AIR suspension on the Range Rover Sport meets a tall order in providing off-road ride height, generous axle articulation, a high quality ride and relatively sporting handling in a vehicle weighing over 2.5 tonnes. Credit goes to the manufacturer of the air springs and dampers, Delphi, and to Land Rover’s overall design and layout. And the proof is that my own Range Rover Sport was riding and handling reasonably well after nearly 170,000 miles on the original units – on a basic coil spring vehicle you can expect the dampers to be trashed after anything above 60,000 miles, depending on use and abuse.
So, no complaints on longevity but, yes, the suspension was tired. The rear end was plummeting a bit through the potholes and I could tell the dampers were no longer controlling the air spring action in the way they used to. And while the front suspension was still riding well in a straight line, dealing with a tight curve or powering out of a roundabout would have the front end leaning over like a tired old dog that I’d have to yank round with the steering wheel as the weight of the beast attempted to continue in a straight line.
That spoils the driving, which matters to me because I’d originally chosen this Sport over its sister ship, the Discovery 3, as it handles so much better – not any more. More importantly, worn-out dampers are dangerous. The deteriorated handling may feel safe under normal driving but, in an emergency manoeuvre or when hitting ice, gravel or aquaplaning on a flooded section of road, damper condition can make the difference between correcting it or losing it.
