Road Test: Land Rover Range Rover Sport 3.0 TDV6 HSE

Price as tested: €80,710

+ Comfort, versatility, refinement, handling, beguiling character
– Some cheap cabin trim, poor rear seat space
= Forget the eco-cribbing, this is one of the finest cars around

Is it moral to introduce a moral dimension to a road test? After all, a piece of this nature is mostly about consumer advice, significantly about having a diverting read for your lunch hour and really, that’s about it. Road testers are not wont to go into the ethical rights and wrongs of buying a car but, when taking a new Range Rover out for a spin in 2012 Ireland, it’s kind of a hard dimension to escape. After all, with 450,000 people on the dole lines, sea levels and weather patterns going bananas, the question of whether it is right and proper to drive a car of this type has to be asked.

Well, is it right?

Oh for pete’s sake, of course it is. You want proof? How about the fact that this 2012 Range Rover sport comes with host of technical changes that include an updated 3.0 TDV6 diesel engine and the latest, slick-shifting eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox that actually drops the car out of the top band for VRT and road tax. That’s right; there are sports cars and turbocharged hatchbacks that emit more Co2 per km than this big, beefy Rangie.

Besides which, if you take the classic quote of one of Roger Moore’s adversaries in The Man With The Golden Gun (I appear to be channeling Alan Partridge here...) “Guns do not kill Mr Bond, it is the finger that pulls the trigger.” In other words, if you’re that concerned about the potential damage that a Range Rover can do to the environment, then don’t buy one. It’s your choice. But at least if someone is spending the €80k necessary to nab one of these almost-but-not-quote top-spec HSE models (Autobiography is one grade above, SE a grade below) then while they may be waving their wad in your face a touch, by driving a car as ostentatious , at least you can be assured that they’re spending lots of money on other things, generating employment and tax receipts. See? Range Rovers really can save the planet...

Right, moral dimension done with, let’s get back to the real business of driving the car.

As mentioned, for 2012, the RR Sport gets some subtle but very effective upgrades, the most significant of which are that new engine and gearbox. The 3.0-litre V6 twin turbo diesel now comes in two power outputs; 210bhp and 254bhp, but it’s only the 210bhp version that you’ll get in Ireland, thanks to that tax-dodging 224g/km Co2 output. That’s fine as in spite of a a 44bhp disadvantage, we honestly never noticed a lack of forward motion or thrust, thanks to a whacking great 520Nm of torque on tap from just 2,000rpm. The new gearbox, accessed by a Jaguar-style rotary controller on the centre console (not to everyone’s taste, but we liked it) does the usual ZF job of being so slick it’s almost like it’s not even there. You soon learn that the manual override paddle at the back of the steering wheel are entirely superfluous; all you will need to do is occasionally flick the gear selector into Sport to grab a more reactive kickdown.

Economy is surprisingly impressive. Land Rover claims an average of 8.5-litres per 100km, while we managed a still-decent 9.8l/100km overall. That should give you a touring range of around 800km on a full 80-litre tank, which seems decent enough.

The air suspension has been tweaked too, and the jarring edge of roughness and harshness that made the older Sport models an occasional chore has almost entirely gone. Yes, the Sport rides more firmly than either the big Range Rover (with which is shares almost no mechanical parts) or the Discovery (which which it is pretty much a twin under the skin) but now it’s just acceptably planted, rather than annoyingly hard.

The handling has remained virtually unchanged, thankfully, which means that the Sport still handles, net of a body roll and weight, like a big hot hatch on stilts. In extremis, we detected a slight reluctance to turn into a tightening apex that definitely wasn’t there before, but in fairness, if you’re looking for such handling nuances on a big 4x4, you’re already way off the beaten track. The beauty of the Range Rover’s chassis is that it displays a true multi-purpose nature. It’s refined and comfy on a long run, reactive and enjoyable on a twisty road and, surprisingly, agile and manouvreable in town; in spite of what you might perceive as bulk, thanks to excellent all-round visibility and surprisingly modest exterior dimensions, you can actually get the Sport in and out of tight car parks with ease.

The cabin is both the Sport’s trump card and its one Achilles heel. It all looks gorgeous and Land Rover’s ever-improving quality is palpable. The seats; massive and upholstered in beautiful leather upholstery the colour and consistency of butter are immensely comfortable and the full retinue of switches and dials makes you feel suitably well informed as to the car’s condition and your control of it.

But there are just a few too many plastic sections to the cabin that look and feel a bit too scratchy and cheap. It’s not a problem unique to the Range Rover, but it is a problem at this lofty price level, especially in concert with the desperately cheap looking main dials in the instrument binnacle. The other issue is space in the back, or lack thereof. It’s adequate, nothing more and feels especially stingy when you consider how big a car this is.

While we’re on the critical list, there’s the new standard-fit electric tailgate. Now, in general we dislike these things (what’s the point when they’re slower than simply lifting it up and pushing it back down yourself?) and because it means the loss of the Sport’s useful opening tailgate glass section it’s doubly irritating.

Still, the Sport still has one ace up its sleeve and that is its off-road performance. We’ve driven Sports down impossibly steep ravines, along ricky river beds, through waist deep water and, during our week with this one, managed to traverse a tricky off-road section of The Curragh while wearing a suit. It is that ability to deal with the very worst terrain imaginable (aided by the clever and simple Terrain Response System) while remaining unruffled inside that separates the Range Rover from the horde of competitors. There are others as talented in individual disciplines; none that we can think of that offer precisely the same combination.

