"IT can take the rough with the smooth." It's a hackneyed marketing phrase for off-road vehicles to the unsuspecting urban driver.

And they get away with it because more often than not the "rough" is nothing more challenging than climbing a kerb or parking on a soggy sports field. But pulling a double horsebox would be a real challenge to some of the vehicles around.

So what of Range Rover, who upped the ante by claiming the Sport model will climb mountains, wade rivers and even cross deserts?

Put to the test, the Range Rover Sport is good enough to wade a depth of 700mm, has an obstacle ground clearance of 227mm and can shift from high to low gear ratio on the move at speeds of up to 40km.

The combination of build quality and high-tech safety helped the HSE version, as a 3.6litre twin turbo-diesel engine made light work of an extreme driving test in the hills and sand dunes of coastline Morocco.

For those of us who are less experienced in driving over rocks or crossing rivers and sand dunes, the Range Rover's built-in technology comes to the rescue and turns what should be an ordeal into a pleasurable drive.

The Range Rover Sport now has the best off-road performance ever thanks to such technology as the Terrain Response System. This is as good as having an expert with you. It gives five terrain settings to cover every eventuality. The rotary control button in the console allows you to quickly select the correct driving mode to get you out of a swamp, save you from being stuck in deep sand or stop you sliding off the side of a mountain. Pick the correct setting and the electronics keep you in charge, eliminating the possibility of errors of judgement and an undignified end to your journey.

There is even a roll-over sensor.

In the rough or on tarmac, the four-corner air suspension makes light work of unforgiving ground while the six-speed automatic transmission allows for a more relaxed drive. The safety features include a rigid body with a low centre of gravity, while there are good collision energy crumple zones.

I am certain the active roll mitigation system, the dynamic stability control and the anti-lock brakes all played their part in making a very difficult route accident free.

All these safety innovations are equally important as emergency back-up systems in urban driving conditions. There are eight airbags, including curtain airbags. The high driving position makes for safe driving with better vision all round and there is cruise control, a navigation system and voice recognition technology.

The urban driver will appreciate the front and rear parking sensors, a well-designed cockpit and good, supportive seats for all occupants. The 'Launch' accessory pack (which brings the list price up to 107,100) was standard on the test vehicle and included 20" alloy wheels, cooler box, sunroof, a 13-speaker top-of-the-range audio system with rear seat headphone modules.

The body has lines that are block-like but very imposing and the rear overhang gives plenty of luggage space . . . 958-2013 litre . . .depending on seat formation.

And of interest to the green brigade will be the consumption figures which are surprisingly good. The 3.6 litre engine puts out a huge 640 Nm of torque at 2000 rpm and has a maximum towing capacity of 350kg, which makes it more than adequate as a workhorse. Yet an overall 25 mpg is possible in tame urban driving.

The company is also working on a Land_E, a revolutionary concept that incorporates an electric hybrid as well as other approaches to green motoring.

The plan is to reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption while keeping the flexible power owners demand.

A spokesman for the company says that the manufacturing facilities at Solihull and Halewood have reduced emissions by around 4% year over the past five years.

VITAL STATISTICS

Model Range Rover Sport HSE
Engline 3.6L V8 twin-turbo diesel
Length 4788 mm
Width 2170 mm
Height 1812 mm
Wheelbase 2745 mm
Acceleration 0-100km - 9.2 secs
Top speeed 209km (130 mph)
Transmission 6-speed auto
Economy 11.1L/km (25.5 mpg)
Price 100,980
CO2 emissions 294 g/km