An icon is difficult to reimagine or replace. And very tough to improve on. Tough, but not impossible. In just over half a century we have had four generations of the mighty Range Rover. A car that stands for many things – chief amongst them being capability and off late, luxury. Now it is time to make way for the new fifth-generation Rangey. And I am in California to drive it. A staggering number of Range Rover buyers live and drive in this part of the world, which is why we are in wine country, just north of San Francisco – the playground of the rich and not necessarily famous. And so in keeping with that lifestyle, we have been ferried to the private plane terminal at SFO in the new Range Rover, and are taking a charter plane to Napa!
The new Range Rover arrives ten years after its predecessor. And so while it has a lot to live up to, it also had to be better in every way. The biggest difference now is the tech expectation buyers have. So the new car is modern, while also achieving a sculpted design – almost akin to a piece of monolithic art.
Design
There was a lot of pressure on Gerry McGovern and team at Land Rover design to get the look and the styling just right. You may argue that is true for any model! But with the Range Rover or any iconic model really, most regular buyers (and there are many who will always replace their old car for the new one) don’t want you to change too much. They want their car to be instantly recognisable. So you’ve got to balance expectations, both in terms of new progressive and modern, while also maintaining what is typically Range Rover. And that – IS what you see on this new car. So the face is unmistakably Range Rover, and yet you get new retracting door handles, new adaptive front lighting with bending light tech/ manoeuvring lights (a first for the Range Rover). The car has power assisted doors which help the user to open and shut them. And have the soft touch feature. In fact they even have hazard detection, so will stop if they detect an obstruction. Those features are a hint at how the car has moved up the luxury quotient.
The “hidden until it” taillights is a defining characteristic of the new Range Rover’s design language
A solid waistline gives the car a lot of definition, and emphasises the ample size. And while the styling up front is very evolutionary, the car is completely different at the back, with a new a signature design element. The car has a large horizontal C-shaped blacked out element that kind of defines the tailgate. It conceals all the rear lighting elements. So while it makes the car look a little bit narrow and tall, when it lights up it looks very cool. The taillights and in the vertical sections, with brakes they get even brighter. And the horizontal slat has the indicators integrated into it. And that’s the thing that’s going to be the talked about feature. They call it ‘hidden until lit’. It certainly is a defining characteristic of the new Range Rover’s design language. All Range Rovers always had a split tailgate, and for decades owners have been using the lower section to sit on when folded out. So now the car comes with an addition of a seat cushion as a part of what Land Rover’s calling the ‘tailgate event suite’. A short backrest and seat cushion, speakers, and lights, in the inner top section of the tailgate. So, you sit here, enjoy a view, while listening to music. Or say if you’re out camping, and it’s dark – the lights will let you enjoy a book maybe. Yes, the Rolls-Royce Cullinan has seats on the tailgate too, but those deploy electrically. That new feature will give you a good hint of how the car is amping up the luxury quotient.
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The floating look and curved glass add to the sophistication while the haptic feedback works great
Cabin and Tech
A brand new tech interface, that instantly impresses. This is the latest Land Rover Pivi Pro platform, and its centrepiece is a massive 13.1-inch touchscreen that has new graphics. It has a floating look, and uses curved glass for an added sophistication. It also has haptic feedback – which is great, so you don’t have to look away from the road as much when accesses or pressing certain functions. There’s lots of functionality and features that you know, and would expect. But there’s also new stuff that’s been added in like Alexa. And lots of different music interfaces like the Spotify platform that’s been built in. Alexa integration works with AI capability, so the system is self-learning and improves its functionality. You can seamlessly get weather, or news or even check your calendar – all through voice commands and control. There’s also wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and wireless charging for smartphones. The look and feel of the interface is matched in that 13.7-inch digital driver display or instrument cluster. The display itself is sharp, and has a lot of functionality and views to make your driving easier and more intuitive. The car’s head up display complements this and is also a great feature to have. The many chips that run various systems in the car – all have over the air update facility – we are talking over 70 electronic modules that can keep updating and improving over the years.
