New Range Rover stands and delivers

In 1970, my parents joined another couple for what we now call a mini-break in Paris. Their transport was a then-spanking-new Range Rover – it couldn’t have been more glamorous if they’d motored off to see the Bolshoi Ballet on Mars.

They bowled down to the French capital at 100mph, doing less than 10mpg. When they phoned home (person-to-person, operator connected), I almost swooned with the exotica of it all: a Range Rover, Paris, a personal phone call, a Range Rover…

So here we are 42 years later and Spen King’s luxury off-roader is now in its fourth incarnation. Under its Indian owner, Jaguar Land Rover is a runaway success story for UK PLC, recruiting, investing and earning pots of foreign exchange. And it’s Land Rover’s Range Rover badge that is doing the lion’s share of the earning here, mainly with the new Evoque, but also with its big brother.

Yet the outgoing Range Rover was an unhappy mix. Introduced in 2002, it was designed by BMW, then re-engineered by Ford so the electronics were nightmarishly complicated, and progressively blinged up until it resembled your dowager aunt dressed like a Brooklyn rapper.

The new version has adopted an all-aluminium structure derived from the far-sighted Ford P2000 concept car of 1999. It has the world’s first aluminium SUV monocoque, which in performance-matched equivalence means a saving of 925lb (420kg), which is the equivalent of a full complement of passengers.

As a result, there’s a move up in the carry-over drivetrains so that the V6 turbo-diesel delivers the performance previously delivered by the V8 turbo-diesel, which in turn delivers the performance of the supercharged petrol V8, while all engines are more economical than before.

There are new aluminium sub-frame carriers for the wishbone and strut front and multi-link rear suspension, and a revised electronically assisted power steering system and air suspension.

Judge the new look for yourself, but in the metal it carries its weight and size more confidently. The jewel-like headlamps are under glass and the details are more subtle and understated – the clean shape reveals itself rather more gently than its predecessor and is none the worse for it.

The “flying roof” is a bit overstated, but it becomes an interesting feature if you specify a contrasting dark grey colour.

Climb in and the Range Rover still pants and wheezes on its air springs like a modern-day Citroën DS. From the driver’s seat, the high-mounted panoramic vantage point remains and the distinctive castellations have been retained.

The dashboard stretches across into infinity, with a small, twin-dial binnacle containing unconvincing electronic facsimiles of real instruments. The steering wheel is festooned with switches for everything from suspension controls to satnav and the sound system, but the centre console is uncluttered and simple.

The seats are large and accommodating, but not altogether comfortable. Needless to say, the pedal box is large and yes, you can drive the car in wellies. There’s a double glovebox, big door pockets and even a little fridge in the centre console.

The rear seats are roomy and comfortable and there’s a £225 rear centre-console option that restricts the accommodation to just four seats, although it’s difficult to see many owners opting to reduce the rear seat like this. There are also myriad expensive trim options, none better than the old model’s oiled-wood and aniline leather.

But will it still get you off a ploughed field?

Over an hour of uphill tracks through the Atlas Mountains on the optional 21-inch tyres, it coped well and kept us air-conditioned, but when we got to the top and the unlikely sight of a Moroccan ski resort, a bog-standard, two-wheel-drive Honda Civic filled with nonchalant Moroccans smoking up a storm barrelled off down the track we’d just ascended.

With carry-over drivetrains, a lot less weight, but the same 3.5-ton towing capacity, entry and exit angles and breakover heights, there’s little reason to suppose the new Range Rover will be any less competent in the mire than its predecessor.

There’s even a new engine breathing system via the front of the bonnet and four “Queen Mary” funnels on the wings, which increase the wading depth to 35.4 inches, the most of any Land Rover.

On the road, the revised air suspension is a huge improvement, especially in its low-speed ride quality. Small, regular bumps are addressed more gently than in the old model and body roll feels better controlled.

It’s seriously refined on the motorway, too, although there’s still a slight “clambering” sensation at speed and a vagueness to the steering, which rivals don’t have, but that’s a consequence of the Range Rover’s off-road ability, which they don’t have either.

What’s more, you can throw this 16ft 4in, 2.1-ton goliath through a series of bends without any of the disconcerting yaw of its predecessors.

Don’t be under any misapprehensions, the new Range Rover is a big beast, but aluminium has reversed a trend to ever-increasing mass with tangible benefits in performance, ride comfort and economy.

This is a lovely machine, although with prices starting at £71,295 you would expect it to be. Still, the benefit is a dirty weekend in more ways than one.

CREDIT: The Daily Telegraph