Range Rover Sport: behind the scenes
We go mucking about in the dunes outside Dubai with the Land Rover development team
Will the basic versions still do this though?
"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
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
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
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Cheers,
Dan
The configurator on their site works really well, the options for accessories etc are really impressive. Even going mental and choosing every toy a supercharged V8 comes in at a shade over £90k, what does a tweaked X5/Cayenne end up at nowadays?
Cheers,
Dan
The configurator on their site works really well, the options for accessories etc are really impressive. Even going mental and choosing every toy a supercharged V8 comes in at a shade over £90k, what does a tweaked X5/Cayenne end up at nowadays?
Cayenne Turbo fully loaded is £134k (Base price: £ 85,651.00 Options;£ 48,317.0) that is with £10k worth of power kit and £6k of ceramic brakes though
BMW X5M is £97k (£69k base £12k options £15k VAT
Video of push-button raising of third row;
https://vine.co/v/bjKFgn2rWOe
Cayenne Turbo fully loaded is £134k (Base price: £ 85,651.00 Options;£ 48,317.0) that is with £10k worth of power kit and £6k of ceramic brakes though
BMW X5M is £97k (£69k base £12k options £15k VAT
I think I may have went overboard with the options list....
Presumably most Camaro owners' expectations of quality are irreversibly skewed by having lived in a "trailer" since birth.
http://bridgetogantry.com/2/index.php/home/spy-sho...
https://vine.co/v/bjKFgn2rWOe
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