The latest vehicle to have been subjected to the moose test is something that is a common presence in the garages of the rich and famous: the Range Rover. The new generation luxury SUV looks better than it drives, and while no one can deny that it is a great daily, which is not afraid of getting down and dirty every once in a while, it is anything but nimble.
Measuring a little over 5 meters (196+ in) long, and tipping the scales at nearly 3 tons (~6,600 lbs), the Range Rover came face to face with the challenging maneuver that replicates what happens when you swerve to avoid an obstacle in the middle of the road, and then try to get back in the initial lane with one turn of the wheel. The minimum entry speed as per Km77’s standards is 77 kph (48 mph), and it has become more and more challenging for modern-day vehicles to pass the test.
In the first attempt, the new-gen Range Rover revealed its appetite for cones at 76 kph (47 mph). The vehicle plunged into the orange pylons head-first, revealing its understeering nature. The ESC kicked in furiously and helped stop it. After many more attempts, at different speeds, with different drivers behind the wheel, the road-cone connoisseurs gave up and lowered the speed to 63 kph (39 mph), which helped the high-rider ‘pass’ the test. This was an “unusually low speed,” the people behind the YouTube channel noted.
Due to its large size, the Range Rover didn’t exactly impress in the slalom test either. The model, which was in the P440e configuration, meaning that it packs a plug-in hybrid powertrain, and rode on the original all-terrain tires, measuring 225/45, wrapped around the 22-inch OEM wheels, completed the test in 26.3 seconds. This made it two tenths of a second faster than the Skoda Fabia, and two tenths of a second slower than the Toyota Aygo X. The Range Rover Sport did it in 26.1 seconds, the Nissan Ariya in 25.5 seconds, and the Peugeot e-2008 in 25.3 seconds. With 22.8 seconds, the Polestar 2 is still the king here.
It should be interesting to see how the new Range Rover behaves in a different configuration, and with stickier tires on its feet, as this is pretty much a disastrous result for what is, in essence, one of the most desired luxury SUVs. The model goes against the likes of the Mercedes-Benz GLS, and BMW X7, and can even challenge the Bentley Bentayga and Rolls-Royce Cullinan in higher grades, specified with everything found on the options list. For now, however, you will have to accept the fact that you will not be avoiding any moose in it, not at over 39 mph anyway.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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