Premier diesel / Land Rover test drives

The exterior remains unchanged, but the interior has gained a few fresh details. The center console and side parts of the front panel have become different, and now a "Range Rover" badge adorns the area in front of the passenger. The tunnel between the seats and the block for selecting transmission modes and ride height have also been redesigned — the latter is now almost identical to the one in the Range Rover Sport. Instead of the usual handbrake lever, an electromechanical button has been installed, and the freed-up space is now occupied by a storage compartment covered with sliding shades, like in the Sport. A pleasant bonus — the front seats can now be ordered with ventilation.

The Terrain Response system now comes as standard equipment, and an electronic differential E-diff has appeared on the rear axle.

The main interest, of course, is the turbodiesel. The desire to test the Range Rover TDV8 was so great that we agreed to take the car without a passed technical inspection — we simply didn't have time to arrange it. Fortunately, the traffic police inspectors didn't pay much attention to the SUV. And that's logical: who would doubt the documents of the owner of such a car?

This engine is a real breakthrough, if you can call it that, based on the V6 familiar from the Discovery 3 and Range Rover Sport. But don't think that the engineers simply added a couple of cylinders and increased the displacement to almost 3.7 liters. This is a completely new power unit. Even the cylinder bank angle is different: the V6 has 60°, while here it's 90°. As before, the cylinder heads are aluminum, and the block itself is cast from modified cast iron, which is stronger and more wear-resistant than aluminum. Power is 272 hp (the TDV6 has 190). In terms of torque, the new diesel surpasses even the most powerful supercharged gasoline V8 in the Range Rover lineup: 640 Nm versus 560 Nm! Moreover, all the thrust is available from 2000 rpm, and at 1250 rpm there's more than 400 Nm under the pedal! It's no surprise that this car, like the Supercharged version, is equipped with powerful Brembo front brakes — the gasoline V8 has more modest ones. The air suspension settings for the TDV8 are also identical to the top version.

The gearbox is the same as on other Range Rovers: an excellent 6-speed automatic from ZF. The manufacturer claims that the engine compartment is reliably protected from dust and dirt, and the oil pan has special baffles and recesses that prevent oil starvation when overcoming serious obstacles.

The diesel Vogue also feels great in the city. Dynamics are almost as good as the gasoline version. Moreover, the SUV confidently accelerates even beyond a hundred kilometers per hour. The torque reserve is enough to quickly and quietly bring the needle to the maximum 200 km/h — then the electronic limiter kicks in.

The sound of the new engine is simply magnificent. Excellent sound insulation of the engine compartment completely hides the characteristic diesel rumble at idle, and when revved, the engine sings almost like a gasoline V8. By the way, the TDV8 doesn't give itself away externally — no badges, unless you look under the bottom and check the exhaust system.

Fuel savings are obvious. My acquaintance with a gasoline Range Rover (without supercharger) consumes about 25-26 liters in the city. With my TDV8, it turned out to be 15-16, even though I didn't spare the gas pedal. With calm driving, the figure will surely be even lower. On the highway at 120–140 km/h, the computer showed 12 liters per hundred. Excellent numbers for such a powerful and torquey engine!

Although, perhaps, Range Rover owners aren't too concerned about fuel consumption. But visiting the gas station less often is always a plus. As for dynamics, the TDV8 is on par with the gasoline Vogue, and in driving qualities it even slightly surpasses it. So the golden mean in the Range Rover lineup — the diesel — has finally been filled.

PRICES AND TRIM LEVELS
The Range Rover TDV8 costs $116,400 at dealers. Standard equipment includes leather interior, power-adjustable front seats, Harman/Kardon Logic 7 audio system, TV tuner, swiveling bi-xenon headlights, 19-inch wheels, rear-view camera, and much more. You can pay extra for remote garage door opening, rear E-diff differential, 20-inch wheels, front seat ventilation, tire pressure monitoring, and interior trim with various wood species of your choice.