The most complex SUV in the world takes a step forward into a new era.
This is the fourth generation of Range Rover - one of Great Britain's symbol cars, which is worldwide appreciated.
With a design more rounded in appearance and nearly half a ton less, the new Range Rover
surprises us by an imposing appearance, but also has minuses
where you wouldn’t think that something might bother you.
Originally launched in 1970, Range Rover becomes, along those four generations,
a more luxury car and more full of symbolism.
An interesting aesthetic detail is that the xenon headlights have the Range Rover name engraved,
70 mm and 3,000 lumens - as the headlight would be a photo or video camera lens.
For the Daytime Running Lights (DRL) there are two options. This is one of them,
and the other version involves more LEDs.
Although it is an authentic 4x4, in this review you will see the luxurious side of this model,
namely those features that matter the most in the eyes of a client willing to pay
over 100,000 Euros for a large premium SUV.
The instrument cluster is virtual and displayed on a screen instead of analogical instrument cluster.
The graphics are not so much different than of the old model, but the progress is visible.
Lately, much more obvious is the possibility to change the color and intensity of ambient lighting.
It is a welcomed option in a high class car that is addressed to some exigent clients.
All buttons from the interior were redesigned and are now more logical.
Unfortunately, there is a minus that needs to be taken into consideration in the buttons chapter.
From the menu you can choose whether to have digital acoustic feedback or not, but the
problem is that the buttons have themselves an audible feedback as a TicTac box hothead.
And unfortunately you cannot remove this sound that is discordant with the remarkable quietness of the car.
Another minus is that the multimedia screen resolution is poor and the virtual buttons on the screen
can be seen like in a thin fog. However, it compensates by having dual view
– meaning that the driver sees something, and passenger sees something else – both at the same time.
The basic Meridian audio system, of 380 W, sounds surprisingly well for an entry level.
The acoustic comfort in the car is completed by the fact that, the interior that is well isolated
from the engine compartment and the aerodynamic noise, is also reduced, thanks to the double glasses,
laminated and acoustic isolated.
The pneumatic suspension and the 21-inch optional wheels also contribute to the good isolation of all passengers
from unwanted vibrations and sounds.
Another comfort detail is that the tailgate now opens and closes completely electric, inclusively its bottom.
The V8 engine of 4.4 liter turbo diesel on the tested car gives the most beautiful sounds
when accelerated around 2,000 rpm. Thanks to the 340 PS/HP, this Range Rover
reaches 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds.
The generation change brings to Range Rover an aluminum body, thanks to which the car is up to 420 kg lighter
than the previous generation. This change is felt even when you close the doors.
What else can we say about the ride? The minus kilograms have particularly positive impact.
The car gives you now more confidence and the cornering can be approached without emotion,
with significantly higher speeds.
Suspensions of this new model keep a discreet pitching motion, but it is there strictly for comfort
and is felt only in the first part of the suspension movement. As the road is more cornered and
the steering wheel movements more energetic, the car’s suspension get even stiffer,
and the actual body roll when cornering remains relatively low.
The new Range Rover has list prices with VAT between 94,000 Euros and 135,000 Euros,
and a car configured as the one we tested costs about 131,000 Euros. At this price,
the new Range Rover is among the more expensive SUVs in the market, but it is a proper position.