We have already seen the new Land Rover Discovery Sport being put through its paces, and proving itself, on the purpose-built off-road courses in UK and US. But as convincing as those courses are, there is always the nagging sense that they were manmade and therefore sort of predictable.

To properly test the off-road credentials of a SUV like Land Rover Discovery Sport you have to take it to place where the nature is at its harshest. That’ll be Iceland then, and your adjudicator is Justing Bell who, although used to much faster stuff, is not a stranger to rough off-roading.

This episode of the world’s fastest car show reminds us of an old Top Gear episode in which Jeremy Clarkson drove an LR4 up a massive huge mountain in Scotland. Justin’s effort wasn’t as cool as Jeremy’s, but then he doesn’t have the resources that were at Jezza’s disposal at the time.

In order to get out of its own way when the going gets rough, Land Rover Discovery Sport relies on a new version of the Terrain Response system, the main features of which include:

• Hill Descent Control® (HDC) maintains a set speed while negotiating steep inclines off-road
• Gradient Release Control® (GRC) progressively releases the brakes when moving away on an incline for maximum control
• Roll Stability Control (RSC) designed to detect the onset of a rollover and applies the brakes to the outer wheels to bring the vehicle under control
• Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) corrects oversteer and understeer by reducing engine torque and/or applying brakes to individual wheels
• Electronic Traction Control (ETC) reduces torque and/or applies a braking force to individual wheels to prevent wheelspin
• Engine Drag Torque Control (EDC) helps to prevent lock-up under heavy engine braking in slippery conditions by increasing engine torque to the affected wheels