In the last article, we took a look at how Porsche put its pre-series Taycan through gruelling and rigorous tests in different climatic conditions. Thing is, they weren’t done yet. During an initial range test from Los Angeles to San Diego and back, pre-series models demonstrated their further improved efficiency.

The all-electric sports cars covered up to 587 kilometres on one battery charge on public roads. “For the particularly efficient Taycan sports saloon with the large battery, this practical, final test resulted in a total range of up to 587 kilometres,” said Vice-President for the model line Kevin Giek.

“A great result. The range test in Southern California impressively demonstrated how efficient the reworked Taycan is. We are continuing to focus on our ‘fast travel’ strategy for electric mobility: short charging stops paired with high real-world ranges thanks to efficient drives.”

The range test was carried out under everyday conditions. 12 international media representatives drove four Taycan sports saloons and a Taycan Cross Turismo across three days on Interstate Highway 405 and 5 between the Southern Californian metropolises of Los Angeles and San Diego.

The teams drove at the maximum speed of 75mph, or approximately 120km/h, permitted on interstates. All four test cars were equipped with the larger Performance Battery Plus.

The outside temperature peaked at around 26 degrees Celsius. The highway was dry on the first two test days and very wet on the last day, and wet weather typically reduces efficiency.

The cars were charged at the Electrify America Charger in Torrance/Los Angeles. Here, the Taycan demonstrated over 300 kW charging power for many minutes and was able to charge from 10 to 80 per cent state of charge several times in well under 20 minutes.

The charging performance, charging time and the time it takes to start charging were also greatly improved in this test.

Photo Credits: Porsche

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Hot on the heels of the new Range Rover, the British firm has released the new Range Rover Sport, which promises better performance and a tighter chassis, whilst still retaining its quintessential pantomime luxury experience. So, have they succeeded?

Well, to find out Range Rover has kindly invited me to test out the new Range Rover Sport on a closed circuit. This means no speed limits, nice.

Once the Range Rover Sport made its way onto the track, you can immediately feel its eagerness to get going, and the thing that catches you off guard the most is just how bitey it is at any RPM. No matter the speed, no matter the RPM, the Sport just gave more and more power, and it never felt out of breath as we careened around the circuit.

Plus, the Range Rover Sport really gave you the confidence to take the corners at speed, thanks to what the British boffins term mixed-metal architecture (MLA-Flex). The new Sport is touted to be up to 35% stiffer than its predecessor, and that made it much more composed through the corners, despite its heft and bulk due to its SUV stature. The car feels more responsive as well, with ample steering feedback that ensures you can feel every bit of sensation from the road.

Of course, this being a Range Rover, you need some relaxation too right?

While hurtling the car into the corner above 100, you can keep the seat heating on and even have a massage as you hear the tyres giving way underneath. The perfect setting to unwind for my scenario, as I was hooning the Sport through an absolute downpour, with torrential rain pelting down on the tarmac around us.

Also on display was the Range Rover Sport’s Integrated Chassis Control system. It’s specially tuned for the car, and ensures that you don’t end up in a tree (or cone in this case) should you take the next set of corners with a rather ambitious speed in mind.

However, this system does end up babysitting you through the turns, as it works its brains to command the car’s heft through. As soon as it detects any form of abnormality in the form of body roll or wheel slip, the system comes barging in, momentarily disabling any power input in order to compose itself better through the corner. In some cases, the car starts grabbing the brakes too, if it senses the rear getting out of line.

I will digress, this scenario will only happen if you are someone who chucks a 2.3-tonne car into a corner without any regard for personal safety. “Eh, what could go wrong?”

Though I did not get an opportunity to take the Range Rover Sport offroad, I’m fairly certain that it has the capabilities to shine on any terrain. The company has a renowned history of solid offroaders, and money’s on this being part of that group too. It even sports offroad adaptive cruise control, the first of which I heard in any car.

Overall, if you want something that is dressed to the nines in luxury, while still being able to keep pace with virtually anything else on the road, look no further.

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Land Rover is known for two kinds of cars. The first which you can depend on when scaling even the most treacherous terrain, wading through knee-deep water, or traversing the Sahara by land.

The other kind, denoted as Range Rovers are, well, commonly bought by football players and have heaps of luxury that flaunt to other road users that you made it in life. That’s not to say all Range Rovers are bad. They just do not have the same tough-as-nails, unshaved demeanour that traditional Land Rovers are famed for. Is that really a problem?

Well, I took the new Range Rover First Edition out for a spin to find out.

