Test drive type: 2024 Range Rover Sport SE
Price: 1.068 million yuan
If the previous generation Range Rover Sport was still far behind the Porsche Cayenne in terms of road performance, then the third generation model has a tighter driving texture, which also makes this part of the "Range Rover" more prominent. It's no longer just a Range Rover add-on.
First of all, I really like the appearance of this generation of MLA platform with a lot of water-cut design, hidden wipers, pop-up door handles, almost no bulges on the entire body surface, even the body paint covers the front and rear lip and roll, the lower window ratio makes the overall visual experience a lot thicker, and the design is also very high-end.
Similarly, the design of the central control and IP station in the car is also subtracting, perhaps from the picture, the sense of grade after canceling the physical buttons is average, but the actual look and feel of really sitting in the car are in line with the level of a million-level SUV, the interior is simple and thick, and the sense of wrapping is also stronger.
So what is the biggest difference between the 2024 model and the 2023 model? The driver can also adjust it through the multi-function steering wheel, but the co-pilot is not easy to operate.
The handbrake button is also integrated into the P gear, which is also the current design trend of the entire new energy. The cancellation of the air conditioning panel does bring some convenience disadvantages, but it adds a mobile phone wireless charging panel and storage space, which can be regarded as a gain and loss. However, after the overall interior is more concise, the shadow of the second-generation model is completely gone, and the interior style has become more elegant.
What I didn't expect is that the angle of the full LCD instrument of the third-generation product is very rising, and there will be a kind of visual awkwardness when you first get started, but the anti-reflective effect of the instrument panel is actually good. The 13.1-inch central control screen uses a curved screen to fit the touch operation of the hand, and the UI interface design of the InControl system is good, but the native map voice control of Land Rover is still difficult to use, and the built-in map often can't find the destination.
Speaking of configuration, the P400's SE entry-level configuration is not low, the seat ventilation and heating are standard, the massage function is poor, the seat cushion also has an electric pull to support the knees, and the side wings can also be clamped and fixed to the body, which is a sporty feeling that Range Rover can't do. THE ENTRY-LEVEL MERIDIAN SOUND SYSTEM IS NO SLOUCH, WITH 16 SPEAKERS IDENTICAL TO THE HSE VERSION. The audio interior panel is also very textured, with a large number of environmentally friendly skin-friendly materials, which feels like the Volvo team has come in and certified it.
From the first generation of the Range Rover Sport based on the Discovery 3 chassis, the iconic seat armrests have always been there, which is the main reason Range Rover Sport has the 'Range Rover Sitting'. Once on the trail, put away the armrests that are in the way of operation, clamp the flanks of the car at the waist, lower the sitting position by 20mm, switch the gearbox to S gear, and use the paddle shifters. The feeling of this car to drive, except for the physical feel of the air suspension, does not look like a Range Rover at all.
The ritual of the British car is also reflected, in D mode does not activate the paddle shifters, you have to hang up the S gear, although I don't understand why it is designed this way, but I don't mind one more driving operation step.
What is the main difference between the Range Rover Sport and the Range Rover? The control of the body posture is much better than that of the Defender, the Discovery and the Range Rover in terms of roll performance on mountain roads. For the rear passengers, there is less swing of the left and right transverse waves, and the rear passengers are less prone to motion sickness on the mountain road, at least on the mountain road to Niubei Mountain for up to 2 hours, the rear passengers all said that the ride is good.
If the second-generation Range Rover Sport has the big car feel of the Range Rover series, then the third-generation Range Rover Sport with the new platform has a better-tuned twin-chamber air suspension and more agile standard wheelbase tail dynamics.
Having a 2.5-tonne heavyweight boxer dancing on a mountain road without rear-wheel steering and a 48V electronic anti-roll bar is nothing like the Porsche Cayenne's hand-to-hand knife feel, which is the drama of a British car, not serious at all. The third-generation Range Rover is a true personal car, and at least young people don't feel like driving their dad's big Range Rover out on the street.
Driver summary
Although I didn't drive the all-terrain mode on the unpaved road this time, I believe that most Range Rover or even Range Rover Sport owners will not actually play professional off-road traversal routes.
I can not walk or play, but you can't do without all-terrain off-road ability, and this is where the multi-purpose and multi-functional of a million-level SUV comes in.
Of course, what pleases me the most is not that the Range Rover Sport is smaller than the Grand Range Rover in terms of design and interior, but that this set of dual-chamber air suspension makes the "Range Rover" part stand out while giving the basic Range Rover Sport good body attitude control.
It's a formula that's more suitable for young people with a tone.
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