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Range Rover, that's a name like Donnerhall, comparable to Porsche 911, Corvette or – coughing – VW Golf. The new generation doesn't even make a bashful eco-car, but boasts size, performance and equipment. If you have a guilty conscience here, the British also have motor cloaks on offer for you.
Large SUV are the object of hatred par excellence for ecologically oriented people, but also for certain politicians, although there can certainly be an intersection here. Either way, all these haters will certainly not be enthusiastic about a new vehicle that, with lengths of 5,05 or 5,25 meters and weights of 2,5 to 2,8 tons, makes a mockery of any attempts to save on traffic space and sustainability seems to speak. The fan of the new Range Rover could only counter that there are now at least two plug-in hybrids in the range of drives, which means that electromobility has initially arrived as a part-time worker in the off-road vehicle icon.
And that the range also appears in the new generation as if it were carved from the solid and one could still drive up to the same on the day of judgment. Which would also be a certain kind of sustainability.
Cheaper than an apartment
However, this form of ecology will only be granted to a fraction of humanity, because the German price list shows a base rate of a proud 125.900 euros for the D250 with six-cylinder diesel and 183 kW/249 hp. If you move your index finger to the end of the list, you will find the Range Rover in the highest equipment level SV with the most expensive engine, a V8 from BMW with 4,4 liters displacement and 390 kW/530 hp, in the version with a long wheelbase for almost 230.000 Euro.
Anyone who thinks that you used to get a terraced house for that, let me tell you: In Germany there is currently just a 50 square meter condominium in an area that a Range Rover driver could not even spell, let alone - adventure here, adventure here – would ever drive through. And in London, where, along with some Arab countries, the greatest density of these vehicles is likely to be found, that's not even enough for a garage in the suburbs. Seen in this way, the range is definitely good value.
Anyone who climbs into the driver's seat after circumnavigating the modern, smooth, boxy exterior will find a fine, well-crafted interior and a scent that one will also get less and less of in the future - namely that of high-quality leather. The service is not a mystery. The automatic lever is easy to reach and if you want to leave the asphalt right away, you can of course select the right surface using the so-called Terrain Response knob.
He can
Speaking of terrain: The Range Rover is actually not an SUV but an off-road vehicle, even if this primitive word is reluctant to slip your lips in the fine environment. Because of course a range has to have off-road skills. And he has. The specified wading depth of 90 centimeters should serve as an example, since even water-filled potholes in the Ruhr area or in our capital lose their terror. And the range can also slant up to 45 degrees, which is quite a lot and requires a lot of know-how from the engineers. Because even in such situations, the engine still has to be supplied with sufficient oil pressure, for example.
So if a jungle, a ravine or a gravel pit unexpectedly opens up in the city - the range driver is prepared. Otherwise, you can do two things with this British fat ship: In the city in search of a parking space, do one or two show-off rounds or go very luxuriously and relaxed on long journeys. Because the comfort is outstanding, not least thanks to air suspension and roll compensation. The new five-link rear axle and the standard all-wheel steering with a steering angle of up to 7 degrees also make the 5-meter part downright handy. The turning circle of less than 11 meters is really impressive. There's little to complain about, active drivers will perhaps complain about the excessive decoupling from the rigors of the road and a somewhat badly indifferently working power steering.
Even the hybrids have a 3 liter petrol engine
Seven different engines are available for the range, three diesels with 249, 300 and 350 hp and one petrol engine with 400 hp, all engines are in-line six-cylinder and have a displacement of 3 liters. For connoisseurs there is the aforementioned BMW engine, a V8 petrol engine, the standard consumption of which is just under 12 liters and we want to cover the merciful cloak of silence about its probable practical consumption.
For the green conscience, the Rovers have also included two plug-in hybrids in the illustrious drive circuit, unsurprisingly, a 3,0-liter petrol engine also works here, combined with an electric motor. This results in outputs of 440 and 510 hp. The purely electric range is 109 kilometers in both cases. That deserves praise, because it can actually cover 70 to 80 kilometers. So if the owner of the Range-PHV is serious about his purchase, he can cover many kilometers in everyday life electrically and ecologically correct. In addition, there should also be a purely electric version from 2024.
How long will this be good?
Nevertheless, the Range Rover seems a little anachronistic in its off-road consistency and despite its downright modernistic design - but at the same time enviably stubborn. The heavyweight is somehow similar to the blissful British Empire, which some British conservative politicians have recently been fond of nostalgically glorifying: its time could soon be over, but one would also mourn for it.
Technical data
Five-door, five-seat luxury SUV; Length: 5,05 meters, width: 2,05 meters (with exterior mirrors: 2,21 meters), height: 1,87 meters, wheelbase: 3,00 meters, trunk volume: 818 - 1.841 liters
All variants: eight-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
D250; 3,0-liter diesel, six-cylinder in line, 183 kW/249 hp, maximum torque: 600 Nm at 1.250 - 2.250 rpm, 0-100 km/h: 8,3 s, Vmax: 206 km/h, Standard consumption: 8,2 liters/100 kilometers, CO2 emissions: 215 g/km, emission standard: Euro 6d
D300; 3,0-liter diesel, six-cylinder in line, 221 kW/300 hp, maximum torque: 650 Nm at 1.500 - 2.500 rpm, 0-100 km/h: 6,9 s, Vmax: 218 km/h, Standard consumption: 8,2 liters/100 kilometers, CO2 emissions: 215 g/km, emission standard: Euro 6d
D350; 3,0-liter diesel, six-cylinder in line, 257 kW/350 hp, maximum torque: 700 Nm at 1.500 - 3.000 rpm, 0-100 km/h: 6,1 s, Vmax: 234 km/h, Standard consumption: 8,3 liters/100 kilometers, CO2 emissions: 217 g/km, emission standard: Euro 6d
P400; 3,0 liter petrol engine, six-cylinder in line, 294 kW/400 hp, maximum torque: 550 Nm at 2.000 - 5.000 rpm, 0-100 km/h: 5,8 s, Vmax: 242 km/h, Standard consumption: 10,2 liters/100 kilometers, CO2 emissions: 230 g/km, emission standard: Euro 6d
P530; 4,4 liter V8 petrol engine, 390 kW/530 hp, maximum torque: 750 Nm at 1.800 - 4.600 rpm, 0-100 km/h: 4,6 s, Vmax: 250 km/h, standard consumption: 11,9 litres/100 kilometers, CO2 emissions: 270 g/km, emission standard: Euro 6d
P440e; 3,0 liter petrol engine, six-cylinder in line, 324 kW/440 hp, maximum torque: 550 Nm at 1.500 - 5.000 rpm, usable battery capacity: 31,8 kWh, 0-100 km/h: 6,0 s , VMax: 225 km/h, Vmax electric: 140 km/h, electric range (WLTP): 109 kilometers, standard consumption: 0,9 liters/100 kilometers, CO2 emissions: 21 g/km, emission standard: Euro 6d
510e; 3,0 liter petrol engine, six-cylinder in line, 375 kW/510 hp, maximum torque: 550 Nm at 1.500 - 5.000 rpm, usable battery capacity: 31,8 kWh, 0-100 km/h: 5,5 s , Vmax: 242 km/h, Vmax electric: 140 km/h, electric range (WLTP): 109 kilometers, CO2 emissions: 21 g/km, emission standard: Euro 6d
In brief
Why: the optics; The interior; the off-road capabilities; its cool Britishness
Why not: the prices; the practice usage; disconnection from the street
What is sonst: nothing, all others are not Range