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 Being an automotive journalist has many positives. Your perceived rating as a driver goes up by a significant percentage the moment you get the coveted tag. The fact made itself very evident to me recently. i have known Mr. Jayant Pawar for quite sometime now. The man gave me my first (passenger seat) ride in a sportscar - a BMW Z3! I met him again after a few years , this time with the badge of an automotive journalist. With my significantly up rated credentials , it didn’t take much persuasion before Mr. Pawar agreed to offer me a drive in his newly acquired Range Rover Sport HSE. Since I wanted to experience the mud plugger in its natural habitat , we decided on meeting at a slushy location near Pune the next morning.
The Range Rover Sport was introduced by Land Rover three years ago in 2005. Built on the shortened chassis and modified underpinnings of the Discovery 3 , the Range Rover has five seats. Its shorter chassis has managed to give the Range Rover its off-roading dynamics. Prior to this , the best off-roader that I had driven was the Mitsubishi Pajero. The Japanese SUV impressed me a lot with its prowess off the tar. I wondered how much better the Range Rover could be to justify its humongous cost premium over the Mitsu. I was to get the answers to all my questions in the next few hours.
The Range Rover isn’t the most pretty looking vehicle around. The car still has a boxy design. And considering that it competes against some beautiful looking German SUVs , the British machine doesn’t manage to score many brownie points by virtue of its aesthetics. The dark tinted windows merging with the black pillars give the Range Rover its signature ‘floating roof’ and add a bit of flair to the otherwise very conventional design. The front of the car with a huge honeycomb mesh grille and that massive bumper look huge and intimidating. The adaptive headlights follow the movement of the steering wheel and are narrower than on the ones on the Discovery 3. The tailgate looks like a blown up version of some of the 80’s international hatches with a keenly slanting glass area straightening up as it meets the metal. Although huge , the Range Rover still isn’t as intimidating or mean looking as some of its Aryan counterparts.
 The Range Rover Sport is offered in three engine variants , a 4.2-litre supercharged V8 petrol and 3.6-litre V8 and 2.7-litre V6 oil burners all mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox. Though the car that I drove was powered by the least displacement mill , the power and torque on tap was enough to make me fall in love with it. The 2.7-litre engine produces about 190PS of peak power. What blew my mind though was the 440Nm of enormous torque that the motor produces at a mere 1900rpm. This beast can bring a castle down while doing an unassuming 30km/h in third gear – impressive! It leaves me wondering what the V8s would do. The power is distributed full-time to all four wheels. In the six-speed automatic gearbox , you can opt to manually change gear by knocking the gear lever over to the left and then pushing it up (for up shifting) or pulling it down (for down shifting) to select the desired ratios.
Getting into the car , I immediately realized how elegantly the car designers have styled the cabin. Beige leathers , a grey centre console and the graceful wooden bits blend exceptionally well and contribute to its premium SUV tag. The controls on the steering wheel are neatly laid out and conveniently accessible. To gauge the true off-roading capabilities of the Range Rover , we took it to a stone quarry which was covered with plenty of rocks , ruts and soft mud - a setting ruthless enough to let any sissy car know exactly where it belongs. Soft , sticky mud and a lack of traction made the conditions all the more treacherous. However , it was a breeze for the Range Rover Sport with its Terrain Response System - a major advancement in off-roading technology. This peerless system optimizes the driveability and comfort as well as maximizes traction whenever needed. Imagine you are descending a slippery , steep downhill terrain with the Range Rover Sport and need to go slow. With the intelligent traction control , this Landie will apply brakes to only the wheel that has maximum traction available. Truly incredible! This leaves you with a very little chance to skid , making it pretty safe off the tarmac. The Terrain Response System can actually select the most appropriate setting for the vehicle’s advanced electronic controls and traction aids automatically. Ride height , engine torque response , hill descent control (which limits downhill speed) , traction control , transmission and differential settings are all taken care of by the Terrain Response System.
