When it comes to tradition, the British don’t take much fun. And not twice with icons like the Range Rover. A visual radical cure for luxury SUVs would amount to a blasphemy of national proportions and draw disapproval from the gentlemen’s clubs between London and Newcastle. So the fifth generation of the Range Rover also adorns the familiar face and the silhouette, including the slightly sloping roof line, remains unmistakable. Only at the rear dares the troupe led by Jaguar Land Rover chief designer Gerry McGovern a renewal. A clasp that extends across the entire width of the car forms a sickle arch with two strips running vertically downwards. The two vertical elements are not only used for decoration, but are also the LED rear lights and help the Range Rover to make a befitting appearance, especially in the dark.
The optics are as familiar as the technology is new. The Range Rover L460 is based on the new modular longitudinal architecture MLA-Flex, which not only allows for a “normal” version with a length of 5.05 meters and a long 5.25 meter variant in which three rows of seats fit, but also helps to shape the body 50 percent stiffer than its predecessor. If you follow the automobile tuning arithmetic, this results in an increase in comfort together with the two-chamber air suspension.
More than 2.5 tons
The equation works. We were traveling with the Range Rover P530, which weighs 2,585 kilograms and the chassis solved every task brilliantly. Even bad roads are effortlessly ironed out in comfort mode. If you want comfort, you also get comfort in the Range Rover, because the body is quite decoupled and teeters a little on successive bumps. If you want it tighter, switch to dynamic mode, which is a valid alternative on good roads. Otherwise you choose automatic and leave the decision-making authority to the system. No matter how the Range Rover is never uncomfortable, anything else would be against its nature. It also fits that despite the 48-volt roll stabilization using two stabilizers, which an electric motor twists against each other like in the competitor Bentley, the body never gives the driver the illusion of deceptive safety when cornering quickly. However, if the worst comes to the worst, the ESP intervenes quite roughly.
The current top model P530, which is powered by a BMW biturbo V8 with 390 kW / 530 hp, is moving fast. This engine is made for the luxury Brit. It takes 4.6 seconds to reach the 100 km/h mark from a standing start and has a top speed of 250 km/h. But this data only partially reflects how confident you are on the road. On the road, the Range Rover is in a league of its own. Effortless and confident are the appropriate adjectives, but you have to keep an eye on the speedometer to avoid running the risk of having to give up your driver’s license.
Manoeuvrable thanks to rear-axle steering
Thanks to the rear axle steering, which turns the wheels up to 7.3 degrees, the Range Rover is quite manoeuvrable despite its stately dimensions. This also applies to the long version with a wheelbase of 3.20 meters, which is 20 centimeters longer than the “short” model. Due to the greater distance between the two axles, the Range Rover acts even more calmly and can still be maneuvered fairly quickly through tight corners. In addition, the electrified power of the six-cylinder engine including the mild hybrid system of 294 kW / 400 hp is sufficient and is a real alternative for those who do not want to spend 180,400 euros for the First Edition with the potent eight-wheeler (P400 HSE AWD: 141,600 euros).
Especially since the six-cylinder developed by the English themselves is also one of the quiet treadmills of its kind. Since we are already on the subject. The interior of the Range Rover is extremely quiet. Especially in the rear, noise-cancelling headrests give the passengers a pleasant silence. You feel like you’re on a rolling fortress with a comfortable sofa with the finest leather and thick upholstery in the throne room with plenty of legroom – especially in the long version. The British are also making gains when it comes to infotainment: Over the updates are a matter of course and the cockpit has been visibly streamlined. This attribute also applies to the latest version of the Pivi Pro system, whose menu navigation is clearer and more intuitive than before. With the touchscreen, which has grown from 11 inches to 13.2 inches, you have to hit the virtual buttons with haptic feedback precisely and press them with a certain amount of force to trigger the action. After sitting in a Range Rover, this is not a problem while driving. The 13.7-inch display, on which the virtual instruments are shown, is pin-sharp, tidy and easy to read. The head-up display has also been improved and now appears to project the displays two meters in front of the driver instead of the previous 1.80 meters. Anyone who has now acquired a taste can now make their way to the Land Rover dealer on the Wag.