There are cars that smell of adventure and none is able to convey that innate need to explore like a Range Rover.
POSTCARD FROM PARADISE
Words by Alessandro Marrone / Photos by Daniél Rikkard
Far beyond the controversial urban center of Turin, which seems increasingly allergic to those cars that has made it one of the world’s most important motoring epicenter over the past decades, there is an almost infinite choice of roads perfectly resembling the most unspoiled paradise on earth. At the foot of the western portion of the Alps, mankind has built tangled strips of asphalt that climb up to the peaks of mountains now ready to welcome the first winter snowfalls, from here to a few days. The colors of the autumn completely strip the rocky walls and increase that sense of amazement overlooking landscapes that it is impossible to get used to. And then, there are cars that smell of adventure and none is able to convey that innate need to explore like a Range Rover. The desire to drive, to cross the most common borders and create new paths, to discover corners of a world that seem to be catapulted here among us straight from remote planets devoid of human life, in a total silence only interrupted by the rustling of the wind and the calls of the wildlife, perhaps annoyed by the 400 horses of our new Range Rover Sport HST. We are here to launch this car into a dreamlike scenario, discovering the secrets that make it the best SUV on the market, equally capable of facing rough terrain despite being at the same time able to wink at simple home-work procedures or even boring Saturday’s afternoon drive to Harrods.
We like adventures, we are literally bewitched by that desire to turn at a sudden crossroads, take a less busy road and point our hopes towards the top of the mountains. The SP460 that starts from Rivarolo Canavese is one of those roads that has a lot to offer in terms of emotions. Certainly not the first section, which logically articulates itself through a bunch of villages until it reaches the penultimate red dot on our map, the Ceresole Reale’s Lake. Today it does not seem to be in front of 34 million cubic meters of water, as the lake bed has shrunk due to a very dry summer and autumn seasons. You can therefore see the rocky bottom and better imagine the layout of the village that once stood where the hydroelectric heart of the entire valley pulsates now. Just enough time for a short break and a couple of photos, and I start to take the opportunity to take a more leisurely look at the lines of this Range Rover Sport HST, the most special model if we exclude the crazy SVR version, the most powerful of the lot.
This is a hybrid though, mild-hybrid to be exact, where the generous 3-liter inline 6-cylinder is supported by an electric supercharger through a 48V hybrid system, which intervenes autonomously in order to optimize the performance of the best SUV by far. In the specific case of Range Rover, therefore, it is not like driving a full-hybrid vehicle, therefore if you do not keep the electric management display under control, you will not even realize the important mechanical/electrical effort that takes place below you. The HST grounds its 400 horsepower and 550 Nm of torque on both axles, thanks to an 8-speed automatic transmission, which allows you to get on and off between gears also thanks to the paddles behind the steering wheel. If the maximum power is delivered when the tachometer needle exceeds 5,000 rpm, torque comes into play at just 2,000 rpm and this is one of the fundamental traits that make this Range Rover agile despite a weight that touches 2,300 kg.
Characterizing the HST version we have the contrasting black roof, various carbon fiber elements and the possibility of opting for red brake calipers, which are going to be wrapped in 22-inch 5-spoke wheels with a Gloss Black finish. Without a shadow of a doubt, the character of the Sport HST is that of a devourer of roads, but don’t think that it has overlooked the incredible off-road skills that have always distinguished a Range Rover. After having passed Ceresole Reale, the last proper town and one of the last occasions for a coffee break, we begin to delve into the heart of the Gran Paradiso Park, a natural treasure destination for climbing and hiking enthusiasts immersed in the most unspoiled nature. The SP50 soon forces us to make a new stop, this time on the roadside. The astonishment and grandeur of what appears in front of our eyes is not easy to describe with simple words that won’t leave you thinking about some kind of exaggeration, but I am sure that Daniél’s photos will do justice to such a majestic landscape.
Even before starting the real climb to the top, we find ourselves immersed in the center of a narrow and wavy asphalt snake literally thrown in the middle of vertical rocky walls. Some small stone buildings interrupt that total and uncontaminated expanse of yellowed grass and bare rock, with marmots running from one den to another, seeking shelter while investigating the intentions of our little exploration. The silver gray color of the generous body of the HST blends perfectly with that of the nature that surrounds us, coming into harmony without emotionally breaking the color scheme that will continue to repeat its pattern up to the top. By the way, this is one of those rare situations in which, once we reach the summit, we won’t go anywhere. Not because of laziness, but for the simple fact that the Colle del Nivolet corresponds to the end of the road, except for a handful of gravel paths that can be covered by foot or riding a mountain-bike.
