OUTSIDE, it was darker than a Stephen King novel. The rain was in cats-and-dogs mode, roads were becoming impassable and fields were being transformed into lakes.
Perfect weather, then, for taking the new Range Rover for a nighttime trek through a woodland trail near Harrogate riddled with cloying mud, tricky manoeuvres and roller-coaster contours and then on to a Land Rover Experience course near Skipton where only the most capable dare to tread.
Inside the Range Rover, the atmosphere of serenity that pervades the luxurious cabin was in stark contrast to the weather.
That will come as no surprise to anyone who has driven this master of off-roading, a carriage with regal overtones that delivers the feelgood factor in great dollops.
What does make you sit up in the plump leather seating is just what the engineers and designers have achieved in making this an even better ride.
The headline figure is the weight loss. It’s as if this gargantuan SUV, which measures almost 5m long, has just graduated from a fat camp.
The result is that 420 kilograms (924lbs) have been shed when comparing the outgoing V8 diesel with the new V6, mostly by the use of a revolutionary allaluminium monocoque body structure, which is 39 per cent lighter than the steel body in the outgoing model. That weight loss is the equivalent of the weight of five average adult males.
There’s a new engine, too – a V6 diesel gives the already established V8 a run for its money when it comes to performance.
This is still very much a Range Rover, it’s just so much better.
For those with big-enough pockets, you can even have an executive set of seats now that come in the finest leather. All four heated seats have a massage function.
The car’s sleek profile is striking.
It remains an imposing machine, but now it’s a fraction lower than its predecessor. This is small change compared with the car’s generous wheelbase – 42mm greater than before – which has increased rear legroom.
Along with the car’s plush yet modern new interior, complete with tastefully-appointed materials and minimalist switchgear, the visual overhaul is complete. What you can’t see is the work that’s gone on under the car’s lighter skin to achieve new levels of onroad refinement and stability plus considerable improvements to the offroad experience.
Central to the car’s performance is a height-adjustable suspension system boasting enhanced amounts of wheel travel. Opt for the Dynamic Response feature and the car will attempt to further minimise pitch and roll – the sworn enemies of high-sided 4x4s.
It gets more interesting when venturing off-road, as the car’s refreshed Terrain Response system can now detect the terrain you’re driving on and adjust the throttle, suspension, transmission accordingly.
Power comes from a trio of engines, all connected to an eight-speed auto gearbox. The 510bhp supercharged petrol V8 motor is really only for those with a thirst for the fastest and who are prepared to put up with a thirsty gas guzzler.
The six and eight-cylinder diesels make much more sense.
Boasting 258 and 339 horsepower respectively, these engines offer smooth yet willing performance – especially the latter. That a six-cylinder motor is even offered in such a car is proof that the weight-loss programme has been successful.
Of course, the V8 diesel delivers a feeling of invincibility that you can't get anywhere else, but the V6 variant runs it a close second.
The automotive equivalent of a Hunter wellington boot, no one has come close to bettering the Range Rover in its 42-yearhistory, and this new version will ensure that remains the case.
And if there’s one thing you can't measure it's the feelgood factor that the Range Rover has in spades
Fact File
Range Rover SDV8
PRICE: £94,695. Range from £71,295 to £98,395
ENGINE: 4.4-litre diesel unit developing 339bhp
TRANSMISSION: eightspeed automatic transmission as standard, driving all four wheels
PERFORMANCE: maximum speed 135mph, 0-62mph 6.9 seconds
ECONOMY: 32.5mpg
CO2 RATING: 229g/km
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