The seats are extremely comfortable and beautifully finished and there are several ways to spec the rear seats depending on your liking
The seats are beautifully finished, and there are many trim options you can go for. A lot of the action is reserved for the rear seats though. Depending on the spec, you can get 11.4-inch individual HD touchscreens fixed behind the front seats, for the rear passengers’ entertainment. There’s also an 8-inch touch panel that is integrated into the drop-down armrest which allows rear passengers to manipulate their seat for maximum comfort. The armrest itself can also deploy electrically – folding up or down at the touch of a button. Very cool. You also have the sun blinds that go up at the touch of a button. The touch panel also lets you control them along with the lighting options, and even electrically deployable cup holders! The rear seats can recline and be adjusted electrically too. And there’s a ‘seat away function’ where the front passenger seat folds forward and deploys a footrest – like what we have seen on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class in the past. It gives you a cavernous amount of space, and a very comfortable first-class-like experience. The armrest with its control console gives the feeling of two individual rear seats. But if you do want to have a third passenger, it can go right up and it’s a generous amount of space for that middle passenger.
The touch panel makes all the controls easy to access from the rear seat, while the centre armrest can fold up to make way for the third passenger
But this is where things get interesting. There are many configurations and options on rear seating – besides what I have just told you. The long-wheelbase option will give you more legroom and space for starters. And now for the first time, the Range Rover also gets an optional third row, making it a seven-seater. The access is by way of folding the second row forward – you guessed it, electrically – using conveniently located buttons just inside the door. Ingress and egress is easy, and the seats at the back are relatively comfortable too. The special vehicles division at JLR gets its way with the Range Rover from word go – and so you have SV trims on offer at the start.
The SV version of the new Range Rover is even more opulent, especially in the long wheelbase version and adds a champagne cooler between the rear seats among other luxurious additions
The SV version of the car is ultra-luxurious; meaning you get anything you could dream of, as also a lot of space and comfort – especially if you opt for the long wheelbase. Beautifully customised interiors in terms of colour palette and materials, and also some exclusive features. A little champagne cooler at the back, housed between the individual rear seats that opens electrically – complete with its own set of crystal glasses. Heated and cooled cup holders that flip open, and a bespoke deployable table too. Just the sheer perfection on the operation of that deployable table tells you how much engineering and finesse has gone into the new Range Rover. The ‘Signature Suite’ on the SV lets you choose new materials like ceramics, contrasting colour palettes and new metal or wood inlays – for the first time. The SV Serenity trim in particular with its Corinthian bronze highlights is rather striking.
This is for the first time that the Range Rover is being offered with a third row of seats
Safety
The car uses the MLA-Flex architecture, which still uses plenty of aluminium and some key structural elements in high-strength steel. In fact, the new model has the ‘three-ring’ structure which provides safety and extra torsional stiffness – 50 per cent more than the previous car! There are also the multiple airbags, ISOFIX, and even driver aids that you’d expect at this end of things – all of it standard.
The 2022 Range Rover draws power from the BMW-sourced 4.4-litre V8 motor and there’s ample power to get this mammoth moving
Engine Options and Performance
Now let’s drive this! I am beginning my drive experience on day one with the most powerful iteration – the 4.4-litre V8. The cars are waiting for us at the Napa airport, and we jump in and get going; the car I have is adorned in the new Sunset Gold paintwork. The 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 is sourced from BMW, and is plenty powerful. It puts out 520 bhp of power and a huge 750 Nm of peak torque that has a nice wide band from 1800 to 4600 rpm. The eight-speed automatic gearbox is standard across all engine types. Terrain response is standard, and as you’d expect it includes the auto function. And there are also the different drive modes of course. All of it works more intuitively now and so you don’t really have to think about changing the car setting into the dynamic drive mode for instance, to achieve quick response. On the whole, the car feels sportier in that mode, no doubt. Similarly it will not go sluggish in eco mode, nor will it leave you wanting in comfort. And that is where, keeping it in auto is the way to go, frankly. Here in the United States the car will no doubt be petrol only. And there is a smaller 3.0 litre in-line-6 mild hybrid also on offer. But that won’t be all globally.
