The original luxury SUV has finally been updated for the new decade, and it leaves no doubt that the upper echelons of British auto-aristocracy retain a firm grip on the 21st century.
In the case of the New Range Rover, the phrase “go big, or go home” is appropriate for two reasons. Firstly, this new behemoth is the size of a modest country house, and secondly, I have yet to meet anyone who has driven the previous generation Range Rover who didn’t think of it as a bit slow, a bit cramped, a bit cheap or that it just isn’t good enough. And yet, this new generation Range Rover is larger, plusher, and more advanced than ever before.
Known internally as the L460, it is only the fifth-generation Range Rover in more than 50 years. It is the company’s flagship and, therefore, quite a big deal. The New Defender might have grabbed all the headlines when it launched because it followed on from an icon, but as the car at the top of the Land Rover hierarchy, the New Range Rover is an icon in its own right.
FAMILIAR BUT BETTER
Land Rover chose the roads of the Western Cape as the launch venue for their new flagship. While the New Range Rover, like any Land Rover, will undoubtedly be as content on more challenging avenues as it was on the smooth asphalt of the Cape, or off-road for that matter, the superior infrastructure of the region truly brings out the absolute best that this car has to offer.
Feeling less like a formulaic introduction of a new car and more like a high-end cross-country tour, the launch drive offered the ideal environment and format to discover what has changed and how the new car differs from the previous generation Range Rover.
The first impression of the New Range Rover’s design is undoubtedly one of its high points. Delivering on the car’s promise of modernity, aesthetic grace, and unsurpassed sophistication, the lithe titan takes luxury SUV design to new heights with flush surfaces, recessed door handles, a commanding stance, and a well-proportioned glasshouse. It is a large car, but, at the same time, it is also the most attractive Range Rover yet.
EVEN MORE TECH
While the New Range Rover feels familiar inside, it is even more comfortable and sophisticated than anything Range Rover has produced before. It is the first to be available with seven seats, the first with automatically opening and closing doors, and the first to be sold with 23” wheels. Other debuts include a five-link rear suspension set-up, a 48-volt anti-roll system, and all-wheel steering, making the super-long and wide car a veritable cinch to park.
In South Africa, Range Rover has made their flagship product available with an initial selection of three engine options: a new BMW-sourced in-line six-cylinder turbodiesel engine (258 kW and 700 Nm) on loan from the Discovery and Defender, an almighty 4.4-litre V8 turbo-petrol (390 kW and 750 Nm), and a straight-six 3.0-litre petrol hybrid version (delivering 375 kW and 700 Nm) that will be available in late 2022. The latter promises a claimed pure-electric range of over 100 km from the floor-mounted 31.8 kWh battery pack and 105 kW electric motor positioned in the transmission. At launch, Land Rover announced that a fully electric derivative would join the line-up in late 2024.
Significantly, the new car is built on a new modular platform called MLA-Flex, which is 50% stiffer than before. The wheelbase is also 75 mm longer as standard, translating into a significant improvement in rear legroom. The New Range Rover may not look like it differs considerably from the previous car, but there’s a lot going on under the skin.
PLUSH AND HUSHED
Offered with either five- or seven-seats (L versions) and in your choice of HSE, Autobiography, First Edition, or SV grades, there are no fewer than 19 models in the range. We had the opportunity to sample the turbodiesel and petrol versions during our drive – the former providing the day’s biggest surprise. Compromise should never be entertained in a stately cruiser such as the New Range Rover, and in this application, the buttery diesel with its eight-speed automatic is ideally suited to the car.
Of course, the V8 is the star of the show, delivering mind-bending performance (zero to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds) and, more than necessary high-speed cruising ability. Regardless of the model, the interior experience is serene, with only a hint of wind noise intrusion at an elevated pace. In part, the credit should go to the Range Rover’s impressive active noise-cancelling system that uses microphones in the wheel wells to counteract detected road hum by pumping white noise to speakers mounted at each seat.
Naturally, the Range Rover exemplifies comfort and convenience in every respect. Unlock the doors, and the handles slip from the car’s flanks while hidden running boards appear from underneath the vehicle. This may seem like a trivial addition, but it makes entering the Range Rover exceedingly easy.
The interior is an intelligent melange of high street swank and high tech. The soft quilted leather seats are exquisitely tailored by hand and exceptionally sophisticated with multi-way adjustability, heating and ventilation, and massage functions.
At this level, customers would inevitably demand a high level of personalisation. To that end, Range Rover obliges with a medley of interior options, including various leather grades in a choice of five colours, new sustainable and vegan fabrics, a range of fine veneers, and your choice of aluminium or high-gloss plastics.
The centre console has been redesigned with significantly more intuitive ergonomics and a host of storage spaces – including a four-bottle fridge in the centre console and a split-level storage compartment below the cup holders. Vehicle settings, seat adjustments, towbar deployment, cameras and infotainment options are accessed from the 13.1” central display, which uses haptic feedback similar in feel to the Porsche Taycan. The curved screen’s high-definition glass display is as crisp as you could ask it to be, as is the 13.7” instrument display.
To critique the launch units for their interiors would be somewhat disingenuous, given the sheer number of possible material combinations available to a customer. What was a bit quizzical (albeit welcome) is that Land Rover replaced the rotary gear dial with a traditional shifter stalk.
LAST WORD
On first impression, the New Range Rover is the marque’s most enchanting luxury SUV yet. It defies physics on acceleration (for a near-three-tonne car), is endowed with supremely supple ride quality, and the overall impression of refinement easily justifies its price tag.
With so much innovation baked into the car, it is challenging to summarise on paper. Yet, if you’ve owned or driven any of its predecessors and thought it could never be improved upon, you are in for a big surprise.
Report by BERNIE HELLBERG JR | Images © LAND ROVER SOUTH AFRICA
