Range Rover Review

Ask the Range Rover is it knows what driving comfort is and you'll be told that you've come to the right place. You'll subsequently be asked to sit down and enjoy a magic trick.

The 2.8 tonne magician will show you how it combines is air suspension and adaptive dampers to take you over any kind of terrain with a feeling of safety, In fact, this is the vehicle's first asset for the current chapter: regardless of the driving surface - the off road is a challenge by definition and on the road the mass of the car tries to pull it off the road at every serious corner - the RR isolates you from whatever goes on outside.

This car is so comfortable that it should make you feel sick. Let us explain. Whenever our brain is confused with feelings, such as when receiving contradictory signals from receptor, you get a sensation of sickness. Well, this is exactly what happens in the RR: if you take a look at the wheel travel while cornering and then analyze the situation from the cabin, you won't believe how little of the war underneath has been translated to the driver and passengers.

The suspension itself doesn't get an A but an A-, as it could be a bit more comfortable over medium potholes, but this is the only negative aspect for this chapter.

The magician also knows how to play his cards right in order to literally make you feel at home, mixing vast space with impressive lighting and cosy seats and adding serious soundproofing to top it all.

As you drive along, the idea that your right foot controls almost three tons of speed makes you feel invincible and this also adds bonus points. You've also got a ton of gadgets to cater to all your needs, so there's really nothing more to ask for. Maybe a belly dancer, but that would be inappropriate for a gentleman.

Even though every corner of the Range Rover is packed with technology, we can't help but start our journey for this chapter under the hood, where a new 4.4-liter V8 diesel roars.

It's this deep voice of the eight cylinders burning oil that acts as a song which mesmerizes sailors who have sworn only to travel on seas of petrol and drag them to diesel waters.

Step on your favorite pedal and you'll get 310 hp at 4,000 rpm and 516 lb-ft (700Nm) from 1,500 to 3,000 rpm. The powerplant doesn't sound like a diesel and is so muscular that it almost mixes assets of petrol and diesel units.

The latter comes thanks to the use of a parallel sequential turbocharging system. This relies on a medium turbo at lower revs, with a small one coming to help once you pass 2,400 rpm.

The new eight-speed automatic (torque converter) ZF gearbox is so good at translating the engine's language to the wheels that it instantly convinces you it would've had the ability to change the Tower of Babel story in a shift or two.

The suspension now uses an infinite range of values for its variable damping functions, not just two like before, and, together with the air part, manages to provide a setup that impresses through its versatility.

It doesn't shift between its eight ratios all the time, noticing when the driver just want a forward surge, but not maximum grunt and keeping the car in the same gear or only downshifting by one ratio.

Further down the power line, we find a Terrain Response system that's been upgraded with functions like Gradient Acceleration Control, which keeps the vehicle's downhill speed under control using the accelerator pedal as a measure independent of the Hill Descent Control system, and the Hill Start Assist, which gives you the impression that the car could even be used for indoor climbing events.

Linking all four corners of the Range Rover and sitting at the center of this chapter is the Terrain Response System, which has now been upgraded with two new functions: the Hill Start Assist, which proves that it can manage absurd situations, and the Gradient Acceleration Control, which adjusts the speed when going downhill according to the position of the accelerator pedal, even when you don't switch on the Hill Descent Control function.

However, there is one safety system of the car that can become bothering during high speed off-road driving and that is the Rollover Stability Control (RSC). This is useful on the road and when the driver neglects the height and size of the vehicle, but when you leave the tarmac and consider that you need to oversteer, either to get out of a difficult situation or just have some fun, you abilities to do so will be seriously limited as the RSC is extremely intrusive and seems to always consider that the car can roll over.

The latest facelift has brought Jaguar's touch screen to the center console, with this controlling most of the car's functions and being extremely friendly to the occupants. As for the vibes, whether you prefer them hardcore or classical, these come from a Hi-Fi Logic 7 system which uses 14 speakers spread all around the large cabin.

The well-lit interior becomes some sort of a light dome if you also opt for a sun roof. We also advise you to go for the optional all-round camera system. Since we're talking about optional, you should stay away from the body kit, as this doesn't allow you to opt for the locking rear differential.

We also want to thank the following for offering us a pleasant experience: the adaptive Bi-Xenon Headlights, heated windshield, and the multifunctional steering wheel (special thanks go to the gearshift paddles).

The 2011 model you see here is a facelift (the second one in the model's life) for the third generation of the Range Rover, which was introduced back in 2002. The Euro NCAP hasn't tested the car since then, but none of the facelift brought important structural changes, with the only major change for this chapter being the introduction of a knee airbag.

It's not easy to describe the safety rating of the 2002 Range Rover ,as the Euro NCAP had different tests back then, but we'll give it a go. The vehicle received a four-star rating, with the only problems being posed by the hard structures in the interior, which could cause damage to the driver and the passenger's knees in a frontal impact. However, like we said the carmaker introduced a standard knee airbag.

As for the side impact, the vehicle was among the best tested by the safety body at the time. The overall conclusion: the vehicle makes good use of its massive body to protect its passengers. However, the same massive body acts as a weapon of public execution if the car meets a pedestrian. The vehicle was only offered one out of four stars for this test.

The Range Rover is like an instrument built to protect you from everything that goes on below the floor and this can be both good and bad. You have to appreciate that the car places no strain whatsoever on the driver, allowing him to concentrate on the road and comes with decent handling and braking, but on the other hand, the sheer mass and lack of feedback can generate dangerous situations in which the driver doesn't even realize that there's a risk.

The Range Rover is set to receive a new generation this year, but the current one is still on top of its game, as it never rests on any laurels, always being ready to double one asset with another that's just as important. It's extremely capable at tackling the roughest terrains in the world, but this doesn't mean that it ruins the tarmac experience - it actually offers a smooth, progressive experience on the road.

It looks extremely imposing, being just as suitable for exclusive events as it is for pulling other cars out of the mud and under those conservative styling cues, it hides an interior that raises to the standard set by some of the world's most luxurious players.

While at EUR107,700 (USD136,600 at the current exchange rates) our test car, which came with a 4.4-liter V8 diesel engine and used the Vogue equipment level (this is slotted under the Autobiography one) might seem expensive, we have to tell you that it's worth every penny for all the aforementioned reasons.

And as a whole, the Range Rover is greater than the sum of its parts: this is car that suitable for all occasions, with the exception of city driving. where you just can't admire the efforts it does to make up for its size.

The vehicle's weakness is its weight, as it can get close to three tons in certain configurations and all that mass affects every aspect of the driving, from braking, acceleration and handling to fuel efficiency.

However, while we were driving the car, we couldn't help feeling extremely pleased by the this role of moving three tons of steel around with our toe. This is one of the last cars of this kind, as the new generations will lose some serious weight, which turns this weight disadvantage into an aspect that makes you love the car even more.

Should you go for the 4.4-liter diesel V8? It's an incredibly refined and muscular powerplant, but we only recommend it if you're really serious about extreme off-roading or very preoccupied by your carbon footprint.

For the rest of the people, we declare the supercharged petrol V8 the winner. We also drove this version of the car: it's not only more powerful, but it feels tighter all-round, which is why we bough the car after the test.

In fact, the Range Rover feels like it's running on neither petrol nor diesel, but on cold, blue blood.