And this makes things even more special, because it maximizes the true purpose of this road trip undertaken with the best 4X4 you could possibly ask for. Hours are slipping away too fast and although the sun is still high in the sky, we realize that we are not even halfway through the schedule set in the briefing room. The Range Rover Sport HST does not ask it twice and after setting the driving mode in Dynamic, I finally hit the throttle with plenty more confidence. The 400 horses at my disposal allow me to move the gray mastodon with a reactivity that I would not have imagined possible and while the stiffening commanded by suspension and steering sharpen the chassis and therefore improving cornering speed, I finally have the opportunity to enjoy the metallic sound that comes out of the tailpipes. The typical bark of an in-line 6-cylinder is the one that knows how to fill the valley, as brake pedal is precise and allows you to get close to the tightest hairpin bends with the knife between your teeth, ready to launch on the gas at the right time .
I imagine it as a huge silver bullet that moves inside a hellish symphony of horsepower and incandescent pistons, but from the cockpit everything is more muffled, thanks to the exceptional soundproofing that confirms how much this is still a car that does not forget its noble and luxurious origins. Another tight hairpin bend, another violent jump on the throttle and the bonnet seems to point up towards the sky, as if to anticipate our arrival at the top. We pass the imposing dam – we will come back here later for some photos – and a handful of lakes that begin to outline in our heads the image of what awaits us in a few kilometers, once the climbon the Nivolet is over. What is certain is that we would never have expected such a show and this time I am not just referring to the contentious behavior of the Range Rover Sport.
It is often said that it is not so much about the destination, but rather the journey that makes an adventure on the road special. Nothing truer, but it must also be said that the Colle del Nivolet represents the exception par excellence. Never ever, despite the incalculable number of mountain passes faced with any type of car, I think I stopped the car at every single curve, trying to binge on that surreal panorama, filled with small stretches of water scattered here and there around a tangle of asphalt under the blue sky and a vegetation now ready for the arrival of the winter. This is not a road suitable for leaving inches of tire at every turn, but a corner of (Great) Paradise that puts you in peace with yourself and that more than any other place makes you move away from everyday life as we conceive it. It seems having traveled for millions of kilometers and to have reached an unexplored, uninhabited place that may exist for a short while, here is explained that pinch of melancholy that peeps at the bottom of that incessant amazement, while with the eyes I overcome the ribs of the HST and I get lost in the absurd beauty created by mother nature.
Many would argue that I could have come here with a more traditional sports car, maybe a supercar, but the sobriety, class and effectiveness of a Range Rover are the qualities that best suit such a special place. It took something eternal, just like the British off-roader, capable of devouring hundreds of kilometers of motorway, cities, smaller villages and not being intimidated by any type of road or path we would have liked to take once we reached this divine basin in the close embrace of the Alps. The Sport HST version, despite being decidedly aimed at a more sporty audience, maintains the ingredients that make a Range Rover the best explorer out there, with different driving modes that alter its road approach and thanks to systems such as the 4X4i reduced traction or the electronic engine brake management in case of very steep descents, make it comfortable even during extreme off-road situations. All with the necessary precautions due to the fact of sitting on 22″ wheels and with a starting price of € 104,000, which will make you think a couple of seconds more before throwing yourself in a path more suitable for something less economically challenging.
If the Colle del Nivolet amazed me, or rather literally shocked me, the Range Rover confirmed itself as the ideal adventure companion, showing an overall good fuel consumption for the kind of road here (in this particular case, we scored a pretty good average of 8 km/l), for the weight and for a right foot always ready to keep the 400 horses ready. Returning to the office, twisted by such an extraordinary experience, we finally appreciated the goodies of a cockpit rich in soft leather, maximum connectivity and 3 digital screens (two touch displays in the center of the dashboard and that of the instrumentation in front of the driver). The words Range Rover and adventure continue to live side by side, celebrating an endless fellowship and ready to write other exciting pages in our travel diary.
RANGE ROVER SPORT HST
Layout – front-engined, all-wheel-drive
Engine – 6 cylinder 2.996cc – electric supercharger + 48V hybrid system
Transmission – 8-speed automatic gearbox
Power – 400 hp @ 5.500 rpm
550 Nm @ 2.000 rpm
Weight – 2.285 kg
Acceleration – 5,9 sec.
Top Speed – 225 kph
Price – from € 104.100