Party in the back

With such a pricey sales tag (almost a million!), one would expect the Range Rover to deliver luxury. And it does, in spades. You can opt for a classic 7-seater arrangement, or go ultra-premium with this 4-seater variant. There are technically 5 seats, but the middle seat is effectively sanctioned off as a centre console for rear passengers.

You really feel like travelling in first class in the back, with each seat bestowed with a wide variety of features. Seat heating, massage functions, full captain chair adjustments, the lot. Not surprisingly, rear legroom allowance is copious, and even full-sized adults have tons of wiggle room.

To get your daily dose of Vitamin D, a large sunroof floods ample amounts of sunlight into the cabin. Although, you cannot open it fully, which is a shame.

There’s just so much to do in the back, and it can be overwhelming for first-time passengers. Push a button, something pops open, or something mechanical whirrs to life.

Each rear passenger gets their own display screen too, which can be hooked up via HDMI. Ever had that urge to play Gran Turismo on your Playstation while on the go? Well, now you can.

But, how would one power the aforementioned Playstation console? The Range Rover has you covered on that, as it even comes with a centrally located 3-pin plug for charging. Even if you only needed type-C, the rear type-C ports are rated for 60W. These are the highest-rated USB-C ports I have ever encountered in any car.

All 4 seats also receive full massage capabilities. 6 massage functions are available, and you can pair it with either heating or cooling options. I found the hot stones function to be amazing on a cold rainy night.

With the 4-seater variant, boot space is slightly compromised thanks to the reclining rear seats. However, you still get tons of cargo space to cater to your needs. The boot floor comes with dividers too that help partition cargo, so nothing gets sloshed around while you drive.

Business in the front

The front centre console features a refrigerated component that chills your drinks as you drive. Especially useful in Singapore, so you can crack a cold one (PSA: Do not drink and drive) whenever you are thirsty.

A giant touchscreen sits front and centre, integrated with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and it works a treat. The touchscreen and UI work with minimal lag, although under bright sunlight, the screen can be pretty dim, and it can be hard to read the information on-screen.

HVAC controls are baked into two dials which work great, but the haptic buttons to set other items like recirculation are cumbersome to use, as they are not touch-sensitive.

There is no electronic parking brake button in the vehicle. Push it into P, and the car applies the handbrake itself. The terrain mode selector is by far the nicest feeling dial in the cabin, and you can switch terrain modes with ease.

The doors are really heavy, thanks to heaps of insulation, but the soft-closing mechanisms help a ton, meaning you don’t have to use uncouth amounts of strength just to shut the doors properly.

Regal Stature

The new Range Rover puts away large intakes and flashy bumpers and instead adopts a more grown-up, sophisticated look. The exterior is now much cleaner, and its smooth hair gel appearance exudes a finer, more distinguished persona.

The front sticks to Range Rover’s current design language but removes any bodily protrusions, while the rear sees more change, now adorned with thin vertical rear lamps. Black gloss trim pieces complement the overall design and are dotted around the exterior.

Unlike other cars, the Range Rover has two shark antennas up top, which Land Rover admits is only to feed the growing number of wireless connections that modern cars require.

Call me pretentious, but I love the metal-finished sunset gold colour on this car. The gold is subdued, and the metal finish gives it a premium look, similar to the back of high-end iPhones. Plus, you get the added benefit of not inviting pesky fingerprints.

Powerhouse

Under the hood, you’ll be pleased to know that the same bumbling 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 orchestra that sings to 11 when you mash the throttle is still present.

However, with enhanced insulation and better engine mounts, the engine is whisper quiet if you are gentle with it. It’s almost scary that it can be so quiet and docile, considering it can deliver 523 bhp and 750 Nm of torque whenever you please. Even if this weighs in at a whopping 2.5 tonnes, it can still do the century sprint in just 4.7 seconds.

Despite its large size, it’s actually fairly easy to get around town with, albeit with space constraints each time you try to find parking. During my media drive, I could not find a single parking space which fit the Range Rover. When I finally did find one that fit, I realised I was in a heavy vehicle parking lot.

But, one does not need to fear the chore of parking in this monster, for it has an array of sensors and a 360-camera suite that screams each time you come within breathing distance of an obstacle. Should you ignore the car’s warning, it will automatically apply its emergency brake.

Of course, being a product of arguably the best offroading brand in the world, going off-road with this is not a problem at all, and this car can happily tackle any terrain found in Singapore.

Not that there is any particularly challenging terrain to begin with, but regardless it’s not even a challenge for this car. When ‘crawling’ over undulating terrain, the heads-up display would also project the car’s tilt angle, and warn you if you are going overboard.

