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2017 Range Rover Sport - Test Drive


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Range Rover Sport Masters Downhill Alpine Ski Challenge

 

Speeds of 96mph, 75 per cent gradients and a 2,170 metre descent, the Range Rover Sport has conquered it all on an Alpine ski course that has been the downfall of many skiers.

 

    Ultimate all-terrain performance SUV tackles the legendary Inferno downhill ski course in Mürren, Switzerland

    “Toughest ever route” for British racing driver and ex-‘Stig’, Ben Collins

    Fearsome 14.9km test completed in 21min 36sec at up to 96mph (155kmh)

    510PS 5.0-litre V8 supercharged Range Rover Sport the king of the hill

 

Speeds of 96mph, 75 per cent gradients and a 2,170 metre descent, the Range Rover Sport has conquered it all on an Alpine ski course that has been the downfall of many skiers.

 

The Range Rover Sport is the ultimate luxury performance SUV and the first-ever production vehicle to attempt the fearsome ski run. Piloted by renowned race and stunt driver Ben Collins, the all-terrain super-SUV tackled the treacherous terrain on the 14.9km downhill route at Mürren in Switzerland, completing it in 21min 36sec.

During the 2,170m descent, the Range Rover Sport followed the route used by skiers on the tough Inferno Mürren, one of the oldest and most challenging downhill races. It tackled snow, ice, loose rock, mud, broken asphalt, grass and gravel, helped by Land Rover’s pioneering Terrain Response technology.

Introduced in 2013, Range Rover Sport is a genuine Land Rover success story, delivering all the refinement and capability expected from a large SUV with the performance normally associated with a sports car. Land Rover’s latest InControl Touch Pro infotainment system, Advanced Tow Assist technology and efficient 2.0-litre Ingenium diesel engine were all introduced to the nameplate in August

 

British racer Collins, famous for his role as ‘The Stig’ on Top Gear was pushed to the limit by hairpin bends and the danger of sheer drops.

"This was genuinely one of the hardest tests I’ve faced in my driving career. The route was insane and certainly the toughest course I’ve ever completed. It challenged you with every kind of obstacle this side of molten lava and as conditions go, it was about as bad as it gets – torrential weather mixed with cliffs, trees, all kinds of stuff you don't really want to crash into."

"This was genuinely one of the hardest tests I’ve faced in my driving career. The route was insane and certainly the toughest course I’ve ever completed. It challenged you with every kind of obstacle this side of molten lava and as conditions go, it was about as bad as it gets – torrential weather mixed with cliffs, trees, all kinds of stuff you don't really want to crash into."

 

The treacherous yet beautiful mountain course tested the Range Rover Sport’s capability with ice and sleet at the top, where Collins reached 75mph (120kmh), and fog and wet grass at the bottom, where he hit 96mph (155kmh).

 

The pioneering Terrain Response technology features six modes that will adapt the vehicle’s settings to the appropriate surface. For example, in Dynamic mode the Anti-Roll Bar is stiffened to reduce body roll, the Grass/Gravel/Snow mode reduces under and over steer by engine braking, while in Mud and Ruts, the rear differential is locked to allow controlled wheel slip for better traction.

 

On its way down the ultimate performance SUV tackled perilous gradients of up to 75 per cent - steeper than many black runs at famous ski resorts such as Chamonix - in freezing temperatures.

The feat was achieved in a Range Rover Sport with a 510PS 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol engine, standard apart from the essential safety additions of a roll cage and reinforced tyres.


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(edited)

Limited-run Range Rover SV Coupé revealed

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows-geneva-motor-show/limited-run-range-rover-sv-coup%C3%A9-revealed

 

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The new Range Rover SV Coupé means Land Rover can compete more directly than ever before with a plethora of luxury SUVs, including the Bentley BentaygaLamborghini Urus and forthcoming Rolls-Royce Cullinan.

The two-door SV Coupé will start from £240,000. Land Rover’s most expensive model to date has been the SVAutobiography LWB, priced from £177,030.

Although Range Rover models have an SUV heritage that its new rivals lack, this is the first time that Land Rover has been able to offer a car at the same exclusive, high-end level.

Like the SVAutobiography, the SV Coupé falls under Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations division, which has been ramping up its activities over the past couple of years.

