Can the Brit hold its own amidst a herd of Germans?
The RR Sport would be your default choice if you find the Germans too commonplace in India. But, would it be a wise choice? We tested the 3.0 petrol to find out.
Exterior
There are only a few production vehicles in the world that look like they’d take a bullet for you. This is one of them. It looks like an armoured vehicle that’d not only stop multiple rounds from a Walther PPK, but also make your adversaries believe that you might be carrying a .44 Magnum. The point is, its form not only makes you feel secure and powerful, but also compels the most pugnacious elements around you to maintain a safe distance.
Interiors
The feeling that the RR Sport’s exterior is indestructible gets amplified when you open any of its four doors. They’re heavier than an overthinker’s emotional baggage, and definitely the heaviest I’ve sampled yet. Fret not, as they come with a soft-close mechanism—no heaving and slam-shutting required.
Climb inside, and you’re greeted by one of the most sophisticated, luxurious, and quietest, cabins on the planet. You don’t expect any less, of course, after spending over two crores. You may check the company’s website to know about all the features. Here, I’d just tell you that it has every feature that you desire, and then some.
Performance
I so wish Land Rover had a media unit of the V8 RR Sport, but even this, the 3.0 L inline-six, does full justice to the “Sport” moniker.
Press the brake, bury the throttle, release the brake, and whoa! The huge SUV shoots ahead with unexpected alacrity, the bonnet lifting oh-so-slightly with every shift of that fabulous 8-speed ZF transmission, happily acknowledging AWD’s phenomenal work, and, before you know it, you’ve crossed 100 km/h in 5.8 seconds (almost identical to the claimed 5.7 s!), while 0–180 km/h comes up in just 18.7 seconds. Land Rover claims a top speed of 242 km/h and I’ve no reason to doubt it.
It’s a beautifully relaxed cruiser as well. It does 100 km/h in top gear at just 1,500 rpm. Fuel efficiency while cruising like this would be in the range of 9–11 km/l, while driving pedal to metal will get you 5–6 km/l.
Ride & Handling
See, anything with “Sport” in its name will never have a magic-carpet ride quality that everyone in India expects from all ultra-premium vehicles, more so if they’re SUVs. The RR Sport is no exception. It does get air suspension but it also gets 22-inch wheels…
Still, the ride quality isn’t bad by any stretch of imagination, and you’d NEVER be uncomfortable even on the most horrendous roads, but, if you’re after outright plushness, get its bigger brother, the Range Rover.
It’s a similar case with handling. It’s okay for such a big and heavy vehicle, but if you want the absolute best handling SUV, you’ll have to go with the Cayenne. On the flipside, the Rangie’s ride quality is decidedly better than the Porsche’s. I won’t be surprised if a prospective buyer drives all the SUVs in this segment, and likes the RR Sport’s ride and handling “balance” the most.
Verdict
That last line was the verdict. For most buyers in this segment, the RR Sport strikes the best balance, not just in ride and handling, but across all parameters.
The cherry on top is that it mercilessly drowns the entire competition with its claimed wading depth of 900 mm. But, do yourself a favour. Get the V8 while you still can.