Range Rover Sport PHEV Conquers Tianmen Mountain’s 999 Steps

Land Rover is already renowned for the challenges it sets for its Range Rover models. They all share one thing: the sheer madness of attempting a record that had never previously even been contemplated, let alone achieved.

Range Rover Sport PHEV takes on Tianmen Mountain

Its latest feat took place on the ascent of Tianmen Mountain, the famous Chinese landmark that stands at more than 1,500 metres above sea level.

Reaching the summit involves covering around 11.3 kilometres, through 99 bends and hairpin turns, some of them 180 degrees, on gradients of up to 37 degrees. For this reason, the route is known as the “Dragon Road”.

At the top, 999 steps with a 45-degree gradient lead to the so-called “Heaven’s Gate”, a natural arch in the rock and one of China’s biggest attractions.

The Dragon Challenge route

The aim was to complete the 11.3-kilometre route and then climb the 999 steps to the summit at one of China’s best-known sites, “Heaven’s Gate”.

This time, the starring role went to the Range Rover Sport PHEV. Known as the P400e, this plug-in Range Rover version pairs a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine producing 300 hp with a 116 hp electric motor. Together, they deliver a combined 404 hp, from which the P400e name is derived.

Former Renault F1 test driver and current Formula E racer Ho-Pin Tung was at the wheel. He overcame the task of taking the model to the highest point after negotiating the 99 turns and climbing the 999 steps.

Terrain Response 2 supports the ascent

Naturally, the driver was aided by the P400e’s strong performance and its Terrain Response 2 system in Dynamic mode.

The “Dragon Challenge”, as the feat was named, is the latest in a series of adventures and tests devised by those behind the model to demonstrate its capabilities. In October last year, the same vehicle raced two experienced athletes: two-time open-water swimming world champion Keri-Anne Payne and endurance athlete Ross Edgley, over a 14-kilometre route linking mainland England with Burgh Island.