Massive Premium SUV Super Test Offers Huge Land Rover Discovery Sport Upset

The test takes place somewhere in Kazakhstan and, judging by the pouches of snow on the ground and the fact it was flurrying for most of the video, we'd guess the location is pretty far up north from the Equator. Wherever it is, it also has a weird surface that somehow manages to be both loose and slippery. Ground usually turns to mud when exposed to moisture, but not this one. Also, we expect the temperature was pretty low as well, which affected the texture of the ground and the tire behavior as well.

The host shows he's not on his first YouTube video by anticipating all the irritated (and irritating) comments he would get if he didn't acknowledge the fact the test wasn't 100 percent accurate, so he starts the video by saying just that. Different tires, different drivers and, even though the SUVs came one after the other, the conditions couldn't have been identical for all six plus one contenders.

The first one to go up was the Audi Q5. The Ingolstadt model faced an uphill battle climbing that hill, with lots of uncontrolled wheelspin and very little going forward. The driver has to give the engine a good rev to make the SUV budge. After making it to the top, the Audi goes down for another go, this time with the off-road mode activated. Apart from lifting the air suspension, though, it doesn't seem to do anything with all the other problems.

The second one out is the BMW X3, and it's safe to say the Bimmer provides the biggest surprise of the test. Well, maybe not as big as the Land Rover Discovery Sport, but more on that shortly. The X3 climbs it like a mountain goat, showing tons of composure where the Q5 spun its wheels like crazy.

The third SUV put to the test was the Jaguar F-PACE, another model that looks completely out of place on this rugged terrain. Indeed, the F-PACE systems do allow it to spin its wheels a little more than is useful, but it's nowhere near the levels shown by the Audi. Once it gets going, the Jaguar puts on a more than decent show making the climb with relative ease.

Next up is the only vehicle here with some proper off-roading credentials: the Land Rover Discovery Sport. Everyone probably expected the smaller Disco to breeze its way to the top, but the exact opposite happened. In standard mode, the Land Rover comes stuck and doesn't manage to finish the test. The driver then selects Grass, Gravel and Snow mode on the Terrain Response System, which seems to make the tiniest of changes. It's enough to bring the Discovery Sport to the top of the hill, but not enough to save its reputation.

After the F-PACE and Discovery Sport, it's time for another member of the Jaguar Land Rover gang to take the muddy stage. It's the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, and the tiny luxury SUV does a good enough job to restore everyone's faith in Land Rover's ability to make off-road vehicles.

Finally, it's time for the Porsche Macan to make its attempt. It turns out the smaller model can't replicate his bigger brother's capabilities over rough terrain as it gets completely stuck on the course right away. Activating the off-road mode doesn't help, making the Macan the only car that fails to make the climb.

Oh, we almost forgot about the bonus vehicle: the Toyota RAV4. The Japanese SUV also gets stuck early on with the wheels spinning fruitlessly and the engine refusing to rev over a certain threshold. With the Rock and Dirt mode activated, things change massively, and the Toyota manages to climb all the way to the top.

So, from bottom to top, the standings are as follows: Porsche Macan, Land Rover Discovery Sport, Audi Q5, Jaguar F-PACE, Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, BMW X3. If it were part of the test, the Toyota RAV4 would have probably slotted either above or below the Jaguar F-PACE.