I drove a 2017 Range Rover Sport SE Td6 today. I am in lust.
Aside from the typical turbodiesel lag just on tip-in, it is amazingly quick and sounds fantastic, and then once it's up on plane it's just quiet and solid! It is way quicker than the Touareg, almost doesn't even sound like a diesel - much more muscular sounding. Except on startup - barely a whisper. The exhaust engineers did a great job. The standard air suspension makes it feel like a sports car in the corners but practically glides over dips, potholes, and bumps. The turbo lag was very minimal - and once you know where it is, getting on the throttle - say, to shoot a gap in turning across traffic - it is short and predictable. The 8-speed ZF that everyone is using these days seems well-matched.
Inside, well, it's obviously two classes above my base 2010 Treg TDI. The seats are great - excellent bolstering, and perfect cushioning. I felt like it was tailored to my spine, without adjusting anything. The leather is plush but thick feeling - should be quite durable. I'd have to sit in a Volvo XC90 again to determine which one gets the edge, but right now I'd say they're at least equal in terms of comfort. Not as much leg room in the rear as I'd like to see, however, but the seats are deep so it's still not that crowded for average 'Muricans. The two outboard rear seats are pretty well bucketed, so the center position is even less useful than on the Touareg. Don't even bother with a 3rd row.
Cargo is the same as the Touareg, maybe a hair lower and a hair longer.
Negatives: Heated seats are extra with the climate pack (the one I drove didn't have them, we looked everywhere), no Homelink for the love of Pete - that's part of a $2000+ option pack. My Subaru came standard with both of those! And so did my Treg! And some of the options are priced strangely.
We also talked about the new Disco - sales and service reps were just back from orientation in Arizona. He said it looks much better in person - at first he thought he hated the design, but says now he thinks it looks great. The videos he took of some super-beefy rock crawling were pretty amazing. He drove the Td6 and said it would be the one he would buy. Off-roading he said it was a beast and the videos looked it. Cool features, too - heated seats and homelink standard! - and electronically folding 2nd (and if you option it) 3rd row. Buttons both in the infotainment system AND in the rear cargo area to fold seats remotely. Said it will be 1,000lb lighter than the LR4. EPA is finishing up towing testing, which is the last step - they're hoping it will be certified for 8000+lbs towing - the gas supercharged V6 (same as in RRS, and all of the Jags) just got certified with that rating. They are having a release party in April at the dealership, so we'll be there to check it out. Order now, they say June delivery.
