Jaguar Land Rover (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (JLRM), authorised importer and distributor of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles in Malaysia recently organised a 5 day special off-road driving experience event at Sepang to owners, potential buyers and members of the media. More than 500 Land Rover owners had the opportunity to experience first hand the features and systems featured on Land Rover and Range Rover vehicles. And there are lots of features in all of them. They also were given the opportunity to have a sneak preview of the new Land Rover Discovery Sport (below) as well as the complete range of Jaguar cars in Malaysia. This includes the very tasty and mind blowingly fantastically sounding Jaguar F-Type coupe. They were like trumpets from heaven. But, before I start dreaming of exhaust notes, let's get back to the story at hand.



Managing Director of JLRM, Tuan Syed Mudzhar Syed Ali said that the event was meant to help owners and prospective owners to appreciate the Land Rover brand as well as realise and experience the fullest capabilities of the vehicles. So under guidance of certified Land Rover instructor Mr Kenneth Yap, the owners, prospects and media took to the muddy off road circuit laid out for them.


The participants were taught the off-road driving basics such as understanding vehicle dimensions, clearance limitations, how to tackle hills, ruts, ditches, traversing slopes, crossing deep water and elephant steps. Lots of technical stuff that all Land Rovers can actually tackle including the very on-road biased Range Rover Evoque (pictured above). You would not have imagined the chic little SUV to be able to do mud crawling but it did. I don't need to say anything about the iconic Defender, which showed off its anti stall capabilities where you could walk it like a dog with the driver steering from outside of it as it crawls on its own pace.

The Instructors also shared Land Rover's  'Fragile Earth' philosophy, which stressed that good off-road driving meant getting to the destination without harming people and damaging the environment and the vehicle. I.e, you don't simply chop up the jungle you're in just to get to the other side.

All Land Rover and Range Rover vehicles feature lots of equipment and technology. You get everything from electronic Hill Descent Control, Differential Locks, Traction Control, High and Low Range gears (with on the fly shifting) , Terrain Response, 4x4 information display, dynamic stability control and Air Suspension (equipped on the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Discovery) which enables ride height adjustment.
I happened to tackle the whole off-road course in a Range Rover Sport 3.0 V6 supercharged petrol. There was the whole range of Land Rovers from the Defender, Evoque, Discovery, Range Rover Sport and the Range Rover. But I wanted to be in the Sport. I've always had a spot for the Range Rover Sport because it represents something slightly different from the usual stately full monty Range Rover. It does luxury with a tinge more sportiness and since I haven't laid my hands on one, why not. I also did not really bother with the Defender as that icon would have breezed through all of the tests laid out before it. It has been doing this for over 55 years you know. And I did have an off-road experience in one somewhere in the middle of Raub, Pahang a couple of years ago. So the Sport it was.

Driving the Range Rover Sport 3.0 V6 Supercharged Petrol


First launched in 2013, the Range Rover Sport takes its styling cues from the current full sized Range Rover as well as the smaller Evoque.  This premium Sport Utility Vehicle is a very capable vehicle on road as well as off road with its adaptive and height adjustable air suspension. Unlike some other brands, a Range Rover still excels off-road. It may spend most of its time at country clubs, hotel lobbies or for other mundane on road duties it never forgets its off-road roots. The car, can climb gradients, slopes, ruts, bumps and most rought terrain even on its road biased tyres. Yes, the track isn't super hard core, but it covers most aspects of off-roading without the need for real knobby tyres and winches.

We utilised all of its gizmos to get it through the circuit and on muddy surfaces, the SUV excelled. No issues with traction. Even when we were sliding around, this 2144kg luxury SUV was a breeze to handle. The supercharged power helped. Just a prod is enough. It has 340ps and 450Nm torque to play around. A slight whine of the supercharger pulley tells you that it is working but nothing really gets loud or noisy. It could give junior hot hatches a workout. 0-100kmh in 7.2seconds and a maximum speed of 210kmh.


Inside, even whilst traversing ditches, ruts and alternating holes or bumps, the car is refined. The driver's seat is also a nice place to be in with a commading driving position and enough adjustments to be truly comfortable. I do believe that the height adjustable air suspension works well in keeping the car in order. As does the Terrain Response systems and Active Dynamics. When I was seated at the rear, I could still keep on typing messages through my smartphone.

 Actually a whole lot of stuff is adjustable in the Range Rover Sport. It is a gadget lover's dream. I also have to add that the Range Rover Sport isn't something really different from the usual bunch of European cars that most of us are used to. Quite similar and reassuring.

The overall ambiance inside the Range Rover Sport is strikingly similar to what most of us have experienced in the German brands (which is usually the default choice when buying a luxury vehicle in these parts of the world). You could say that it has that Germanic feel to it. It does not feel like something totally British (or Indian since TATA owns JLR) like Range Rovers from days gone by. It feels like what most of us are used to in terms of feel and tactility. No English drawing room feel these days. It is all neat, ergonomic and tidy. Like we are used to. But this isn't a bad thing. The Range Rover Sport still has a sense of occasion. It has road presence and it also has that interior presence that you'd want from owning a luxury vehicle.

Of course, the controls and switchgear is also nice to touch, caress and fondle. Everything feels premium. From the leather seats, steering wheel to the dashboard. It feels right, but I had wished that this 3.0 supercharged variant's interior had the light coloured wood inlays like the larger 5.0liter version as the cabin was all black. It felt good but a little too monotone. Small matter, as everything worked perfectly. But you do have to get used to the slightly confusing (at first) gear lever and its numerous controls and buttons right beside it. I suppose you do need to either read the darn owner's manual or spend a good half an hour figuring out which button does what. Yes. It is a very, very, very complicated piece of machinery and technology with tons of settings and option menus to select. Do bear that in mind folks. You need to know what you're getting into if you want one in your garage.

If the Sport came with proper off-road tyres it would be a walk in a park as it had an answer for most off-road situation that was thrown at it. Then when it was time to head back to the gathering point which was located a few hundred meters away, we just lowered the Sport down to normal ride height setting and blasted off. On the road it was cossetting, quiet and comfortable. Unfazed about what it just went through and its passengers cocooned from the outside world till it was time to open the door and exit its cozy interior.


It was all dried mud on the outside, but totally luxurious on the inside with only our muddy shoes as proof of us stepping in and out of the Sport. I loved the time I spent in the Sport. It also has some semblance of character and that quite elusive sense of occasion in cars that are sorely lacking these days. For a SUV that had normal road biased tyres and a slightly hefty pricetag of RM857,888, it still felt so right plugging around in the muddy tracks located around the Sepang F1 Circuit. The only thing I really wanted was a nicer pricetag. But we can't have them all can't we.

In short, the 2015 Range Rover Sport 3.0 V6 Supercharged is an extremely nice place to be in whether you are driving or seated at the back. I suppose you may balk at its slightly enormous pricetag. But if you can afford it, by all means do so.