KEY POINTS:
It's an engine the Range Rover has been waiting many years for - a sophisticated V8 diesel that will greatly improve the economy and flexibility of the luxury off-roader.
That's what the British four-wheel-drive specialist has been promising since it launched the powerplant last year.
A brief drive
the other day of one of the first vehicles to arrive in New Zealand revealed that the company had delivered: the 32-valve diesel is as refined and pretty much as quiet as the best V8 petrol unit. Indeed, the burble of the diesel exhaust at idle could be mistaken for a petrol V8. Almost.
A hint of diesel clatter remains, but that's all it is. What's under the bonnet soon becomes a guessing game for driver and occupants.
Wallis Dumper, managing director of Land/Range Rover importer Motorcorp Distributors, says the first shipment of TDV8s was snapped up.
"Compared with the outgoing Range Rover diesel the new engine is up to 75 per cent quieter, a huge improvement," he says. "It makes for the finest blend of performance, refinement and economy ever offered on a Land Rover."
Dumper says it will appeal to many customers who have never considered a diesel before.
The twin-turbocharged 3.6-litre V8 produces 200kW (270bhp) ar 4000rpm and a whopping 640Nm of torque between 2000-2500rpm. More than 400Nm is available from 1250rpm. It is mated to a six-speed ZF transmission, like the petrol V8s, and replaces the previous 2.7-litre V6 oil-burner, which is also used in the Discovery.
The V6, built by Ford and Peugeot, can also be found in this country under the bonnet of the S-Type Jaguar and 407 Peugeot.
But its output of 130kW/400Nm pales in comparison compared with the new V8's 200kW/640Nm - that's 54 per cent more power and 64 per cent more torque.
Land/Range Rover says the new engine delivers the same fuel economy on a combined town and country cycle as the V6 11.3 lire/100km, or about 25mpg.
The diesel V8 stands alone in the luxury European four-wheel-drive segment. Apart from V8 petrol units, rivals Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Volvo offer only five and six-cylinder diesels.
Land Rover says no other turbodiesel V8 has anything like the all- terrain versatility of the new engine.
To get around the risk of not getting oil to the turbochargers during off-road work, it sited the boosters - one for each bank of cylinders - low down on the engine, and patented a vacuum system to ensure full flow at all times, even on the most severe side slopes.
TDV8 revisions to the range include both the standard and supercharged petrol models.
The gearbox and transfer box have a wider ratio spread than the previous design and this allows for a 12 per cent lower first gear for better off-road control and a 24 per cent higher sixth gear for on-road economy.
There are also improvements to the cabin, including twin glove-boxes, better storage, new instrument graphics, revised switchgear and technical upgrades.
There is a new fascia, too. It improves the renowned Range Rover command-view driving position, Dumper says.
The TDV8 retails for $179,990.
