All things to all people. Land Rover has always marketed its Range Rover flagship as a classless vehicle, as comfortable on a farm as it is in the city or outside a golf club. This all-new fifth-generation model continues that legacy, though you’d feel guilty stowing muddy wellies in the back. This off-road SUV titan might offer 13.8 inches of ground clearance, with traction that’d make a mountain goat jealous, but it’s also extremely refined, even in its cheapest guise.
The last word in luxury. As you’d expect from a vehicle commanding a six-figure price tag, entry-level SE Range Rovers are impressively equipped. Key highlights include air suspension and adaptive dampers, leather trim and 20-way power-adjustable front seats, a 14-speaker Meridian sound system, and a panoramic sunroof. Intermediate trims include Autobiography and First Edition, adding goodies like ventilated and massaging front seats, power-adjustable and ventilated second-row seating with dedicated rear console screens, and a rear tailgate with leather cushions and integral speakers. This opens to reveal over 40 cubic feet of cargo space on short-wheelbase models, while LWB models have between 8.7 and 92.9 cu ft depending on how many seats are dropped.
Flagship SV trim delivers a leather headliner, ceramic controls, 13.1-inch screens for rear-seat passengers, and semi-aniline leather upholstery. It’s more like a private airplane than a passenger vehicle unless you opt for the seven-seater long-wheelbase version. Luxury is unaffected, but leg room suffers in the third row; adults over six feet tall won’t be especially comfortable back here.
Power is nothing without control. Even its smallest engine propels the 6,000-lb Range Rover from a standing start to 60 miles an hour in less than six seconds. Plump for the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8, and that time drops to less than four and a half. Yet despite power that’d trouble many purpose-built sports cars, it’s all delivered with hushed refinement and luxury-hotel levels of comfort. Even the relatively growly V8 won’t disturb passenger conversations, though we’d save the money and specify the creamy mild-hybrid three-liter inline-six. It uses the same silky eight-speed automatic transmission as the V8, yet costs $17,500 less.
It's a given that any Range Rover will sail across terrain that’d have most 4x4s requesting a tractor to pull them free. What’s more impressive is this latest model’s on-road refinement. The ride is outstanding for such a big car, with standard AWD maintaining traction in all conditions while air suspension eliminates joggling or bounciness. Being able to adjust the ground clearance between 6.7 and 11.6 inches helps as well, while an additional 2.2 inches can be unlocked in the unlikely scenario of the Range Rover getting stuck. It will ford almost three feet of water, with approach and departure angles that shame many purpose-built off-road vehicles. Our only complaint involves tire noise – it’s impossible to hush wheels that measure up to 23 inches.
Immense presence. Land Rover has pulled off a masterstroke with the fifth-generation Range Rover’s styling. Gone are its predecessors’ ostentatious design elements, in favor of a streamlined body reminiscent of the unassuming first-generation model. Apart from a hexagon-pattern grille, there’s nothing unnecessary here – just clean lines, smooth bumpers and a side profile seemingly milled from a single piece of metal. The shut lines are almost invisible, which is significant considering build quality has long been Land Rover’s Achilles heel.
There’s the same awe-inspiring presence as you step into that jewel of a cabin, and the soft-close doors glide shut behind you. Land Rover’s latest [and much improved] Pivi Pro infotainment system runs across a 13.1-inch screen whose tiles can be moved around for convenience – a useful flourish we wish other manufacturers would replicate. The 13.7-inch digital instrument cluster also deserves mention.
Final thoughts. For anyone fortunate enough to park an SV on their driveway, the daily commute will occur in a rarefied world that’s only familiar to buyers of other British marques like Bentley and Rolls-Royce. Even the entry-level Range Rover is a technological marvel, with a sumptuous and lavishly appointed interior, despite featuring enough power and engineering sophistication to glide over almost any conceivable surface.
Of course, many people will find the Range Rover’s $105,850 starting price too high, and this fifth-generation model hasn’t been crash-tested yet. Fuel economy is good for a three-ton 4x4, but still extremely thirsty, and larger wheels kick up a fair amount of road noise. Still, these compromises don’t detract from the Range Rover’s peerless combination of first-class refinement and go-anywhere dynamics.
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