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Range Rover, first introduced in 1970 it was regarded as both a "Gentleman's Four Wheel Drive" and "Possibly the most capable 4WD ever produced", and to this day it still fits the bill. The name alone reminds us that this vehicle has become the pinnacle of 4-wheel drives, not to mention it'll add a touch of class to any garage, road or trail. |
 Mike Green pushes the 4.6 HSE through turn-2 at Sears Point… no 328i BMW , the 4.6 HSE holds its own. (see larger view) |
| The new 1997 4.6 HSE has taken the Range Rover line to another level, one of performance, comfort, safety and for those who can afford the better that $60,000.00 price tag, exclusivity. Few 4WD/suv owners ever get the opportunity to drive a Range Rover, let alone a 4.6 litre HSE, while even fewer yet get to drive one off-road and on a famed 12-turn road course in the same day. Recently we had that opportunity, the location being at Sears Point International Raceway in Sonoma, California. |
 Even clipping the curb at high speed in turn-3A the long travel suspension wouldn’t allow Mike to carry the right front tire ala NASCAR (see larger view) |
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The original purpose for "ORE" being there had to do with the Western Automotive Journalists annual Media Day "Ride & Drive", where the Off-Road Experience, for the fourth time in as many years has been responsible for laying out the off-road course, in addition "ORE" instructs both journalists and manufacturer representatives alike. As in years past vehicles from nearly every manufacturer are represented, including 4wd's. At Sears Point Raceway participants are given the opportunity to drive any of the road cars on the 2.52-mile 12-turn road course (which is coned off in many areas to keep the speeds down), or the latest in 4-wheel drive vehicles in the hills behind turn-7. For '97 Land Rover North America would send their top of the line Discovery, the SE7, as well as their new 4.6, the
HSE. Whether press or manufacturer, being able to drive each different make on the same exact course only moments apart gives one a real appreciation for a number of cars present, the Land Rovers would again shine through on the off-road course, be it Disco or Range Rover. During the day the "ORE" crew had plenty of time to drive and test all of the 4WD's assigned to us, which can be a real eye opener! At one point during the day, Michael Green took a Ford VP for a ride in the "ORE" Discovery, his comments while climbing a steep grade? "These Land Rovers are quite spectacular", another was… "Our car won't come up here, well it?". So much for Better Ideas, huh? Most of the day saw the Rovers in heavy use, namely the Discovery, the press loved it's off-road-abilities and price range (as do we!), but it was the Range Rover we had our eye for later in the day. |
 Using
a late apex at turn-7 put a high load on the Pirelli tires… The noise
was great as they howled with the strains of high-speed motoring. The tire
feedback was positive and they never let us down. (see
larger view) |
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Right from the moment we saw this 4.6 we loved it, new for 1997 is the body color, sort of an orange and red mixed together (AA Yellow & Beluga Black is also available), quite sharp really, even more so with its silver 18" alloy wheels and Pirelli
tyres. Inside the 4.6 the dash layout is somewhat aircraft in style, even more so at night. The seats are finished in very dark blue, almost black leather with red piping. Never being a fan of seats done as described, I must admit it looked quite smart. Under the hood is the tired and true Rover V8, which began life as a 3.5 litre (215 cubic inches), though finally it has been bored & stroked out to a 4.6 litre version. Mated to the back of the 200+ bhp V8 is a 4-speed ZF automatic which in turn drives a Borg-Warner chain driven/viscous coupler
transfercase. The ZF has two shifting modes now, "Standard" and "Sport". Hiding underneath the car are live axles front and rear (with 3.54:1 axle ratio) with long travel suspension, this being done via four air springs. The ride height is adjustable from the drivers seat, of which the settings are many; Curbside (parking mode), Lowered (for better road holding and economy - smaller hole in the air, thus less drag = better fuel mileage), Standard and Off-Road (maximum lift). Braking is accomplished via 4-wheel disc brakes, Wabco 4-channel All-Terrain ABS with traction control on the rear axle (done via the ABS system). During the day we took the 4.6 (as we call it) out on the off-road course more than a few times, demonstrating its many qualities to interested parties. With the air suspension max'ed out, transfer box in low-range the Range Rover was just like those before it, able to tackle anything thrown in its way and embarrassing all in attendance. This car just makes other manufacturers plain jealous!, which was evident more than a few times that day. As our day drew to a close and we finished cleaning up, we made our way to the road course, and now the fun would begin. We had made arrangements with the organizers to test the 4.6 out on the famed 12-turn racetrack 
