2016 Range Rover Sport HSE Td6 - Royal Economy Review By Larry Nutson

2016 Range Rover Sport HSE Td6
Royal Economy

By Larry Nutson
Senior Editor and Bureau Chief
Chicago Bureau
The Auto Channel

Auto Central Chicago; The Td6 at the tail end of this Range Rover’s moniker indicates it’s diesel powered. Diesel power is a new offering in this British marque’s lineup for the U.S., although they’ve had diesels in Europe for about 30 years.

Now some may question if it’s right to bring a diesel to the U.S. market considering the low gasoline prices as well as the ongoing Volkswagen diesel drama. Some auto industry pundits pose the question: Is diesel, as a brand, tarnished or only VW tarnished because of their emission cheating scandal?

I think diesel is just fine and VW has their work cut out for them. And, even though oil prices are low at this time, don’t hold your breath.

The Range Rover Td6 is all about lots of torque for strong pulling power combined with low fuel consumption. The turbocharged V6 diesel is rated at 254HP and develops 443 lb-ft. of torque, much more than the gasoline V6. Mated to an eight-speed automatic and with Range Rover’s full-time four-wheel-drive there is plenty of pulling power for any on-road or off-road driving condition.

The EPA test-cycle fuel economy ratings for the Td6 are 25 mpg combined, with 22 city mpg and 29 highway mpg. Compare these figures to those of the 340HP V6 gasoline engine powered Sport HSE which are 17 city mpg and 23 highway mpg.

The MSRP of the Sport HSE TD6 is $71,950 with an included up-charge for the diesel engine of $2,000 over the gasoline model Sport HSE. The two-grand additional seems small in the big scheme of things when it comes to the Range Rover price. For the increased pulling power, that is a nice-to-have if you are trailering, combined with the long driving range of the diesel -- in the realm of 680 miles, the diesel seems like a no-brainer choice. Even if not trailering or driving long distances, the lower fuel consumption or, conversely, greater range when driving off the beaten path can be comforting.

In my drives around Chicago the Sport HSE Td6 really didn’t let on that it’s a diesel. The engine starts quickly, is quiet, and overall driveability is excellent. If I were actually buying a new Range Rover Sport, considering the diesel cost relative to the total cost, I would choose the diesel.

Like all Range Rovers, the seven-seat HSE Sport is chock full of luxury and many, many convenience features for both the driver and passengers. On the inside a symphony of materials, such as leather, alloys, and wood provide lots of high fashion. Ingress and egress is easy but just like any SUV some climbing up and down is involved. But once seated you enjoy the comfort of roomy, well-bolstered leather-trimmed seats that are heated, cooled and adjustable over a broad range.

A number of driver-assistance safety features are standard including a rear view camera, front and rear park aids, blind spot monitor with reverse traffic detection, lane departure warning, 360-degree park distance control and perpendicular and parallel park with park exit. This is the system that lines you up and does the steering and all you do is apply throttle and brake -- a great feature to have in a crowded city getting into a tight parking space.

For 2017 Range Rover introduced more driver assistance features to the model line. New standard driver assistance technologies include rear park distance control and autonomous emergency braking. This system uses a forward facing camera to detect a risk of collision and warn the driver of potential danger. If the driver fails to respond to the warning, the system is designed to apply full emergency braking to slow or stop the vehicle.

Another new feature is Advanced Tow Assist that assists the driver with the often challenging task of reversing while towing a trailer. Using the surround camera system this feature enables drivers to guide a trailer into position with minimal effort. By following the trajectory lines overlaid on an image from the rear-facing camera displayed on the central touchscreen, Advanced Tow Assist is able to steer the vehicle to follow the path selected by the driver using the Terrain Response rotary controller.

If you want more info, specs, pricing and options on the Land Rover Sport they can be found at www.landroverusa.com. Look right here at The Auto Channel for more information on luxury SUVs available in the market.

On a closing note, Land Rover has partnered with Ben Ainslie Racing and is competing in the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series. The Land Rover BAR team benefits with support in the areas of advanced engineering, design and technology for their foiling catamaran racing sailboats.

Check out: http://land-rover-bar.americascup.com

2016 Larry Nutson, the Chicago Car Guy.

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