The Range Rover Sentinel first came to us in 2015 as a bulletproof fortress. That was then, this is now. The new Range Rover Sentinel by Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations was shown at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show and it takes things up a notch.
But just how tough is this car, objectively speaking?
To find out, we took a look at what the car was certified for. Just like our modern ‘waterproof’ and ‘dustproof’ phones, ‘bulletproof’ cars have to be meet certain standards. Here’s what each of the 2019 Range Rover Sentinel is certified to take on under each standard.
VPAM BRV 2009 VR8
This first standard is by the European body “Vereinigung der Prüfstellen für angriffshemmende Materialien und Konstruktionen”. The ‘VR8’ standard means it can withstand penetration from 7.62mm bullets fired from a rifle just 10 metres away. In other words, you can empty an AK47 on the Range Rover Sentinel, and its occupants would be just fine. What’s more, this standard specified that the bullet can be fired from any angle.
This also means that smaller projectiles won’t work on the Sentinel either. This includes 9mm, 357 Magnum, 44 Remington Magnum, 308 Winchester rounds and more.
ERV 2010
This standard pertains to explosive resistance. The Range Rover Sentinel needs to withstand the detonation of 15kg of TNT from a distance of 2m. The charge is set a metre off the ground, making it tougher on occupants and the vehicle’s structure.
PAS 300
This standard describes test methods to assess ballistic and blast performance on road-legal cars. It tests with shots from various handguns and rifles as well as blasts from the side, below and above the vehicle. The specifics are locked away behind a paywall, but if you’d like to know more you can purchase the guidebook yourself.
STANAG 4569
This one’s tough. STANAG 4569 tests for projectile resistance according to NATO standards, but there are multiple levels to it. The problem is that Land Rover don’t specify which level the Range Rover Sentinel achieves.
At level 1, the vehicle is proven to withstand 22 shots of 5.56mm x 45mm rounds at a distance of 30m. It also tests against the 7.62mm rounds of the AK47 at the same distance. An optional test is against 20mm FSP article rounds from 100 metres away.
At level 6, cars are expected to withstand 12 shots of 30mm rounds from 500 metres away. How crazy is that?
All that bulletproofing has added 1 tonne in armour plating and glass but as this video shows, Land Rover Special Operations were more than prepared for that.
The new Land Rover Range Rover Sentinel features a 380PS supercharged V8 engine displacing 5 litres. That’s what allows it to sprint to 100km/h in 10.4 seconds and hit a top speed of 193km/h.