As well as creating the Range Rover SVAutobiography, SVO is responsible for the Range Rover Sport SVR and for the Discovery SVX that will arrive later this year. These cars focus on the three core areas of luxury (SV), high performance (SVR) and off-road (SVX), with more models planned for each. The Range Rover Sport SVR is currently the division’s most successful product and sells 2500 units a year.

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The SV Coupé differs in that it is a so-called Collector’s Edition, in a similar vein to the 2017 Jaguar XE SV Project 8 and 2014 F-Type Project 7. The SV Coupé is limited to a production run of 999 units and the first deliveries are due this autumn.

It is the first model to be built from the ground up at SVO’s Technical Centre in Coventry. While the Project 8 starts with a standard XE body and is then modified, SVO has created a unique body the SV Coupé. It uses the platform of a standard Range Rover with minor modifications and builds its own bodyshell on to that.

The only remaining parts from a standard Range Rover are the bonnet and the lower half of the tailgate.

The two-door SV Coupé has very similar dimensions to a standard four-door Range Rover. The car is 8mm lower and 13mm longer. It is also offered with 23in wheels, a first for Land Rover.

Land Rover design director Gerry McGovern described the model as a “lady or gentleman’s chariot”. He said: “It has compelling proportions and real presence. This isn’t a vehicle for the shy. It is a very sophisticated design.”

He said he had tried to create a balance of “performance prowess” and formality.

Although the SV Coupé is a nod to the first Range Rover, the two-door Series 1, it wasn’t the reason for the car’s creation. “It pays homage but we weren’t trying to replicate that vehicle,” said McGovern.

The optional two-tone seats – the rear seats are a darker leather and the front ones are lighter – are intended to highlight the model’s driver focus. “Chauffeurs who drive the Queen have the seat colours the other way round [dark in the front, light in the rear],” said McGovern. “This way makes it far more road-oriented.”

He also said the model “talks to exclusivity” and will have “a very good halo effect on Range Rover in terms of building its equity”.

When asked whether a standard Range Rover coupé could ever make production, he said: “It depends on what volume potential is there. Coupés generally don’t have a high uptake. For the same price, you can get a car with four doors, so it’s a practicality issue. So as a mainstream vehicle, I don’t know. You could argue a Velar coupéwould look great. But we know the volume doesn’t normally justify it.”

Although the SV Coupé is a design-focused model, it is also the fastest full-sized Range Rover yet, achieving 0-62mph in 5.3sec and a top speed of 165mph. The Range Rover Sport SVR remains the quickest in the line-up, covering the 0-62mph sprint in 4.5sec.

The SV Coupé uses the same powertrain as the Range Rover SVAutobiography LWB: a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol engine producing 557bhp and 516lb ft mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission with a rotary drive selector and paddle shifters.

It has permanent four-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer box and active locking rear differential assisted by Land Rover’s Terrain Response 2 system, which has six settings that alter the car’s responses to suit different terrain.

The 8mm-lower ride height over a standard Range Rover delivers “enhanced dynamic performance and aesthetics”, claims Land Rover. The car can lower itself by 15mm above 65mph to improve stability and fuel economy.

The suspension has five height settings, including the most extreme Off Road 2, which raises the car 75mm above its normal ride height at up to 31mph. On top of that, it increases by 30-40mm if an obstacle is detected and a further manually selectable 30-40mm rise above that is available. The SV Coupé has a 3500kg towing capability, the same as a standard Range Rover and Bentley Bentayga, and a 900mm maximum wading depth.

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Inside, the two-tone leather interior is available in a choice of four dual colours as well as four single-tone colours. There are heated and cooled 20-way- adjustable front and 10-way- adjustable rear seats with a unique diamond quilt design.

SVO has also created a new veneer inspired by boat design and called Nautica veneer, which will eventually be rolled out to other special models. It uses a patented new form-following process to fuse walnut and sycamore together. Two other veneer options are also available.

The car features power- close doors for the first time on a Range Rover. “The doors are so large [1.4m long] you can’t reach,” said SVO director Mark Stanton. “It’s an essential.”

The SV Coupé’s infotainment system echoes that of recent Range Rovers such as the Velar. Its InControl Touch Pro Duo system includes a 10.0in display, 10.0in control panel and 12.0in interactive driver display. There is also a 10.0in head-up display and a 1700W 23-speaker Meridian 3D Signature sound system.

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Edited by DACH
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