2022 Range Rover Review; Epitome Of Luxury & Ruggedness

It is big, it is bold, it is distinct and unmistakeably British! Say hello to this gentle giant of an SUV, the 5^th generation Range Rover! And my god! What presence! If you want to make a statement, that says you have arrived in life, and you have pockets deep enough, no better way to say so than arriving in the new Rangie! And well, I would like to think that I have arrived in life too, at least for a couple of days!

Also Read: 5th Generation Range Rover Review

Now, Siddharth tested the Range Rover life in beautiful Napa Valley in California, and we have a full-fledged review running and my colleague, Sameer, has done a first look video on the new Rangie too. So make sure that you watch both videos on carandbike’s YouTube channel for a complete lowdown on the new Rangie. Our focus today will be on the luxury, technology and comfort that the new Range Rover offers on the move.

Range Rover Design

The Range Rover has been the epitome of luxury and ruggedness for the longest time and being a legit icon, it feels equally at home whether it be a high-society red carpet event or the back and beyond of a wilderness. It is saying something because at the price and the segment the new Rangie operates in, there are few cars that can boast of such towering, graceful presence! The front end is unmistakeably a Range Rover, carrying typical Rangie lines, slim LED headlights, a boxy stance that squares off against you and a very neat, clean minimalist design with lesser cuts and creases than before. Ohh! And before we forget, the door handles sit flush with the body, for that brilliant, minimalist look. 

Also Read: New-Gen Range Rover Deliveries Begin In India

The Rangie doesn’t scream or shout in your face that it is in fact, a Range Rover. But it exudes calmness and tranquillity by means of its design and gives off zen-like vibes! Even though it looks like it was chiselled out of a single piece of rock, with its boxy stance, the new Range Rover has a drag co-efficient of just 0.30, which is sheer genius for a car that is legitimately gargantuan.

Look at the SUV from the rear and you begin to praise the masters that designed the new Rangie. The same minimalist theme is carried over from the front. The vertically stacked hidden taillights get a gloss black finish that only illuminate when the car is on the move. The gloss black finish extends to the tailgate and creates a refreshing, minimalist look that's hard to miss.

At over 5.2 metres, the new Range Rover is MASSIVE! Road presence is enormous and those beautiful albeit small-looking 22-inch rims are dead giveaway that the new Rangie is a giant SUV. You or your chauffeur is going to have a tough time navigating the SUV on traffic laden, city roads. 

Also Read: 2022 Range Rover; India First Look

2022 Range Rover Interior and Features 

There are few cars that have a cabin as opulent as that of a Range Rover. But, with the last-gen model and this, the 5^th gen model, the new Rangie almost blushes, for offering you a cabin that is laden with features and comfort. The luxury on offer, is almost sinful. Beautifully done leather upholstery, materials that feel super premium and rich and oodles and oodles of space… We will come to that in a bit, after we have climbed into the SUV. Yes! We say climbed because the cabin sits quite high off the ground, which is also what gives you a proper, commanding view of the world outside.

99.99 per cent of Range Rover owners are going to spend their time in the rear left passenger seat, the ‘BOSS’ seat. The material feels supple, sumptuous. And there are the tonnes of features to play around with. The important of them being, this! At the touch of a button, the front seat moves forward and a footrest is deployed, giving the boss, that is me, for the day, a first-class lounge like atmosphere. Plus, the touch panel in the centre armrest, allows you to dive deep into all kinds of settings for all sorts of features. Ventilation, panoramic sunroof, electric blinds, massage function, deploying retractable cup-holders, lighting and even music. There are noise-cancelling speakers embedded in the seat of the new Rangie, for people who are audiophiles.

Then, you have the optional 11.4-inch HD screens which can be fitted to the rear of the front seats. There is a brand-new tech interface, that is massively impressive. It is the latest Land Rover Pivi Pro platform, and the most important bit is the new 13.1-inch touchscreen with new graphics and haptic feedback.

Then, the system also gets features like Alexa, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay along with Spotify built in. The Alexa integration also gets AI capability which keeps learning over time and that results in improved functionality. Then, there’s a massive 13.7-inch digital instrument cluster, with loads of information on offer, along with a heads-up display.

Today, we are driving the Autobiography LWB trim, with the P-400 petrol engine. It is built on Land Rover’s flexible modular longitudinal architecture platform or the MLA Flex. Boy, can think of so many political puns around that. Land Rover says that there is significant improvement in terms of torsional rigidity, performance, refinement and even versatility. And for the first time, Land Rover offers a third row of seats on the Range Rover.

2022 Range Rover Performance

I was really getting used to the rear seat. But let me tell you this! The new Range Rover is almost as much fun in this seat, as it is from the rear seat. And I say almost because of the sheer luxury that is on offer at the rear seat. Despite taking up significant real estate on the road, the Range Rover is game for being hustled in traffic, thanks to the rear axle steer which turns in opposite direction at slow speeds, and some incredible engineering.

On empty roads, changing directions come a little easier at higher speeds. It isn’t a ballerina for sure, but it won’t leave you feeling all worked up either. Of course, the sheer size of the car needs to be kept in mind until you get used to it.

Most of the power is delivered to the rear wheels and the new Rangie also gets an active anti-roll bar, which is likely to work overtime if you are driving on switchbacks. The new Rangie is no slouch, thanks to its 3.0-litre petrol engine, putting out 394 horses and an incredible 550 Nm of peak torque. There is enough pull, to uproot a tree, if required and the acceleration is going to leave you wide-eyed with disbelief. I mean the claimed 0-100 kmph time is 5.8 seconds, for a car that weighs over 2.5 tonnes, it sure is something!

What actually felt a little out of place is the ride quality. It is a little stiff and doesn’t feel the kind of plush that you would like to have on a Range Rover. Even with the fully independent air suspension and all the sensors and software, the ride quality could have a touch more supple. We also suspect that the 22-inch rims with low profile tyres aren’t the best bet when it comes to tackling potholes and undulations on Indian roads. Smaller rims with thicker rubber ought to do the trick.   

2022 Range Rover Off-road Ability

Few people would be enthusiastic, well, actually mad enough, to take a luxurious SUV, costing over three crore rupees, off-roading. But that never stopped Land Rover from making all iterations of the Range Rover more than capable when it comes to tackling the rough.

The highlight is Land Rover’s Terrain2 response system, which uses a myriad variety of sensors and cameras to monitor throttle, braking and steering inputs along with adjusting the suspension and locking the differentials for increased control and power when required. At the highest suspension setting, the ground clearance is a massive 294 mm while wading depth is a bonkers 900 mm. Really wish we could test that! What a sight it would be, a stupidly luxurious SUV, mucking its way out on a tough trail! Go anywhere ability in ultra-luxury, that, is a statement!

2022 Range Rover Verdict

There are a tonne of customisation options on offer, with Land Rover offering customisation options for upholstery, features, infotainment, seating and much more. It is a car fit for business magnates, Bollywood celebrities and for the rich and not so famous! Plush, sophisticated to a fault, stratospheric pricing and epitome of luxury and comfort, the new Range Rover wears a very many hats.

The 5^th generation Range Rover is unmistakeably British in its roots. It embraces minimalism and offers understated luxury and elegance. With prices starting at Rs. 2.38 crore and going upwards of Rs. 4 crores, chances of you seeing one on the road are rare. The one we drove today is about Rs. 3.16 crore, ex-showroom, of course… There is no doubt that the new Rangie pushes the envelope further, raises the bar higher, over the older model and does so with nonchalant ease and that is the beauty of it all. All we have to say is, if you can afford one, just go for it! You will be glad you did!

Photography: Apoorv Choudhary