The R&T staff drives and performance tests hundreds of
new cars every year. Because we don't have time to give each one the
full review treatment, we share select logbook notes here, in a quick,
easily-digested format. Unless noted otherwise, each test car is in the
office for two weeks and is driven by every member of the editorial
staff. Each staffer spends at least one day, but often more, in each
car. Sam Smith, Executive Editor
So the new Range Rover is pretty great. Everyone here is used to
this. It stops; it turns; the interior is genuinely upscale and
well-crafted; it's got torque everywhere; it'll chirp all four tires in
the dry. It behaves like a vehicle roughly three times smaller than it
is. Everyone's mind is blown.
New mind-blower: OH MY HEAVENLY LORDYPANTS, the Range Rover L is
enormous. What happens when luxury brands get wind of the fact that
certain markets—ahem, cough, China, cough—dig extra rear legroom and
start building extended-wheelbase versions of things you didn't think
needed an extended wheelbase? This. Oddly, aside from the fact that the
proportions are now a bit off, you can't really tell a difference.
Slightly more stability on the highway. Maybe it cranks into low-speed
corners with a bit less enthusiasm. But above all, that rear seat is fit
for a king. I could park my house in there and have room left over.
Worth the money? I suppose. If this is exactly what you want, where else
do you go?
PLUS:
More leather than you know what to do with. Massive rear seat. No
noticeable change in handling from the short-wheelbase/standard Rover,
at least if you drive like a normal person. Still fast as all get-out.
Comfy, comfy, comfy.
MINUS:
Massively, hugely, obnoxiously expensive. Build quality occasionally
gives you pause—I had one of the leather-covered dash panels near the
steering wheel come off when I ran over a large pothole. (It popped back
on easily, but still.) Rear visibility while parking, even with the
standard reverse camera, is atrocious.
Chris Doane AutomotiveDavid Gluckman, Associate Editor
I never thought I'd be describing the Range Rover as subtle, but here
we are: This Range Rover Autobiography is subtle. I hardly noticed the
little 'L' at the front of the rockers or the slightly longer rear
doors. The Rangey's roof is planar, which is why you hardly notice the
stretch.
Until you do. And then it was all I could see. Subtle at first, though.
PLUS:
Stately longness and luxury.
MINUS:
The 'L' badge would make a little more sense on the back; if you can see
it in its current location, you can see the extra length.
Of course the biggest, most expensive SUV I've dealt with arrives
just in time for the first portion of winter. It isn't that the Range
Rover is incapable of handling snow and ice or that it isn't
comfortable. The plush seats, smooth suspension, four-star hotel-sized
interior, and powerful engine add up to a lovely place to spend the next
ice age. But when you realize it's 16 feet long and starts at $143,000,
any road seems terrifying to an assistant. Add snow, and doubly so.
Beyond the fear factor, you can tell where all the money goes when
you reach out and touch anything. The only two exceptions were the wood,
which seemed overly plasticized, and another terrible manufacturer
attempt at infotainment.
PLUS:
It is more plush and larger than most starter homes, and it costs less than a comparably-equipped RV.
MINUS:
Some of the interior materials were a bit dodgy, and the user interface wasn't up to the price tag.
By Road & Track Staff February 5, 2014
/ Photos by Chris Doane Automotive
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