Right below the gear knob is a rotary dial which allows you to adjust settings manually for different driving conditions. While entering a slushy terrain , I decided to manually change the setting from the selection dial to Mud and Ruts. As soon as I selected the special program , the LCD on the dash which otherwise serves as a navigator or an in-car entertainment unit , displayed the suspension image and the selected driving mode. It showed two images of the wheels and suspension; One was the top view and the other was of the horizontal plane from the backside of the car. It displays the kind of terrain on which the car is being driven on and the current condition of the tyres and suspension. Now that’s some serious data right in front of you! Setting the suspension is as easy as pressing a button – literally. A two-way switch has been provided; press it up to raise the suspension and push it down to lower it. With the  suspension raised and the special driving mode selected , I was all set to go through the slush with no hassles. And believe me , the RR Sport made off-roading seem like child’s play. With the suspension raised , the underbody of the car was totally off the slushy track. The four-wheel drive coupled with the enormous amount of torque didn’t even make me realize how much mud and slush we had left behind.
Along with this intelligent Terrain Response System , the centre differential is fully active. This electronic-diff biases drive between the front and rear axles (in normal conditions it is distributed 50:50) and automatically varies torque depending on the terrain. This is more artificial intelligence than what I can imagine was associated with the Pathfinder. The e-diff also gets locked to help traction in extreme driving conditions , again automatically. Having experienced the car’s incredible off-roading capabilities , I turned my attention towards the driver and passenger comfort incorporated in the Sport HSE. The driver’s seat is eight-way electrically adjustable with the ability to memorize three different drivers’ settings. Since the car has been made for the cooler climatic conditions of the UK , all the seats have been equipped with two stage heating elements. This piece of equipment should prove functional to the enthusiasts venturing into the colder areas of the country as opposed to those driving in the scorching heat of Pune or Mumbai. As far as safety features are concerned , the car has a total of eight airbags to be deployed in case of an event. The most important safety feature on the RR Sport comes in the form of an Active Roll Mitigation (ARM) System. The equipment monitors the stability of the vehicle and predicts whether a roll over is imminent by predicting when the vehicle becomes lighter on one side in a fast corner and then utilizing the braking system to stabilize the vehicle. The Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) monitors wheel speed and the steering angle to ensure safe cornering correcting oversteer or understeer with the use of the braking system. All these safety features equipped in the SUV will give you more confidence to conquer uncharted terrains.
Throughout this off-road exploit , the Range Rover astounded me in some way or the other. Even on tarmac , the smooth and refined Jaguar engine and plush interiors give you the feel of driving a luxury car than an SUV. Being smaller than a conventional Land Rover , the Sport is a breeze to drive in the City and brilliant when it comes to fitting into those tight parking slots – something you will rejoice if you are in a country like India. The car gives the enthusiast the comfort of a luxury car on a terrain of rocks and rubble. Though I had a short stint with this SUV , I am craving to go to the Saharas or the Himalayas on it and exploit territories that I have only dreamt about going to! Knowing the (off-) roads and driving terrains in India , I don’t think Tata should delay getting the LR brand here!
More photos:
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The Range Rover Sport was introduced by Land Rover three years ago in 2005. Built on the shortened chassis and modified underpinnings of the Discovery 3 , the Range Rover has five seats. Its shorter chassis has managed to give the Range Rover its off-roading dynamics. Prior to this , the best off-roader that I had driven was the Mitsubishi Pajero. The Japanese SUV impressed me a lot with its prowess off the tar. I wondered how much better the Range Rover could be to justify its humongous cost premium over the Mitsu. I was to get the answers to all my questions in the next few hours.
The Range Rover isn’t the most pretty looking vehicle around. The car still has a boxy design. And considering that it competes against some beautiful looking German SUVs , the British machine doesn’t manage to score many brownie points by virtue of its aesthetics. The dark tinted windows merging with the black pillars give the Range Rover its signature ‘floating roof’ and add a bit of flair to the otherwise very conventional design. The front of the car with a huge honeycomb mesh grille and that massive bumper look huge and intimidating. The adaptive headlights follow the movement of the steering wheel and are narrower than on the ones on the Discovery 3. The tailgate looks like a blown up version of some of the 80’s international hatches with a keenly slanting glass area straightening up as it meets the metal. Although huge , the Range Rover still isn’t as intimidating or mean looking as some of its Aryan counterparts.
