Spoiler alert! The results may not surprise.
There are three main obstacles to the course, including a steep dirt climb. The first obstacle is a rutted section, which the vehicles must navigate without using any off-road equipment. After a short rest, competitors will have to clear another challenging obstacle where none of the four wheels can be guaranteed contact with dirt. The final flourish involves a balance act in which the front-left wheel is almost always farthest from the ground.
It’s obvious that power doesn’t equal strength when it comes to tough situations. Performance can be affected by many factors, including tires, weight, and traction controls systems. While the BMW X6 had trouble getting through the first few obstacles, its Audi Q8 soared through them with great confidence. It is now the ultimate tarmac specialist.
The Range Rover Sport is the first to show off the brand’s off-road credentials. Although you might think the supercharged 5.0-liter V8 would propel the car to victory, it was actually more reserved than you might expect. You could argue that it didn’t operate at James May speed, but it also didn’t dig itself into a huge hole.
The first round saw drivers with vastly different skills levels. It was decided that the best pilot would again take the same vehicles out to see if they could produce different results. It was not surprising that things turned out to be very similar. At the top, it was still a toss up between the Range Rover Sport (Audi Q8). Although the German SUV was not without its problems, such as an overheating transmission it still delivered very impressive results.
After hours of testing on the worst off-road track, it was finally time for Range Rover to show its skills. The British contender was clearly the best of the bunch. Despite some minor wheelspin, the Range Rover maintained its calmness and showed great traction all the way. Although we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Range Rover at the Baja 1000 next year, it is clear that it has off-road prowess.