Quite apart from anything, there is the Range Rover’s natural charm. It’s a handsome, bluff-looking beast, one that beguiles you, makes you feel better about life when you’re behind its wheel. For that alone, we would love it. Taken in concert with its myriad other talents, well, there’ll be no moral dilemma on our minds if our six numbers ever come up...


Facts & Figures

Range Rover Sport 3.0 TDV6 HSE
Price: €80,710
Range price: €75,195 to €118,160
Capacity: 2,993cc
Power: 210bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Top speed: 193kmh
0-100kmh: 10.3sec
Economy: 8.5-100km (33.2mpg)
CO2 emissions: 224g/km
Tax Band: F. €1,129 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: Not yet tested

Road Test: Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited

Price as tested: €38,000 (approx)

+ Fabulously rugged, more practical and refined than you’d think, so cool
– Boot’s a bit small. emissions a bit high
= Quite simply, the coolest car we’ve driven all year

If I tell you that the Jeep Wrangler turns out to be a bit of a surprise, would you be surprised? You might be, especially if you’re expecting some thundering, lumbering heap of Detroit iron, bludgeoning all in its path with a war-mongering “Yeee-haw!” and a distinct lack of Euro-style refinement.

Because while the Wrangler can trace its lineage directly back to the original 1941 Willys-Overland General Purpose 1/4 Ton Truck (GP, or Jeep for short), the reality is that the resemblance lies mostly in the styling and marketing departments.

So, while there is a seven-bar grille, round headlights and a pervading sense of squareness, there are also sophisticated Panhard linkages and coil springs in the suspension, there are comfy, heated leather seats in the cabin and there is even a Bluetooth phone connection. Disappointed that there’s not hand-cranked Bakelite phone in the back to put you in touch with brigade HQ? Yes, a little but that’s the way of the modern world.

The Wrangler’s only real rival, in both the heritage and off-road stakes, is the Land Rover Defender. But while you would, happily, make excuses for the Defender’s crudity, discomfort and rampant thirst, all because it looks so cool, the rather nice thing is that the Jeep simply doesn’t ask that much of you.

Haul yourself up into the cabin and you’re presented with a simple, workmanlike cabin. There are no soft-touch plastics, and more consideration seems to have been given to making its hose-out-proof than slush-moulded, but there’s a sense of purpose, a sense of rightness and, just as importantly, a sense of decent build quality. The seats, as we’ve mention, are comfy (and they warm your bum, in Sahara spec) and the steering wheel adjusts to help you find a comfy driving position.

Fire up the 2.8-litre CRD diesel engine and, yes, it’s noisy and grumbly, but once it warms through it’s not too bad. It’ll propel the Wrangler to 100kmh in an entirely reasonable 11.1secs, return a claimed (and believable in our experience) 7.4-litres per 100km on the  combined cycle and emits, in four-door unlimited guise, 194g/km of Co2. You can drop that to 187g/km (and get a €630 road tax bill) if you downsize to the less practical three-door Wrangler Sport.

The long, wand-like gear lever makes you think that it’ll have the shift accuracy of a drunk teenager on Valentine’s night, but actually, as long as you don’t rush it, there’s quite a pleasant gearshift to be had, in a moving-big-bits-of-metal-around steampunk kind of way.

Rolling refinement in the Wrangler is surprisingly good. Clearly, with a (removable, if you have a hoist or enough tall friends) plastic roof, big wheels and a very upright shape, wind and tyre noise are prevalent, but the engine shuts up quite nicely in a sixth gear cruise, and the standard fit stereo is man enough for the job.

Long motorway runs? Just fine actually. Your ears will ring a little at the end, but other than that, the Wrangler takes long hauls in its stride. Actually, in town is its Achilles Heel. It’s a big car, bigger than you think at first, with a broad turning circle, so tight car parks are a bit of a nightmare. With practice, it’s fine, but some parking sensors would be helpful.

While we’re criticising, the boot’s too small. 498-litres sound big, but it’s oddly shaped to cover the fuel tank hump, and there’s no luggage cover, so everything’s on show through the vulnerable, lift up flap that makes up the rear window. Don’t plan on leaving valuables in your Wrangler.

Honestly though, who cares? Get out on the open road and the Wrangler handles with surprising (there’s that word again) aplomb. Yes, there’s slack in the steering and apparently wood in the suspension, but it’s fundamentally well behaved and won’t do anything bad.

Get off the open road and into open country and, well, this vehicle is Trail Rated, meaning it will climb up Jeep’s fearsome Rubicon Trail in Utah, a mountain pass littered with trees, escarpments, dust, dirt, boulders and the occasional bear. Yank the hefty lever back to select four wheel drive, low range (the Wrangler’s best left in two wheel drive on tarmac to avoid transmission wind up) and there is probably no decently solid surface that you cannot traverse. And whether this winter brings snow, floods or both, prepare to be called on by stranded friends.

If you haven’t already guessed it, we loved the Wrangler. Compared in saloon car terms to its SUV rivals, it’s nowhere. But there is such a thing as fitness for purpose, and the Wrangler is not only the origin of the species, but it could pummel any SUV into the dirt when the going gets tough, and isn’t so far behind them in terms of everyday driving that they could relax. It’s the anti-Evoque, and for that, and for being four-square and dependable in a world slowly but surely going mad, we salute it.


Facts & Figures

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara
Price as tested: €38,000 (approx)
Range price: TBC
Capacity: 2,776cc
Power: 200bhp
Torque: 410Nm
Top speed: 172kmh
0-100kmh: 11.1sec
Economy: 7.4l-100km (38.1mpg)
CO2 emissions: 194g/km
VRT Band: F. €1,050 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: Not yet tested