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2016 Range Rover Sport Fails Braking Test, Falls Way Behind Volvo XC90, Audi Q7

The 2016 Range Rover Sport has recently been subjected to a deceleration test, with the British SUV showing disappointing results that can have serious consequences in an emergency situation.
2016 Range Rover Sport Fails Braking Test 1 photo
Photo: screenshot from Youtube
The Range Rover Sport was compared to the 2016 Volvo XC90 and the 2016 Audi Q7 by the Swedish team over at Teknikens Värld, with Land Rover's machine falling way behind its competitors.

Those of you who are familiar with automotive numbers know that the average stopping distance from 100 km/h (62 mph) sits at around 36-37 meters (118-121 feet). Do keep in mind we are not talking about performance vehicles with oversized stoppers here.

The Range Rover Sport required 42 meters (138 feet)  to come to a halt. As for the competitors we mentioned, the Swedish SUV needed 36 meters (the leader of the pack), while the German vehicle took 36.4 meters (119 feet) to complete the task.

The test included six deceleration rounds, so we are not dealing with random results.

The Swedish magazine, which is not at its first instrumented test that delivers such surprising results, has brought us the video below - the clip shows the RRS and the XC90 braking side by side. You can clearly see that the few meters, which might not seem like much on paper, make a huge difference in the real world.

In theory, the Range Rover Sport packs all the right stopping assets

The Range Rover Sport's result can be labeled as a failure, especially given the car's hardware. The connection to the road is established via wide tires (275 mm, to be more precise), while the brakes come from Brembo.

However, you should know the performance of Brembo brakes can vary by quite a lot, depending on the price of the vehicle they are installed on. One of the best examples that illustrate this is the difference between the Renault Megane RS and the Mercedes A45 AMG. Both hot hatches are equipped with braking hardware from this company, but they play in different leagues, both in terms of stopping power and fading resistance.

Sure, the prices of the hot hatches mentioned above also set them apart, but it's not like the Range Rover Sport can use this as an excuse.

Unfortunately, that seems to have escaped this is the Supercharged model, which features upgraded brakes - we didn't measure the stopping distance though.

Returning to the inferior versions of the Range Rover Sport, the passive suspension offered as standard on many markets only makes matters worse. That's due to the strong diving effect it generates in an emergency braking situation.

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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