Land Rover has added a diesel engine option to the Range Rover models. The 2016 Range Rover HSE and Range Rover HSE Sport are now available with a 3.0-liter Td6 turbocharged V6 diesel engine. Power is rated a respectable 254 horsepower and more impressive 440 lb-ft of torque, which is available as early as 1,750 rpm. Comparatively, the gasoline V6 produces 332 lb-ft of torque at 3,500 rpm. An eight-speed automatic transmission comes standard.
The low-end torque of the Td6 diesel allows the turbocharged diesel powered SUV to deliver 0-60 acceleration times comparable to the higher horsepower V6 gasoline models. The Range Rover HSE Sport Td6 and Range Rover HSE Td6 accelerate from 0-60 mph in 7.1 and 7.4 seconds respectively, compared to 6.9 and 7.1 seconds for gasoline V6 models, according to Land Rover.
The big draw for the torquy diesel is the EPA-estimated 22/28/25 mpg for city/highway/combined driving. All of which total up to more than a 30 percent improvement over the gasoline V6 engine. The 658 mile range on a single tank of diesel will test the your iron will or iron butt.
To make it market-ready for the U.S., Land Rover made some modifications to reach an additional 8 percent increase in overall fuel efficiency. The block is constructed of compacted graphite iron, which is stronger than cast iron and has better overall strength and stiffness over aluminum. Other improvements that were introduced before readying it for sales in the U.S. include a new water-cooled turbocharger with new bearings, vanes and nozzles.
Land Rover conducted testing and engineering to make the diesel version feel and sound closer to its gasoline counterpart. Extensive real world tests were also done to ensure the new diesel could handle all U.S. climate and terrain conditions. Before the production version goes on sale, the test fleet will have completed one million test miles.
Has the hard work done by Land Rover made the Range Rover diesel models ready for the U.S. market. Watch this video to see if the premium SUV measures up to the high standards set by Land Rover.
