reading) to a high-sided bowl the size of a football stadium. There the local head of Land Rover's test facility drives the supercharged Sport around the perimeter in wall-of-death style, surfing over the loose sand in elegant style. The neat plastic bumper insert was pulled off to reveal the recessed front tow hook, but it wasn't even close to being needed.
So we're suitably impressed; it's got the glitzy kerbside presence, leather hushed interior, GT surge and tech to defy physics in the bends. And the ability to drive through the nearest desert/jungle/river. But only if you stump up the cash for the Dynamic spec. The big question is can the more prosaic versions offer anywhere near the same ability?
Build your own
Anyone who wants to delve deep into the Range Rover Sport specification can check out this digital brochure. More detail on clever options, for example the wading depth detector. How high can you go with the spec?
RANGE ROVER SPORT SDV6 HSE
Engine: 2,993cc, V6 diesel turbocharged
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 292hp@4,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 442@2,000rpm (same as TDV6)
0-62mph: 6.8sec
Top speed: 130mph (138mph for Dynamic models)
Weight: 2,115kg
MPG: 37.7mpg (claimed)
CO2: 199g/km
Price: £59,995