Range Rover boosts power and efficiency

Farmers Guardian spent a week with the entry-level TDV6 Sport. The £50,000 price tag, putting it in the luxury market, is made more acceptable by the arrival of a sequential twin turbo V6 diesel, ousting the lazy 2.7.

With 29 per cent more power and 36 per cent more torque than the 2.7, it closes the gap on the V8 oil burner by no small margin and almost questions its continued role in the line-up.

Packing 245hp and 600Nm of torque, the V6 diesel gives an average of around 8 per cent better fuel consumption and lower emissions. Expect 30.7mpg on the combined cycle.

The supercharged petrol version has better environmental credentials, despite a monumental hike in power to 510hp.

Both diesel and petrol engines feature deeper sumps to accommodate extreme tilting angles to which the Range Rover Sport may be subjected off-road.

In addition, belt drives are water-proofed, as are the alternator, air-conditioning compressor, power steering pump and starter motor. There is a 16,000 mile-service interval for the V6 diesel.

Along with a sophisticated chassis and revised suspension set-up, which benefits from Dynamic Response software on TDV8 and supercharged models to sharpen up the handling, the Sport is more than capable of going head-to-head with the laws of physics.

With better body and ride control, it is now much easier to exploit the 2.5 tonne Sport’s capabilities on the road.

It no longer feels like a wallowing leviathan, but an agile, almost sports-like drive which is tight, nimble and can be threaded through bends thanks to stiffer front suspension, giving a tighter steering feel, complimenting the extra zest from the new V6 diesel.

Noise levels

Noise levels rise when the V6 is pushed, but it is surprisingly hushed when cruising.

Throttle response is much sharper, gearshift patterns have been tweaked and there is immediate access to a wall of torque produced by two different-sized turbos sharing low and high-rpm workloads.

Uprated four-pot brakes taken from the old supercharged model help to keep the diesel Range Sport firmly in check.

Off-road performance remains largely unchanged, apart from a few software upgrades, while the interior is a blend of cabinet-maker and bespoke leather furniture, factory topped with lashings of gadgets.

A host of personal audio storage devices can be plugged in, there is a surround vision system with five digital cameras giving a near-360 degree view around the Sport, plus keyless entry and push-button start. It is all contained within a cleaner, much neater interior.

There has never been a better reason to want to leave the farm office.

Have your say

Please do not complete the following form field for security reasons.

Name

E-mail

Comment

Post as

Anonymously

Display name