With a bumbling V8 having to haul so much weight, fuel economy goes about as well as you’d expect. With some mixed city driving, I managed to yield 16.5L/100km, or roughly 6km/L.

Not great, but you wouldn’t realistically expect anything better from something like this. And come on, which so much performance at your disposal, do you really want to be light-footed while driving?

Absolute Masterclass

Do you really need a car like this? Do most people need a car like this? Chances are this statement will be a no. But, above all else, this car delivers something emotional to you. It makes you feel really special.

Sitting in it, be it driver or passenger, you really feel like a king in a castle. Everything else just fades away, and you are wrapped up in this cocoon of absolute luxury. Just like our imaginary pretend kingdoms when we were children, this car makes you feel powerful.

Like a synthpop electro dance-rock melody that makes you feel like you’re on cloud nine, the Range Rover delivers this luxury experience to a tee.

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Most people would have forgotten by now that the original Audi e-tron launched way back in 2018, buried in the EV avalanche. A good pool of manufacturers has released new EVs since then, burying Audi’s electric SUV into the pages of obscurity. 

Of course, it was only a matter of time before a new e-tron update was revealed, and here it is, and it’s back with a vengeance. The new model is now been renamed the Audi Q8 e-tron, making it easier to differentiate from its older brethren.

With its new name, the Q8 e-tron is now denoted as the electric counterpart to the standard Audi Q8 SUV. Fear not if you’re not too keen on the boxy SUV body shape, as prospective buyers can also get it in the sexier coupe-SUV Q8 Sportback e-tron form, which is in the pipeline.

So what’s new?

A new grille with hexagonal slots sits front and centre, padded by new grille surrounds and new digital LED matrix headlamps. The rear bumper has also been sculpted more voluptuously.

The new bodywork has also improved the aerodynamics of the Q8 e-tron, dropping the drag coefficients of both the Q8 e-tron and Q8 e-tron Sportback to Cd 0.26 – 0.24 in the Sportback and Cd 0.28 – 0.27 in the regular Q8 e-tron. Pretty remarkable for a lumbering SUV.

Unfortunately, interior details have not yet been revealed yet, but we are guessing the Q8 e-tron will follow a similar design language to the current Audi e-tron GT.

Yes, it has a battery. A huge one.

Three motor variants will be available for the new Audi Q8 e-tron. Entry point to the range starts with the Q8 50 e-tron, which houses a 95kWh battery and twin-motor all-wheel drive. Peak power output sits at 335bhp, or 250kW, and a range good for up to 491km (WLTP). 

Spring for the more powerful Audi Q8 55 e-tron, and power jumps to 402bhp, or 300kW. Crucially, a higher capacity 114kWh battery is fitted as standard, allowing for a total range of up to 600km (WLTP). This puts it in firing range of the Mercedes-EQ EQS 450+, which is currently the top dog in terms of EV range you can buy in Singapore, at the time of writing. 

But, if you really want to be the fastest SUV, or by extension EV, on the block, then the Audi SQ8 e-tron and SQ8 Sportback e-tron may be up your alley. Both feature three electric motors touting a combined power output of 496bhp, or 365kW. Not that impressive? Well, couple that with 973Nm. There you go. Shame that the top speed is electronically limited to only 210km/h. Total range for the SQ8 Sportback e-tron is rated at up to 513km (WLTP). 

Major EV improvements all round

Fast charging is even faster in both Q8 55 e-tron and SQ8 e-tron variants, thanks to charge rates of up to 170kW. This equates to a 10 to 80 per cent charge in just 31 minutes. While not necessarily the runt of the litter, the base model Q8 e-tron has to make do with just 150kW on tap.

For trickle overnight charging, all Q8 e-tron variants will accept 11kW AC charging, with faster 22kW AC power also available.

The new e-tron is able to push more torque out thanks to more coil windings in the motors. The original e-tron SUV had 12 coils around the individual motor rotors, and this new version increases this to 14 coils. The extra windings enable more torque, plus it draws less power when the car is cruising at constant speeds. More powerful and efficient at the same time? Win-win!

Ride height can also be altered thanks to standard-fit air suspension, which can alter the car’s height by up to 76mm depending on the driving mode. Other notable updates include revised progressive steering, giving it a more direct and quicker input while driving. 

It’s coming really soon

The Audi Q8 e-tron is expected to arrive in Singapore beginning in the second half of 2023. Prices have not yet been released at the time of writing.

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