2017 Land Rover Range Rover Review

　　

zzdcar' Expert Review

byCalvin KimVehicle Test Engineer

　　Calvin Kim is an automotive journalist at zzdcar.

　　

What’s new

　　For 2017, the Range Rover gets a new SVAutobiography Dynamic trim level. The Dynamic has a more powerful supercharged V8 and its own suspension calibration that features active stabilizer bars to tame body roll during sportier driving. All 2017 Range Rovers benefit from increased in-car technology thanks to a new infotainment system (InControl Touch Pro). A few advanced safety feature revisions, including a new Advanced Tow Assist, round out the changes for 2017.

　　

Vehicle overview

　　Land Rover's Range Rover is a five-person, all-wheel-drive sport-utility vehicle that has infiltrated popular culture to the point where people refer to it strictly by model name. At its core, the Range Rover is an all-terrain vehicle that's designed to take its passengers in comfort over hill and through valley as well as through the rough and tumble of downtown city streets.

　　

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2017 Land Rover Range Rover 4dr SUV 4WD (3.0L 6cyl S/C 8A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.78 per gallon for premium unleaded in North Dakota.

Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

　　$240/mo  for Range Rover Base

　　Range Rover Base

　　4dr SUV 4WD (3.0L 6cyl S/C 8A) - $85,650 MSRPTd6 4dr SUV 4WD (3.0L 6cyl Turbodiesel 8A) - $87,650 MSRPHSE 4dr SUV 4WD (3.0L 6cyl S/C 8A) - $92,650 MSRPHSE Td6 4dr SUV 4WD (3.0L 6cyl Turbodiesel 8A) - $94,650 MSRPSupercharged 4dr SUV 4WD (5.0L 8cyl S/C 8A) (Most Popular) - $103,895 MSRPSupercharged LWB 4dr SUV 4WD (5.0L 8cyl S/C 8A) - $108,895 MSRPAutobiography 4dr SUV 4WD (5.0L 8cyl S/C 8A) - $140,995 MSRPAutobiography LWB 4dr SUV 4WD (5.0L 8cyl S/C 8A) - $145,995 MSRPSVAutobiography Dynamic 4dr SUV 4WD (5.0L 8cyl S/C 8A) - $170,995 MSRPSVAutobiography LWB 4dr SUV 4WD (5.0L 8cyl S/C 8A) - $199,950 MSRP

　　vs

　　$229/mo

　　Avg. Large SUV

　　This effortless performance is achieved through powerful engine options, a clever all-wheel-drive system and an adjustable suspension system. This allows the Range Rover to traverse rutted roads and snowy or muddy trails with confidence. Meanwhile, a plethora of interior and exterior options help make your Range Rover unique.

　　It's this go-anywhere capability that has garnered the Range Rover its reputation. Combined with its stately exterior and interior designs and five trim levels spanning multiple price segments, the Range Rover easily earns our recommendation for a luxury SUV.

　　

zzdcar' Expert Rating

4.0 / 5

　　Combining luxury and civility with off-road and foul weather capability, the 2017 Land Rover Range Rover coddles passengers in leather and wood and offers a wealth of options for customization. A long-wheelbase option is also available for those needing more room for backseat passengers.

　　

Trim tested

　　Each vehicle typically comes in multiple versions that are fundamentally similar. The ratings in this review are based on our test of the 2016 Land Rover Range Rover HSE TD6 (turbo 3.0L V6 diesel | 8-speed automatic | AWD).

　　NOTE: Since this test was conducted, the current 2017 Land Rover Range Rover has received some revisions, including a revised InControl Touch Pro navigation and entertainment system and the new Terrain Response 2, an automated driving mode system. Our findings, however, remain broadly applicable to this year's Range Rover.

　　

Scorecard

Overall	4.0 / 5
Driving	4.0
Comfort	4.0
Interior	4.0
Utility	3.5

　　

Driving

4.0

　　The Range Rover HSE delivers exactly what you'd expect — a quiet and mostly soft ride in a handsome but conservative package that offers ample passenger and cargo space. We tested the torquey and smooth diesel engine, but the supercharged V8 is great, too.

