HURTLING down hill on a bicycle, spectacles covered in rain, squinting against the weather, the road ahead looks strange.
Almost too late I realise my mistake hitting the brakes just as I enter the flood like a submarine avoiding aerial attack. A deluge of water hits me in the chest as I do a fair impression of Moses parting the Red Sea. I’m prepared for the worst, aquaplaning face down into the murky depths, but somehow I manage to stay upright and start to pedal methodically through the impromptu tarn, my feet plunging well below the surface as the crank turns.
To be honest I’m not too bothered as I’m already wet from the actions of an inconsiderate farmer – yes you in the battered red Mitsubishi L200, who couldn’t wait 20 seconds for me to clear another flood before ploughing through dowsing me in a veritable tsunami. If there’s two things I can’t stand it is inconsideration and stupidity, he exhibits both, responding to my tirade by asking ‘have you got a problem pal’. Obviously I have a problem, I’m drenched.
Perhaps there’s a lesson to be learned. Don’t ride your bike in foul weather. Later the same day I traverse the same route this time in the new Range Rover Sport. Not sure the farmer would have acted in the same manner coming across such a leviathan.
And as I approach the second deep flood, where this time two BMW saloons sit stricken, water half way up their doors and certainly inside their motors, I get to try the wading sensor I’d spotted on the new touchscreen, allowing it to guide us safely to the 900mm maximum.
By coincidence there’s another new Range Rover in front of me and as he hits the floodwater at speed, sending a bow wave over the roofs of the BMs, I get to fully appreciate just how deep this water is, yet both Range Rovers shrug it off emerging on the other side unscathed. This is where size matters.
The sport is enormous, tall, very wide, long and weighty and this gives you the confidence to tackle any terrain, condition, or bullyboy.
Because it is big it packs a heavyweight punch. The gloriously sounding 3.0 twin turbo V6 diesel boasts 350HP and 700Nm of torque, power aplenty to hurl the Sport to the 60mph barrier in 5.6 seconds, impressive for something weighing 2.5 tonnes. But the real surprise is the economy – last week’s pick-up managed 22mpg – the Sport shows a very respectable and welcome 36.
Air suspension looks after the handling and masks the worst of our utterly shocking roads, while ride height is adjustable for easy entry and exit and off-road forays. Steering is four-wheel which makes what is a gargantuan vehicle surprisingly manoeuvrable and agile.
This Sport also comes with a £5,330 Stormer Handling Pack, which includes electronic active differential with torque vectoring by braking, dynamic air suspension with dynamic response pro, all wheel steering and configurable programs. Quite a mouthful but in short it all conspires to keep you safely on the road.
Sport shares similar sleek aesthetics with the big Range Rover but where the latter has vertical rear lights, its sit horizontally. The front lights are also slimmer and the grille narrower on the Sport. It is every bit a Range Rover but features more subtle contemporary curves.
Inside is a masterpiece of design, it is just so neat and tidy. The virtual dash is clear, attractive and easy to format. The huge touchscreen is similarly well designed but the strength for me is that the primary functions – namely the climate control – remain on knobs or haptic buttons, such as the front and rear demists, so there’s no ploughing through multiple digital layers to operate the essentials.
The cabin is plush, beautifully appointed and well-lit thanks to a panoramic sunroof. It is also accommodating with acres of room and useful sliding cubbyholes, while the infotainment centre is superb, thanks to an excellent Meridian sound system.
A tactile stubby lever controls the automatic gearbox, next to which is the starter button and the control for various modes of 4x4. Then there’s another deeper cubbyhole and under-armrest storage large enough to swallow a small child.
So my advice with the new Range Rover Sport is to stick on the heated seats and steering wheel, crank up the music and sit back to enjoy the ride, whatever the weather is doing outside.
Fact File
Range Rover Sport D350
Engine: 3.0 twin turbo V6 diesel
Power: 350HP
0-60mph: 5.6 secs
Top speed: 145mph
Combined MPG: 36.7
Transmission: Eight speed automatic
CO2 g/km: 202
Price: £100,790.00
