Wild Rover's so at home on the strip.

Byline: MIKE TORPEY

CHARTERHALL Airfield has seen better days.

Lancaster bombers once lumbered along its runways and for a halcyon period in the late 1950s and early 60s its two-mile racing circuit was 'home' to Grand Prix legend Jim Clark.

Fast forward to today and the now abandoned facility is barely discernible, its surface cracked to bits, a mixture of gravel and weeds - except for one very important piece of ground.

Land Rover has laid a specialised 600 metre strip of the black stuff to test the acceleration of the new Range Rover Sport, supercharged of course.

Edge up to the yellow line and when the flag drops you floor the throttle and blast through to 100mph.

The mark is reached uncomfortably close to the massive sign that screams BRAKE, so you slam on the anchors and, mercifully, come to a halt well before the cornfield at the bottom.

Then comes the verdict. It's 0-60mph in 5.9 seconds, the ton in 12.4 and back to standstill in 15.9, in a car weighing 2.7 tons. Phenomenal.

Of course only a small percentage of Range Rover Sport customers will buy the 5.0-litre V8 supercharged petrol engine with its 510PS of thrust.

But it demonstrates what an amazing piece of machinery this pounds 61,995 sports tourer actually is.

The next generation 'Sport' goes on sale on September 1 and also features the 3.0-litre TDV6 turbodiesel unit being introduced into the new Discovery 4 - plus the existing 3.6-litre TDV8 oil burner with prices from pounds 44,895.

All models have an improved braking system, the supercharged version using a new set-up developed with performance brake specialist Brembo and the diesels adopting an updated version of the brakes from the outgoing supercharged car.

And a comprehensive programme of chassis refinements, like predictive technology that monitors the dampers 500 times a second, ensure the settings fit the widest range of driving conditions.

It adds up to a car that drives and handles with amazing precision and agility - and therein lies the secret to the Range Rover Sport's desirability and future success.

That's because when you factor in the new, more striking, exterior design changes you have a car that not only looks a million dollars but delivers on the road like never before.

The Sport's off-road ability can be taken as read. It has the full package of updated Terrain Response hardware and Hill Descent Control - in fact at a nearby off-road course it easily managed a sheer drop no sane mortal would attempt in their own vehicle. There's even gradient release control to counter that initial fall before the HDC kicks in.

The TDV6 is likely to represent around 93 per cent of the sale and it's a quiet turbodiesel that returns an official figure 30.7 miles per gallon and lowered CO2 emissions of 243g/km.

Inside the car boasts even more luxury. The angled centre console looks elegant, there's soft-touch leather everywhere and a lovely cockpit feel to the front of the cabin - it's an enjoyable place to be.

But then this is a car that deserves to be on the radar of any potential buyer of a premium SUV sports tourer.

It's the most stylish and dynamic member of the Land Rover range, now performs supremely on-road and knocks the opposition into a cocked hat when you venture into the rough stuff.

CAPTION(S):

LIFT-OFF: Range Rover Sport on the special strip SCORCHER: The new Supercharged Range Rover Sport on the strip at Charterhall airfield