It's rated at 188-190 horsepower at 4000 rpm, depending on which rating system you use, and approximately 325 pound-feet of torque at 1900 rpm. The 2.7 diesel makes more peak torque than the 4.4-liter gas engine, but, far more importantly, it delivers close to 300 pound-feet from 1500-3000 rpm where it's most frequently operated. The comparable 4.4-liter needs close to 3200 rpm to approach 300 pound-feet.
Manufacturer figures show diesel fuel consumption (with the automatic) as roughly 50 percent better than the 4.4-liter V-8's, the biggest gain in the city cycle, and the manual gearbox enjoys an even larger advantage (no manual is offered with the V-8). This is a primary reason diesel has market penetration near 80 percent for SUVs over the pond. The diesel also has significantly lower CO2 emissions.
Unless it sat overnight in subfreezing temperatures (when it needed four seconds for preheat), the D3 diesel started up immediately and idled smoothly. At idle with fans and radio off, you can tell it's a diesel, or perhaps a gas engine with noisy injectors or tappets, but once accessories are on and you're moving it's comfortably quiet. According to Land Rover literature, drive-by noise is 70.8 dB on a diesel auto and the V-8 is louder (72.7).
Drop the TDV6 in Drive and as soon as the torque converter goes to work, low-end urge is apparent. Plenty of throttle travel means you hardly need revised mapping in low-range or specific Terrain Response modes, and even if you floor it from a stop, the turbo spools up to take out any hard hit. That initial delay might cost half a second in all-out blasts, but it's not noticed underway, and using Sport mode doesn't make it faster at wide-open throttle. At full throttle the engine goes past horsepower peak and off boost slightly, resulting in luxo-smooth shifts rather than blunt and harsh.
The D3 goes like any diesel and most previous Land Rovers: it gathers momentum rather than accelerating. Our hand-timed jaunts to 62 mph (100 kph) averaged 11.6 seconds, a tenth better than factory claims and about 3.0 seconds behind a gas V-8. Top speed is listed as 112 mph (180 kph, in fifth or sixth gear) though we had no trouble making the needle climb to 188, nearly keeping up with air traffic approaching the adjacent airport.