once it had been closed down for the day, a track Michael Green knows very well, having won numerous motorcycle races there since the 1970s. While waiting for this to happen we were offered the opportunity to drive anything we chose, cars that is, with MG driving. First we headed for the XK8 Jaguar, but were not quick enough. Then we made a mad dash for the new Porsche
Boxster, but these were being loaded. Instead we settled for a 5-speed equipped 328i BMW ragtop. Both John Gulliford and Blain Dehmlow had worked hard all day, thus they deserved a wild ride around Sears Point, sideways even. I know this is suppose to be about Rovers, but I have to say how impressed I was with the performance and brakes of the 328i (you'll see where I am going in a moment). With the track closed the three of us piled into the Range Rover for a bit of high speed - closed course testing. Sport mode was engaged and right foot mashed to the floor as we accelerated out of the pits and made our way up the hill through turn-1 and into turn-2, a hard right hander at the top of a brow. We would drop John off at turn-3A to play photographer, then do some laps. Quickly it was evident that the 4.6 litre Rover V8 didn't have the suds we would have hoped for. Exiting turn six Blain was instructed to shut off the air conditioner in order that we might gain a few more ponies. A number of times each lap first gear would have to be sought in order to accelerate off the corner with some resemblance of speed. The brakes were taking quite a pasting after three laps, we began to smell burning brake pads inside. Though they never failed once to slow us down, the smell continued to worsen. It is our belief that the new type calipers used are not up to job of hard roadwork like this, but how many drive a Range Rover in such a manner? When driving hard the old 4-piston fronts/2-piston rear units used from 1970 onwards are a better choice, and pad changing was far easier. Hard cornering in both lowered and high suspension modes made little difference in handling, the 18" Pirelli Scorpion tyres doing a fantastic job of holding the road, a number of times we pushed them to their limits (they most likely could have used being blown up a few pounds though). While MG screamed the Range Rover along, Blain was busy evaluating the interior, such as the cup holder, which I must say flunked the test completely. Good thing the can that went flying was un-opened, otherwise we would have had coke everywhere. You can imagine what a mess one would have had we been off-road. This needs a total re-think. The air conditioning wasn't all it was cracked up to be, possibly it needed charging. The fan speed switch isn't marked, thus you have no idea as to where it is set. Now is probably the time to throw this in... While motoring around the racecourse I said to Blain... "I guess we screwed up, we shouldn't have driven the BMW first, now I'm expecting the Range Rover to perform like the BMW, and it just won't." All in all, the 4.6 HSE Range Rover is a wonderful vehicle, proving itself time and again both on and off the road. Were it mine, my first order of business would be a search for more horsepower, as 200 bhp just doesn't cut in a vehicle of this size and weight. Ported heads and a cam would do nicely. It is a bit mind blowing in this day and age that a vehicle of this size have only a mere 200 horsepower… Using an old pre-war Grand Prix engine formula of 100 bhp per litre, which is not uncommon in select road cars today and even greater in the motorcycles of today, the 4.6 Range Rover should quite easily produce 460 bhp, oh I wish. I would even settle for two-thirds of that. Sadly Land Rover UK thinks 4WD's don't need such horsepower. Hey, in 1966 they said they didn't need a V8 engine in a Land Rover, but the "Golden Rod", a prototype built in California by the Rover Motor Company of North America Limited proved otherwise. Just think what a 4.0-litre Disco would be like to drive with 400 bhp! Food for thought. See you next time. Copyright MG/ORE 1997/98/99/2000 |
