Armoured vehicles are just cool. We should condemn the fact that we live in a world where such cars are required but, come on, it's a Range Rover that can withstand a 15kg TNT blast! And it's called a Sentinel. Cool name. GTA fans would prefer a saloon, of course, but who wouldn't want to be important enough to justify a Range Rover Sentinel?
Like a vault for people. Must weigh more
Working from the inside out, the Sentinel is built on a six-piece armoured steel passenger cell, apparently providing world-class protection. The new multi-laminated armour glass can withstand 'penetration by 7.62mm high velocity, armour piercing incendiary bullets.' If that doesn't make you feel safe enough, there's an anti-tamper exhaust, self-sealing fuel tank, auxiliary back-up battery and Emergency Escape System behind the rear seats if the worst should happen... This all contributes to certified VR8 protection against ballistic threats, which sounds very safe.
Now all this equipment must add some considerable weight to the already porky Range Rover. There isn't a kerbweight released but surely it has to be comfortably more than three tonnes? Whatever, it's only powered by the 3.0-litre supercharged V6 with 340hp, which doesn't really sound enough. What if some oik in a Golf R is chasing you? There will surely be plenty of requests for the supercharged V8 in due course.
The car for people that run cities
The suspension has been tweaked to account for the extra weight, with Land Rover stating the same off-road ability is retained; escape where possible! The wheels and run-flat tyres are unique, with bigger brakes and new pads fitted also. Everything is designed to ensure the Sentinel
get away, and who would bet against it?
Inside it's familiar as a Range Rover, only now the driving position is said to be a benefit because the unobscured view is 'particularly useful in the event of an attack'. Erk. But certainly no luxury is lost for the sake of security, which you would expect given the price of 400,000 euros (£292,000)...
Yes, staying safe from attack doesn't come cheap. That's before any of the bespoke options either, or the fire suppression systems, the siren, the emergency lights and the external speaker system. And how can you feel truly safe without a siren and lights? Orders are being taken now and you can have a poke around at the Defence and Security Equipment International Show next week.
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