REVIEW: Range Rover has larger-than-life luxury (and wheels)
The fifth-generation SUV really goes to town with grandeur and gadgets, but don’t take it off-road
24 November 2022 - 05:00
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The fifth generation Range Rover is a benchmark for luxury and grandness.
Picture: SUPPLIED
The Range Rover was the original luxury SUV when it was launched in 1970, blending off-road ability with the most opulence you could get in the Land Rover line-up. It’s become ever more sophisticated over successive generations, and for its latest encore the fifth-generation car really goes to town with grandeur and gadgets, but it isn’t without foibles.
Styling certainly isn’t one of its weak points, and the large SUV projects gravitas in a way that says “big shot” in no uncertain terms. In what its makers call a reductive design free from superfluous detail, the new Range Rover retains the chunky look of its forebears but with every edge smoothed out like a pebble in a river. Even the door handles fit flush with the body, until they glide out when the car is unlocked.
Running boards deploy from under the doors to provide short people with a step to help them enter and exit the car. Taller folk will find these steps merely put dirty marks on trousers and risk bashing shins, but thankfully the pop-out running boards can be disabled.
The Range Rover has traditionally mixed luxury with adventuring ability, but we didn’t take the test car off the tar as its 23-inch low-profile tyres weren’t conducive to exploration of the unpaved wilderness. The more sensible 22-inch tyres optionally offered would make a better choice for owners seeking to make full use of the vehicle’s all-terrain skills, which should be formidable thanks to all-wheel drive, height adjustable air suspension that varies ground clearance from 219mm-295mm, an impressive 900mm water fording depth, and several selectable off-road modes for different types of terrain. However, all this adventuring ability remains theoretical with those impractical tyres, which are akin to an Olympic athlete wearing high-heeled shoes.
On the tarmac, where this luxury SUV will spend the bulk of its life, the air suspension delivers an impressively plush ride over undulating roads, but the low-profile rubber causes some jittering over potholes and small bumps. If you’re getting the feeling we aren’t great fans of those 23-inch wheels you’d be spot on; there’s a price to pay for the good looks they bestow.
Those gripes aside, the new Range Rover is a bed-of-roses experience with grand levels of space and comfort. The cabin is the lap of luxury with opulent materials, and there’s not a square centimetre of plastic to be seen; every surface is either coated in rich-feeling soft leather or garnished with metal or wood.
The R3.5m price tag comes with a commensurate profusion of features, and the car seemingly does everything but polish your shoes while you drive. Rear passengers are catered for just as lavishly as in the front and get their own climate controls, electrically powered seats, and an entertainment system with two large screens. The front occupants have massaging seats with several different programmes to choose from.
The Pivi Pro infotainment introduces the brand’s largest touchscreen yet at 13.1 inches.
Picture: DENIS DROPPA
The on-board features are mostly controlled by touchscreens in the heavily digitised cabin, but there is the occasional nod to analogue in the form of physical knobs for the climate control system and the off-road modes. Accessing the vehicle’s fearsome list of functions is a generally user-friendly experience, and the huge size of the infotainment touchscreen helps to make it so.
It is a huge vehicle in terms of cabin and boot space (the latter 818l), and the rear seats flip down electrically to provide up to 1,841l for oversized objects.
Encapsulating this family-sized five-seater cabin (the Range Rover is also available as a seven-seater) is an enormous car that is 5,052mm long and weighs 2.4 tonnes. Light steering makes this hulk effortless to drive, with a little help from all wheel steering which improves high-speed stability and reduces the turning circle at lower speeds. It’s never a pleasure to guide through parking lots, but helping to squeeze this behemoth into tight spaces is a 360° camera with ClearSight Ground View that effectively lets you see “through” the bonnet. The latter also makes easier work of guiding the big vehicle through (theoretical) off-road trails.
It’s too bulky to be considered sporty in the corners, but the Range Rover has good traction when you crank up the pace, assisted by torque vectoring that balances the distribution of power between the four wheels.
