Range Rover Sentinel unveiled at Defexpo 2016

The Range Rover Sentinel has made its debut in India at the 2016 Defexpo India. Based on the standard wheelbase Range Rover Autobiography, the armoured vehicle had previously made its world debut at the Defence and Security Equipment (DSEI) Show last year.

The Sentinel is the first armoured Land Rover to be fully engineered by Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division and it comes with VR8 level of ballistic resistance. It can withstand 7.62mm bullets, up to 15kg TNT bomb blasts as well as grenade explosions from both beneath the floor and above the roof. The specially developed six-piece armoured passenger cell is made of super-high-strength steel, while the standard glass has been replaced by multi-laminated bullet-proof armour privacy glass. Passengers can also leave the car via the Emergency Escape System behind the rear seats in case the main doors are blocked by an accident or attack.

Other security features on the car include anti-tamper exhaust, a self-sealing fuel tank, auxiliary back-up battery, a split-charging system, 100mm driver window opening for document delivery and anti-smash protective glass in the load space. Land Rover is also offering the armoured SUV with under floor and under bonnet fire suppression systems, a customer configurable siren system, emergency service lights and an external speaker system as optional extras.

The vehicle is powered by 3.0-litre supercharged V6 petrol engine that produces 336hp. The engine is mated to a specially-calibrated ZF 8-speed automatic transmission. The suspension has also been up-rated to handle the extra weight. The car gets special 20-inch split rim alloy wheels with run-flat inserts that allow it to be driven even if the tyres are shot at.

The Range Rover Sentinel is currently only being showcased at the exhibition and has not been launched in India yet.