The good news is you still have the diesel option – at a time many manufacturers are moving away from it. Not only does the Range Rover continue to offer diesel, but it does so with three different tuned outputs on the sprightly 3-litre engine. So you get 254, 294, and 343 bhp outputs, and torque that varies from 600 to 700 Nm. This 3-litre unit also get the mild-hybrid treatment – which is great! India will get the most powerful D350 variant. Expect the mild hybrids – both petrol and diesel – to make their way into other models from Land Rover. There is also going to be a plug-in hybrid option using the same 3-litre unit on the petrol side which is likely to debut in India only next year. That also uses the same 3-litre in-line six petrol engine which we will get in its MHEV avatar with that 48-volt mild hybrid system. There are two output versions here too – 353 and 392 bhp. Once again, I can tell you India gets the latter – branded P400. The 6-cyl version is also quite powerful, and enjoyable to drive. Interestingly enough, and I can’t really explain why – the front end just feels a little bit sharper than on the V8! I do have a car in dynamic mode for the most part. But I did try it out in comfort too, and I still felt the same.
The adaptive dynamics control on the new Range Rover monitors driver inputs, surface information, and wheel grip over 100 times per second optimising the ride comfort and agility
Handling and Off-Road
Handling on the new Range Rover, as well the agility and steering control – are the real revelation. This is a big car as I have said, and so that is definitely something I am watching out for. The fact that the car doesn’t feel as big as it is on the road, is a credit to the engineering department for sure. The car gets a fully independent air suspension – something the Range Rover is known for. The company says it has developed a new in-house proprietary adaptive dynamics control software, that works with the suspension and the all-wheel drive for effortless performance in any dynamic situation. It monitors driver inputs, surface information, and wheel grip over 100 times per second! It then distributes torque to the front and rear axles as needed. An active locking rear differential is also standard – which optimises traction during higher speed driving, especially around corners; and enhances grip in wet off-road conditions. Wading depth on the car is a massive 900 mm. And you can track axle articulation and what lies ahead on the screen using the car’s multiple cameras and sensors.
Off-road, the Range Rover does everything you’d expect a Land Rover to do albeit with just more luxury on offer
In fact I got the chance to push the car on a nice forest track, with steep inclines, descents, some water traps, and rock climbs. To be clear – nothing the car did surprised me in any way – after all this is the flagship of the Land Rover brand for heaven sakes! And so without even getting into any details, I can say with confidence that off-road, the Range Rover will do everything you expect it to. And then some. I did drive the long wheelbase car as well, and am happy to report it does not feel massively different to the short wheelbase. In India most buyers will be the chauffeur driven kind, so expect a lot of offtake for the long wheelbase, and also the swank SV versions. At launch we will get the 3.0 diesel and petrol mild hybrids, as well as that monster 4.4-litre V8. Trims at the start will be the SE, HSE, Autobiography and First edition on the long wheelbase. The SV versions will be available in the short wheelbase option. India should get the PHEV also in 2023 like I said. A fully electric Range Rover will arrive in 2024 globally – and we can hope to have that too.
The new Range Rover not only meets expectations but surpasses expectations making it every bit desirable for those who can afford it
Verdict
Coming as it does a decade after the fourth generation, there was a lot of expectation on the new Range Rover. In many ways that expectation has been met, and even surpassed. It is what the buyer would expect – understated luxury, elegance, instantly recognisable, sophisticated, packed with technology, safety features that include ADAS, and so much more. It will no doubt be in big demand from elite buyers in India – everyone from the Bollywood brigade to corporate honchos. This is not a car for everyone because it is priced between ₹ 2.38 crore to ₹ 4.17 crore (all prices ex-showroom). And even those who can afford it, can pamper themselves and get a car that truly meets their every need – and with personal touches through the massive amounts of customisation on offer. In India we get the car in July, and pricing will be in the stratosphere no doubt! But then as I have been saying – the Range Rover is for the select few – very much by design.
Highlights
- The 5th generation Range Rover looks familiar but a lot more elegant
- The Range Rover draws power from a V8 motor but there plenty of options
- The new Range Rover now comes with a third row seating option
Keyword: 5th Generation Range Rover Review