The Range Rover TD6 reminds America of what it's been missing out on

Hollis Johnson

For most folks, Range Rover is more than just an SUV - it's the rolling embodiment of off-roading ruggedness combined with the rustic elegance of the landed gentry.

Add a diesel engine and the impression gets even more complicated and European. For many Americans, diesel tends to evoke images a rattling, smoking German sedan from decades ago, neo-hippies with old Mercedes converted to run on leftover burger grease, or dedicated agricultural machinery.

As such, "Range Rover" and "diesel" aren't words that necessarily belong in the same sentence. But when we talk about the 2016 Range Rover TD6 HSE, with its V6 turbo-diesel engine, that's the sentence you have to form.

Although new to the US, the TD6 powered Range has been on sale in other parts of the world since the current generation debuted in 2012. In fact, there are many around the world who believe diesel is the way to go if you're in the market for one of these hefty vehicles.

But things are different in the US. The diesel revival, which was already weak, ground to a halt last year due to Volkswagen's emissions cheating scandal. Now, America's inherent distrust of oil-burning engine technology (in passenger cars) and bad memories of diesels that are bad for the environment have returned.

Still, Jaguar Land Rover seems committed to diesel power in its Range Rover and Range Rover Sports models.

The reason why is obvious. JLR needs the excellent fuel economy of the diesel engines to help its lineup full of high-performance supercharged V6 and V8s to meet more stringent government fuel economy standards.

But is the TD6 more than just a gimmick to satisfy federal regulations? Will American find it to be a legit Range Rover?

To find out, we took our Range Rover HSE TD6 on a road trip from northern New Jersey to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum's Steven Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia.

Photos by Hollis Johnson unless otherwise credited