The Range Rover line-up has 20 derivatives including petrol and diesel models in short- and long-wheelbase variants, with five or seven seats.
The model on test is the D350 First Edition, a five-seater powered by a 3.0l turbo diesel with gutsy outputs of 258kW and 700Nm. Based on the high-end Autobiography, the First Edition is available in an exclusive Sunset Gold Satin finish, among a choice of five other exterior colours.
Hidden-until-lit tail lamps reside in the sides of the black arch in the tailgate.
Picture: SUPPLIED
At Gauteng altitude there’s distinct turbo lag at pull off and it takes a couple of moments for the engine to wake up, but once it does, it shunts the big vehicle along at a very lively rate. It cruises and overtakes effortlessly, and at 11.2l /100km the fuel consumption is remarkably frugal for such a behemoth.
It is a serene driving experience and “white noise” speakers built into the headrests combine with acoustic laminated glass to keep the interior free of unwanted sounds. Alternatively, good vibes are provided by the 34-speaker Meridian audio system with subwoofer.
The new Range Rover is a larger-than-life experience when it comes to luxury, technology and general grandeur. With the right tyres it could be an off-road giant too.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
REVIEW: Range Rover has larger-than-life luxury (and wheels)
The fifth-generation SUV really goes to town with grandeur and gadgets, but don’t take it off-road
The Range Rover was the original luxury SUV when it was launched in 1970, blending off-road ability with the most opulence you could get in the Land Rover line-up. It’s become ever more sophisticated over successive generations, and for its latest encore the fifth-generation car really goes to town with grandeur and gadgets, but it isn’t without foibles.
Styling certainly isn’t one of its weak points, and the large SUV projects gravitas in a way that says “big shot” in no uncertain terms. In what its makers call a reductive design free from superfluous detail, the new Range Rover retains the chunky look of its forebears but with every edge smoothed out like a pebble in a river. Even the door handles fit flush with the body, until they glide out when the car is unlocked.
Running boards deploy from under the doors to provide short people with a step to help them enter and exit the car. Taller folk will find these steps merely put dirty marks on trousers and risk bashing shins, but thankfully the pop-out running boards can be disabled.
The Range Rover has traditionally mixed luxury with adventuring ability, but we didn’t take the test car off the tar as its 23-inch low-profile tyres weren’t conducive to exploration of the unpaved wilderness. The more sensible 22-inch tyres optionally offered would make a better choice for owners seeking to make full use of the vehicle’s all-terrain skills, which should be formidable thanks to all-wheel drive, height adjustable air suspension that varies ground clearance from 219mm-295mm, an impressive 900mm water fording depth, and several selectable off-road modes for different types of terrain. However, all this adventuring ability remains theoretical with those impractical tyres, which are akin to an Olympic athlete wearing high-heeled shoes.
On the tarmac, where this luxury SUV will spend the bulk of its life, the air suspension delivers an impressively plush ride over undulating roads, but the low-profile rubber causes some jittering over potholes and small bumps. If you’re getting the feeling we aren’t great fans of those 23-inch wheels you’d be spot on; there’s a price to pay for the good looks they bestow.
Those gripes aside, the new Range Rover is a bed-of-roses experience with grand levels of space and comfort. The cabin is the lap of luxury with opulent materials, and there’s not a square centimetre of plastic to be seen; every surface is either coated in rich-feeling soft leather or garnished with metal or wood.
The R3.5m price tag comes with a commensurate profusion of features, and the car seemingly does everything but polish your shoes while you drive. Rear passengers are catered for just as lavishly as in the front and get their own climate controls, electrically powered seats, and an entertainment system with two large screens. The front occupants have massaging seats with several different programmes to choose from.
The on-board features are mostly controlled by touchscreens in the heavily digitised cabin, but there is the occasional nod to analogue in the form of physical knobs for the climate control system and the off-road modes. Accessing the vehicle’s fearsome list of functions is a generally user-friendly experience, and the huge size of the infotainment touchscreen helps to make it so.