Getting into the car , I immediately realized how elegantly the car designers have styled the cabin. Beige leathers , a grey centre console and the graceful wooden bits blend exceptionally well and contribute to its premium SUV tag. The controls on the steering wheel are neatly laid out and conveniently accessible. To gauge the true off-roading capabilities of the Range Rover , we took it to a stone quarry which was covered with plenty of rocks , ruts and soft mud - a setting ruthless enough to let any sissy car know exactly where it belongs. Soft , sticky mud and a lack of traction made the conditions all the more treacherous. However , it was a breeze for the Range Rover Sport with its Terrain Response System - a major advancement in off-roading technology. This peerless system optimizes the driveability and comfort as well as maximizes traction whenever needed. Imagine you are descending a slippery , steep downhill terrain with the Range Rover Sport and need to go slow. With the intelligent traction control , this Landie will apply brakes to only the wheel that has maximum traction available. Truly incredible! This leaves you with a very little chance to skid , making it pretty safe off the tarmac. The Terrain Response System can actually select the most appropriate setting for the vehicle’s advanced electronic controls and traction aids automatically. Ride height , engine torque response , hill descent control (which limits downhill speed) , traction control , transmission and differential settings are all taken care of by the Terrain Response System.
Right below the gear knob is a rotary dial which allows you to adjust settings manually for different driving conditions. While entering a slushy terrain , I decided to manually change the setting from the selection dial to Mud and Ruts. As soon as I selected the special program , the LCD on the dash which otherwise serves as a navigator or an in-car entertainment unit , displayed the suspension image and the selected driving mode. It showed two images of the wheels and suspension; One was the top view and the other was of the horizontal plane from the backside of the car. It displays the kind of terrain on which the car is being driven on and the current condition of the tyres and suspension. Now that’s some serious data right in front of you! Setting the suspension is as easy as pressing a button – literally. A two-way switch has been provided; press it up to raise the suspension and push it down to lower it. With the
suspension raised and the special driving mode selected , I was all set to go through the slush with no hassles. And believe me , the RR Sport made off-roading seem like child’s play. With the suspension raised , the underbody of the car was totally off the slushy track. The four-wheel drive coupled with the enormous amount of torque didn’t even make me realize how much mud and slush we had left behind.
Along with this intelligent Terrain Response System , the centre differential is fully active. This electronic-diff biases drive between the front and rear axles (in normal conditions it is distributed 50:50) and automatically varies torque depending on the terrain. This is more artificial intelligence than what I can imagine was associated with the Pathfinder. The e-diff also gets locked to help traction in extreme driving conditions , again automatically. Having experienced the car’s incredible off-roading capabilities , I turned my attention towards the driver and passenger comfort incorporated in the Sport HSE. The driver’s seat is eight-way electrically adjustable with the ability to memorize three different drivers’ settings. Since the car has been made for the cooler climatic conditions of the UK , all the seats have been equipped with two stage heating elements. This piece of equipment should prove functional to the enthusiasts venturing into the colder areas of the country as opposed to those driving in the scorching heat of Pune or Mumbai. As far as safety features are concerned , the car has a total of eight airbags to be deployed in case of an event. The most important safety feature on the RR Sport comes in the form of an Active Roll Mitigation (ARM) System. The equipment monitors the stability of the vehicle and predicts whether a roll over is imminent by predicting when the vehicle becomes lighter on one side in a fast corner and then utilizing the braking system to stabilize the vehicle. The Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) monitors wheel speed and the steering angle to ensure safe cornering correcting oversteer or understeer with the use of the braking system. All these safety features equipped in the SUV will give you more confidence to conquer uncharted terrains.
Throughout this off-road exploit , the Range Rover astounded me in some way or the other. Even on tarmac , the smooth and refined Jaguar engine and plush interiors give you the feel of driving a luxury car than an SUV. Being smaller than a conventional Land Rover , the Sport is a breeze to drive in the City and brilliant when it comes to fitting into those tight parking slots – something you will rejoice if you are in a country like India. The car gives the enthusiast the comfort of a luxury car on a terrain of rocks and rubble. Though I had a short stint with this SUV , I am craving to go to the Saharas or the Himalayas on it and exploit territories that I have only dreamt about going to! Knowing the (off-) roads and driving terrains in India , I don’t think Tata should delay getting the LR brand here!
More photos:
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I recently brought the V8 Range and I must say that it is trully an amazing machine.The only question I have for any experts out there is what is the reason for the weights hanging at the back of the chassis?