Range Rover’s are seldom sitting idly on showroom floors waiting for an eager buyer for months on end. Such is the Range Rover’s esteem that it remains one of the most sought after luxury SUV’s, holding onto residual values and consistently broadening its considerably respected reputation. Over five decades, the Range Rover nameplate hasn’t set a foot wrong, consistently evolving yet never quite losing the essence of what it was intended to be – an unmistakeably competent SUV in almost every application with the added elements of being palatial, stately and luxurious.
This new long wheelbase Autobiography reviewed here takes that signature to a higher level. The Range Rover’s reductive design execution is so strong that you’d be hard-pressed to spot the difference between a standard wheelbase and a long wheelbase version. Presenting such a design on paper is one thing, but the engineering genius to be able to pull it off in the metal is certainly something to behold. The Range Rover is undoubtedly commanding from any angle. The trademark sloping roofline and rising rear sill, the continuous wraparound waistline are all inherent in the design, but it’s the plushness that makes it timeless.
It is of course, a large vehicle. At 5 250mm, the Range Rover in this guise is longer than the Volkswagen Transporter that you’ve read about elsewhere in this magazine. In this long-wheel base specification, the length makes way for an additional two pews in a third-row of seats making this one of the most luxurious 7-seaters available to purchase.
For the most part, the third row is about as elegant as Range Rover could make it offered with heated seats, a well-considered arm rest, USB-C ports and some task lighting. The seating position itself is good for an average sized adult, though the floor is higher and therefore your knees will be slightly less comfortable than those sitting right in front of you. Those passengers will be entirely spoiled by the opulence, comfort and tech in the second row. The legroom in the second row even with two passengers in the rear remains commensurately generous. Palatial, lounge-like seats ensconce you in leather with an 11,4-inch, touchscreen tablet directly in view. Heated and ventilated seats with push-button adjustability as well window blinds leave you certain that the Range Rover has been built for everyone in the cabin.
With this twin-turbo V8 engine, the driver perhaps, is the most looked after. It’s a beautifully smooth engine carefully tweaked to 390kW to ensure that the large body Range Rover feels every bit the luxury item it should be. The engine is powerful yet graceful, with the kind of power management that should never make one feel unsettled. It sounds as a V8 should and can accelerate with respectable pace for a car this size and weight - yet the Range Rover’s most at home showing off its impeccable ride quality. Self-levelling air suspension soaks up imperfections in the road with shining mastery and perhaps, even more surprising is its ride quality on gravel roads. From the helm, 24-way adjustable front seats feature heating, ventilation, massage functions leaving you without any excuses for not finding a good driving position. As always, the driving position is commanding, elevated slightly from the 219mm body clearance underneath the car.
Signature Range Rover 4x4 ability abounds in the Autobiography with the latest Terrain Response System allowing for that air suspension to be hiked by 73mm. Water wading depths of 900mm are an option should the need arise, but I question whether Range Rover owners would genuinely be doing any serious off-roading in such as stately package. It’s more likely that with the split tailgate fitted with Range Rover’s Tailgate Event Suite, a pair of additional chairs that allow you to sit on the rear of the car in some measure of leather-backed comfort, they’d want to find a place to take in the view. Our test period certainly took us to the edge of a beautiful dam to try this out.
Not many cars we review score a perfect 10/10. The Range Rover joins a very short list of cars for which we have given that accolade but the Range really is an exquisite car. In its latest guise, perhaps we can question what the future of automatically retracting door handles looks like for an owner, but apart from that, we must celebrate an icon in this car. It's so good because it feels as expensive as it is, but it also feels like great value compared to other stately saloons or SUV's in its class or perceived to be higher. In this segment, there are certainly other options, but the Range Rover big body is certainly something to go against. Range Rovers are all sold with a 5 yr/100,000km Maintenance Plan with Roadside Assistance included.
The Range Rover cannot be ignored when you’re considering a luxury flagship vehicle that offers a comprehensive list of bespoke and personalised features, technology, driving excellence and supreme comfort. It continues to be the car of choice for so many in society that have the sort of money that a big body Range Rover demands, including royalty itself.
Young or old, there’s a healthy respect for the large British SUV. Its allure is as much in its actual elegance and performance as much as it is in its considered exclusivity.
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