It is a huge vehicle in terms of cabin and boot space (the latter 818l), and the rear seats flip down electrically to provide up to 1,841l for oversized objects.
Encapsulating this family-sized five-seater cabin (the Range Rover is also available as a seven-seater) is an enormous car that is 5,052mm long and weighs 2.4 tonnes. Light steering makes this hulk effortless to drive, with a little help from all wheel steering which improves high-speed stability and reduces the turning circle at lower speeds. It’s never a pleasure to guide through parking lots, but helping to squeeze this behemoth into tight spaces is a 360° camera with ClearSight Ground View that effectively lets you see “through” the bonnet. The latter also makes easier work of guiding the big vehicle through (theoretical) off-road trails.
It’s too bulky to be considered sporty in the corners, but the Range Rover has good traction when you crank up the pace, assisted by torque vectoring that balances the distribution of power between the four wheels.
The Range Rover line-up has 20 derivatives including petrol and diesel models in short- and long-wheelbase variants, with five or seven seats.
The model on test is the D350 First Edition, a five-seater powered by a 3.0l turbo diesel with gutsy outputs of 258kW and 700Nm. Based on the high-end Autobiography, the First Edition is available in an exclusive Sunset Gold Satin finish, among a choice of five other exterior colours.
At Gauteng altitude there’s distinct turbo lag at pull off and it takes a couple of moments for the engine to wake up, but once it does, it shunts the big vehicle along at a very lively rate. It cruises and overtakes effortlessly, and at 11.2l /100km the fuel consumption is remarkably frugal for such a behemoth.
It is a serene driving experience and “white noise” speakers built into the headrests combine with acoustic laminated glass to keep the interior free of unwanted sounds. Alternatively, good vibes are provided by the 34-speaker Meridian audio system with subwoofer.
The new Range Rover is a larger-than-life experience when it comes to luxury, technology and general grandeur. With the right tyres it could be an off-road giant too.
Tech Specs
Engine
Type: Six-cylinder diesel turbo
Capacity: 2,997cc
Power: 258kW
Torque: 700Nm
Transmission
Type: Eight-speed automatic
Drivetrain
Type: All-wheel drive
Performance
Top speed: 234km/h
0-100km/h: 6.1 seconds
Fuel Consumption: 7.4l/100km (claimed); 11.2l /100km (as tested)
Emissions: 196g/km
Standard features
Six airbags, ABS, stability control, climate control, adaptive air suspension, adaptive headlights, panoramic sunroof, automatic headlamps, automatic wipers, 360° parking camera, infotainment system with USB ports, leather upholstery, four-zone climate control, electric seats front and rear, seat cooling and heating, massaging seats, electric steering column adjustment, rear seat entertainment system, heated steering wheel, Meridian 34-speaker sound system, keyless access, head-up display, wireless phone charger, soft-closing doors, electric tailgate, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, park assist, blind spot monitor
Ownership
Warranty: Five years/100,000km
Maintenance plan: Five years/100,000km
Price: R3,556,600
Lease*: R75,662
*at 10% interest over 60 months no deposit
Competition
* Volvo XC90 T8 Recharge Ultimate Dark, 340kW/709Nm — R1,755,000
* Mercedes GLS 400d 4Matic AMG Line, 243kW/700Nm — R1,958,893
* BMW X7 xDrive 40d MSport, 250kW/700Nm — R2,037,457
* Mercedes-Benz G400d AMG Line, 243kW/700Nm — R2,788,833
* Mercedes-Maybach GLS600, 410kW/730Nm — R3,035,842
* Bentley Bentayga V8, 404kW/770Nm — R4,075,000
Range Rover D350 First Edition
WE LIKE: Luxury, power, fuel consumption
WE DISLIKE: Low-profile tyres
VERDICT: Luxury and glamour, and (potentially) go-anywhere ability
Motor News star rating
Design: * * * *
Performance: * * * *
Economy: * * * *
Ride: * * * *
Handling: * * * *
Safety: * * * * *
Value For Money: * * *
Overall: * * * *
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