　　

Acceleration

4.0

　　The diesel V6 generates a healthy serving of torque and enough power to get this 5,492-pound Range Rover moving fairly effortlessly. When pressed hard, it will accelerate to 60 mph in 7.7 seconds, a respectably quick figure for such a boxy beast.

　　

Braking

4.0

　　Pedal travel is a bit long, but that's not a bad trait in an off-roader. More to the point, these brakes are effective and can reliably execute a panic stop from 60 mph in just 117 feet. This comes with abundant nosedive, but it stays arrow-straight.

　　

Steering

4.0

　　On-center steering feel is secure when cruising down the road and making fine course corrections. The steering ratio is neither too slow nor too quick, with just three turns lock to lock. The tidy U-turn radius makes for good parking maneuverability.

　　

Handling

2.0

　　You'll feel all of the the Range Rover's weight going around turns. It begrudgingly responds to commands. This one does not like to be hustled through twisty bits, but it does feel coordinated in its own stately way.

　　

Drivability

5.0

　　The throttle pedal's accurate calibration makes for smooth starts, and the eight-speed transmission always responds as expected when it's time to accelerate. The engine stop-start system reacts quickly enough that we never felt the need to disable it.

　　

Off-road

4.5

　　Low-range gearing, impressive suspension articulation, generous body clearance and multiple terrain maps give the Range Rover off-road capability its buyers may never fully utilize. It is deceptively wide, though.

　　

Comfort

4.0

　　Above all, the Range Rover is a quiet machine, even when equipped with the diesel engine. There's a definite luxury slant to its ride character, but it could be better at filtering out sharp edges. The seats are firmer than we'd like.

　　

Seat comfort

3.0

　　The well-sculpted seats offer good support but can feel firm if your shape doesn't match. Numerous adjustments make that unlikely, but we'd prefer more padding. The fold-down front armrests are adjustable but are also firm and narrow.

　　

Ride comfort

3.5

　　The Range Rover has an odd combination of long-travel suspension softness that you'll notice when driving over bumps and a sensitivity to road surface coarseness, particularly on concrete and cracked asphalt. It's like a Buick with overinflated tires.

　　

Noise & vibration

4.5

　　We'd describe this one as silent even if it weren't a boxy SUV. There's not much road or wind noise. Some diesel noise is apparent at parking speeds, but it's admirably muted and melds into the background as speed picks up.

　　

Interior

4.0

　　The Range Rover feels big inside, and once you climb aboard it offers a good view outside. Most of the controls are easy to use, but the audio and entertainment system interface isn't as convenient as we'd like. The generous cargo hold benefits from a split two-piece hatch with a short tailgate.

　　

Ease of use

3.5

　　Driving position is nicely adjustable, and the major controls are for the most part logically placed. A lack of control knobs is annoying, though.

　　

Getting in/getting out

3.5

　　The air suspension lowers when the vehicle is parked to reduce step-in (and cargo-loading) height. The doors open wide, but there are no pillar-mounted grab handles to grasp.

　　

Roominess

4.5

　　The Range Rover's seats are quite roomy, with ample head- and legroom and shoulder room and a generally airy feeling front and back. Note: Despite outward appearances, the Range Rover only seats five; there is no third-row option.

　　

Visibility

5.0

　　The beltline is low and there's lots of glass, with a high seating position that helps the driver see down past the corners. The optional multicamera system helps in tight quarters, and there are parking proximity sensors.

　　

Quality

3.0

　　The Range Rover HSE looks well built inside and out, but the interior materials in particular look a bit plain and overly conservative. It's more an issue of style than quality, we suppose, but those two often go hand in hand.

　　

Utility

3.5

　　The Range Rover's interior is large but follows the European design edict that states the inside of the car should be meant only for driving. Thus, it lacks many of the small storage spaces that owners of American and Asian SUVs may be used to.

　　

Small-item storage

2.5

　　For such a big car, the door pockets are small and there's virtually no cubby space. All your daily knickknacks will have to fit in the glovebox and console. At least those are decently sized.

