MORE sophisticated, lighter and with even better all-terrain performance, the new Range Rover Sport is now also the fastest, most agile and most responsive Land Rover ever built.
The figures are astonishing: largely through the lightweight aluminium architecture now being employed, it has shed 420kg - the equivalent weight of five adults. It is 33 per cent lighter than the previous version.
If you opt for the 5.0-litre 510PS V8 petrol engine you will find yourself behind the wheel of a vehicle that, despite its bulk and still considerable weight, will turn in sports car-like acceleration figures. How does 0 to 60mph in five seconds sound?
Seventy-five per cent of the parts have been changed in comparison with the Range Rover and that includes all-new suspension to help it deliver on both comfort and on-road dynamics.
Keen to show off the new vehicle to the world - the Range Rover is sold in 169 markets and sells most in the USA and China ahead of the UK - Range Rover executives invited motoring journalists from across the globe to try out this amazing vehicle in some environments that you might expect and another that was pure theatre.
First came a road exercise - 200 miles of twisty B-roads and motorway to demonstrate its agility.
The Sport corners more like a powerful estate car than a large SUV. You can tuck in with confidence and with a prod of the accelerator leave a bend at high speed with barely a thought for its bulk. It’s quite uncanny.
No car launch of this type would be complete without an off-road section, and the Land Rover Experience Centre at Eastnor Castle provided the toughest of off-road tests.
Here its dexterity, ability to cope with sludgy tracks, tight woodland gaps, hill climbs and descents and sheer nervejangling squeezes among tree trunks and rocks were tackled with relative ease.
And then came the river... where again the Sport ploughed on regardless, although the new wading graphic on the centre console came in handy as we reached the limit of the car’s capability to travel through waters 820mm deep - and increase of 150mm over the outgoing car.
With town and village flooding become a more and more common event, this feature might be an increasingly useful tool.
There was one final test to come at a small airfield. Here, the V8 petrol version was able to show its formidable acceleration on a deserted runway. I clocked 0 to 100mph in 16.1 seconds (slightly better than the 16.3 official figure) before slamming down the accelerator once more to reach 151mph and then braking hard to test not only its braking power but also its ability to hold a straight line under such testing conditions.
Finally, I drove the Sport up a steep ramp into a gutted Boeing 747 jumbo jet, where I eased the Sport along ramps and past obstacles before emerging at the front end of the plane and down another steep ramp.
Hundreds of road miles were clocked up over a couple of days, yet in the exquisite cabin it was nothing but a relaxing and very civilised experience in luxury surroundings.
Plush seating and surroundings, topnotch audio, and a wonderful feeling of wellbeing and wealth make every journey one to savour.
The attention to detail, such as the plump headrests that are surely the best in the business, is second to none.
Indeed, in Autobiography specification, the Sport’s cabin is now on a par with any top-notch executive saloon you care to mention.
It’s certainly spacious enough, while the Sport’s trump card – lofty driving position – will likely be a deal-clincher for some.
Of course, one pretty important reason to get the Sport over any conventional saloon is that improved all-weather and all-terrain ability.
For some the latter will rarely be exploited, yet the underlying ability is nothing short of breath-taking.
It’s helped in no small way by the Sport’s engine line-up. Predictably diesel dominates here, and while the beefy Supercharged petrol V8 is now faster and more powerful (and cleaner, too) it’s the new three-litre SDV6 diesel that’s destined to grab all the headlines.
A lesser-powered (and less expensive) TDV6 will follow in January.
The flagship V8 petrol might offer lots of power and torque, but the SDV6 delivers an experience that might be close enough for some.
Punchy when it comes to overtaking and powering out of corners yet quiet on the motorway, its makes off-roading a breeze.
The smooth eight-speed auto gearbox makes life inching over obstacles easy enough for novices to feel confident, while the various electronic aids help take your mind of the complicated stuff and allows you to concentrate on the muddy track ahead.
Land Rover's now familiar Terrain Response system really does make offroading a doddle.
Simply dial up the terrain - mud, snow, sand, etc - and transmission, differential and suspension settings are taken care of and adjusted when necessary. It's no wonder the car is popular when offroading is made this civilised.
You even get standard-fit mud-andsnow tyres with the new Sport, available in sizes from 19 to 22 inches.
There are too many new aspects to this Sport to mention them all, but the so-called “secret seating” in the back that transform the car from a five to a seven-seater will no doubt provide greater flexibility for those with children to carry.
The Range Rover Sport occupies the middle ground in the brand’s line-up, sitting below its big brother, the Range Rover, and the trendier coupe version, the Evoque.
It’s been a huge success, with 415,000 sales between 2005 launch and 2013 - many to the rich and famous, but plenty also to discerning buyers who really do need its awesome off-road and towing ability as well as its many other attributes.
Before building this more assertive Sport, owners and potential customers were asked what they wanted to see in the new version. “Give us more Range Rover and more Sport,” was the reply.
And that’s what they got.
With the premium ambience ratcheted up a few more notches and the car's already peerless off-roading given a further polish, you don't need to look anywhere else as nothing comes close.
Fact file
Range Rover Sport SDV6 HSE
PRICE: From £59,995 (Sport range from £51,550 for the TDV6 to £81,550 for 5.0 V8 Autobiography Dynamic)
ENGINE: Six cylinder 3.0-litre turbodiesel, producing 292bhp
TRANSMISSION: Eight-speed automatic
PERFORMANCE: 0 to 60mph in 6.8 seconds; top speed 124mph
ECONOMY: 37.7mpg combined
CO2 RATING: 199g/km
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here