One of Land Rover’s flagship products is the slick, Range Rover Sport, which impresses on the road not only with its unmistakable robust stance but also with its refined, clean lines. These design cues manifest themselves in the form of cleaner, more refined front and rear bumpers, as well as the eye-catching matrix, LED headlights.
The car turned out to be quite a head-turner on the streets of Mumbai as I drove the Range Rover Sport’s HSE Diesel variant. For city drivers, the luxury SUV augurs well for drivers who enjoy its muscle and rugged looks, fitted with all the bells and whistles of a luxury vehicle. A case in point is the plush cabin, which features Range Rover’s unmistakable leather steering wheel, minimalist interior panels, luxurious carpets, zone-wine climate control features and ambient interior lighting. Add to this, the car comes fitted with an impressive 825 W Meridian Surround System, which connects to your handheld devices via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. At the very heart of the front console is one of my favourite “Land Rover features”, the super interactive 10-inch screen, Touch Pro Duo, used in an easy interface for entertainment, information and navigation features. Driving long distance, and even through challenging terrains, is rendered extremely comfortable thanks to the chic Windsor leather upholstered seats (adjustable 16 ways), which perfectly complement the leather finishing and trims in the cabin, giving it that sense of British elegance.
Under the hood, the model that I am test driving features a 3.0 L diesel engine, promising to pump out a maximum power of 190 kW and a maximum torque of 600 Nm. It sprints from 0 to 100 kmph in an impressive 7.7 seconds. The SUV features an 8-speed Automatic transmission, which can be switched to the manual mode using the gearshift paddles behind the steering wheel. While the SUV lends itself beautifully to city roads, it will be pushed to its limits in an off-roading context, where its many features like adaptive dynamics and terrain response come into play, along with electronic air suspension and traction control. Another feature is the All Terrain Progress Control, which maximises performance in varying, often challenging, drive conditions like gravel, ice and even grassy terrain. The off-road experience is enhanced by the Terrain Response technology, which detects the kind of terrain and accordingly manages the performance of the engine, chassis and gears.
The Range Rover Sport comes power packed with safety features like Adjustable Speed Limited, Gradient Accelerator Control, Hill Launch Assist, Roll Stability Control and Dynamic Stability Control. landrover.in
