The new Range Rover Sport rather bowled us over when we first drove it back in June. It was so broadly capable both on and off-road and such a leap forward from the original Sport that we described it as "breathtaking". With the familiar 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine its straight-line performance was 911-baiting, too, but when driven in a manner so as to upset sports car owners the fuel economy was fairly tragic.
The diesel V6 improved on the range-topper's mid-teens mpg figures somewhat, but the strained performance of that entry-level model detracted from the overall experience. This new SDV8, though, could offer the best of both worlds.
The 4.4-litre turbocharged unit delivers 339hp and some 516lb ft of torque. Land Rover claims an impressive 32.5mpg on the combined cycle, which is more than 10mpg up on its figure for the petrol V8. With both V8 models listing at £81,550, does the diesel hold of an economy advantage over the petrol to make it the more attractive proposition?
The usual concerns that we associate with diesel power – clattery soundtrack, narrow powerband – are swiftly dismissed. The SDV8 fires with an authentic eight-cylinder thrum before settling into an inaudible idle. It feels muscular with a broad torque band at town speeds and, praise be, the gruff rumble as you begin to work it harder is genuinely pleasing to the ear; yes, here is a diesel engine that you appreciate for its aural qualities. At motorway speeds it's very refined, too.
There is so much torque over a wide operating range that the hefty Sport really does shift along at full throttle. There isn't the outright pace of the petrol V8, but he who needs more performance than this from his SUV won't be buying diesel anyway. Only the way it runs out of puff above 4,000rpm really betrays its preference for the black pump.
The SDV8 is well matched to the brilliant ZF eight-speed gearbox, too, which shifts cleanly and smoothly in auto mode and faithfully in manual mode. After half a day of town driving, fast autobahn and some spirited country thrashing the SDV8 returned around 23mpg. With a lighter foot high 20s should be easily achievable, if not quite the 32.5mpg that Land Rover claims, which is usefully better than the petrol model would achieve in the same conditions.
Do those with close to £90,000 to spend on an SUV, after options, care too much about fuel economy? Perhaps not, but in objective, real world terms this engine is absolutely the pick of the Sport range.
We know from prior experience that the junior Range Rover is hugely capable off-road, too, as it tackles rocky inclines, deep water and muddy ruts on its road-biased tyres with utter disdain. Land Rover has sacrificed a little in ride height, approach and departure angles and axle articulation compared to the Range Rover in order to achieve the sharper on road handling traits, but the Sport remains true to the badge on its prow.
Driven back-to-back, it is markedly more precise and direct through corners than the Range Rover, at the same time trading only a little of the bigger car's limousine qualities. The brakes are strong and the steering, though far from feelsome, is direct and sufficiently weighted to give you confidence as you attack a demanding stretch of Tarmac. It is superbly judged. What the Sport can't hope to do is match Porsche's Cayenne for outright on-road dynamics, but the German is fitted with uncompromising performance tyres and simply wouldn't see which way a Sport went in a muddy field.
The only lingering doubt that we had about the Range Rover Sport at launch was that the supercharged petrol V8 was just a little too excessive. With this diesel V8 – refined, strong and with a soundtrack to match – Land Rover has put those concerns to rest quite emphatically. In this specification, the Range Rover Sport is one of the most complete new cars on sale.
SPECIFICATION | 2013 RANGE ROVER SPORT SDV8
Engine: 4,367cc, V8 turbodiesel
Transmission: 8-speed ZF automatic, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 339@3,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 516@1,750-3,000rpm
0-62mph: 6.9sec
Top speed: 140mph
Weight: 2,398kg
MPG: 32.5mpg (claimed)
CO2: 229g/km
Price: £81,550
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