　　

Cargo space

4.0

　　The cargo hold is large, and the two-piece tailgate makes it easy to cram it full because the lower half acts as a fence when the hatch is open. The backseat doesn't come close to folding flat, though, and it can't fold at all on long-wheelbase models.

　　

Towing

4.0

　　Immense diesel torque is perfect for towing, and the air suspension is adept at supporting trailer tongue weight. The Range Rover comes well prepared to tow right up to its modest 7,716-pound towing limit.

　　

Which Range Rover does zzdcar recommend?

　　If you're in the demographic able to afford a Range Rover, picking one largely comes down to getting a configuration that suits your needs and desires. We recommend opting for either the Td6, with its fuel-efficient diesel engine, or going the distance with the Supercharged variant and its extremely strong (but thirsty) supercharged V8. Though equipped in the same vehicle, these powertrains show two different sides to the Range Rover: stately, calm and effortless with the turbocharged diesel or aggressive, sonorous and responsive with the supercharged V8.

　　

2017 Land Rover Range Rover models

　　While the standard 2017 Land Rover Range Rover comes well equipped, the Range Rover HSE offers more standard features, such as soft-close doors, a panoramic roof and a higher output gasoline engine. The Range Rover Supercharged is similarly equipped but has a supercharged V8. Next, the Autobiography adds more luxury options and driver assist systems while the SVAutobiography Dynamic adds more power and sportier suspension tuning. Long wheelbase versions of the Supercharged and Autobiography add more than 7 inches of extra rear legroom.

　　The Land Rover Range Rover comes with your choice of a gasoline-fed supercharged V6 (340 horsepower, 332 pound-feet of torque) or a turbocharged diesel V6 (254 hp, 443 lb-ft). An eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive are standard. Unlike other variants, there is no optional upgraded seat package, and a panoramic roof is only available as an option in this standard trim. Even still, a 13-speaker Meridian sound system and Land Rover's InControl Touch Pro infotainment system (with a new 10.2-inch touchscreen) are standard. Plus, many options are available to get your Range Rover equipped nicely.

　　Next up is the Range Rover HSE that includes a few more standard features, such as 20-inch wheels, soft-close doors, upgraded front seats and access to a greater catalog of options. You can get the HSE with either the diesel V6 from the standard model or a powered-up version of the turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 (380 hp, 332 lb-ft).

　　Next is the Range Rover Supercharged, which is powered by a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 (510 hp, 461 lb-ft). The Supercharged variant comes with 21-inch wheels, a more capable Terrain Response 2 system and All-Terrain Progress Control, which is basically the off-road version of cruise control.

　　The next rung up is the Range Rover Autobiography. And although it comes with the same 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 engine as the HSE (the supercharged V8 is optional), it features significantly more content than the Supercharged, such as a 29-speaker Meridian sound system and standard driver assist systems such as blind-spot monitoring and lane departure intervention.

　　If you want the sportiest Range Rover, go with the Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic. It utilizes an uprated version of the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 gasoline engine and produces 550 hp and 502 lb-ft of torque, providing very sports-carlike 0-60 mph acceleration (5.1 seconds, says Land Rover). The Dynamic variant also features a lowered ride height and a more aggressive on-road suspension calibration.

　　The long-wheelbase models all share the same extended chassis. The Range Rover's wheelbase is lengthened by 7.9 inches, and rear seat legroom grows by 7.3 inches. Otherwise, they feature similar setups as their short-wheelbase twins. As the top dog, the SVAutobiography LWB comes with reclining executive-class seats, which include deployable tables, a center console cooler (with glasses) and a rear-seat entertainment system.

　　

2017 Range Rover Highlights

Type: SVAutobiography LWBSVAutobiography DynamicSUVDieselSUV

　　Trim: BaseTd6HSEHSE Td6SuperchargedSupercharged LWBAutobiographyAutobiography LWBSVAutobiography DynamicSVAutobiography LWBBase

　　

Base MSRP	$85,650
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	19 MPG
Cost to Drive	$240/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	32.1 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	four wheel drive
Warranty	4 years / 50,000 miles