2009 Land Rover Range Rover
by Jim Prueter -07/2009

Fantastic but for one flaw

The Range Rover pretty much has the super luxury SUV market all to itself.  One could argue a spot for Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon, Porsche Cayenne or Lexus LX570, all of which can reach $80,000 or more, are loaded with power to transport the rich and famous and have deep tinted glass to keep gawkers from peering inside.

Indeed, acres of leather, honest to goodness real wood and, of course, the ubiquitous oversized chrome wheels and a “look at me” factor rank high on the list of reasons that people are willing to dish out the cash for these vehicle.

The Range Rover falls into a market segment whose customers demand the best of everything — every bell and whistle and good looks, enough to empty your wallet. Unfortunately, Range Rover’s reputation for quality and all too frequent trips to the dealer’s service department due to reliability woes takes a severe toll on the vehicle’s allure.

Late last year, Indian auto manufacturer Tata Group purchased both Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford for about $2.3 billion and committed to keeping production of the storied brands in England. The bad news is that Tata has reported a net loss of $520 million for the fiscal year ending in March 2009; $504 million of that loss came from Jaguar and Land Rover. That can’t be good news for the two brands, given the global economic meltdown and almost certain job cuts and plant shutdowns. Adding to the brands’ woes is a report by Automotive News suggesting a perception among dealers and upscale buyers that an Indian owner means poorer quality. All of this when the luxury vehicle market is falling on its padded behind.

Still, no one can deny Range Rover’s stage presence and charisma. The Range Rover is one exceptionally capable vehicle that will far exceed most demands put upon it. Ford a river, blaze its own trail across mountains or the Serengeti, and negotiate steep angles with aplomb? All and more can be accomplished with ease, thanks to a Terrain Response System with dial settings for snow, mud, sand, rock and crawl, plus an air suspension system that raises the vehicle up to almost 11 inches of ground clearance. 

Almost shamefully, the biggest demand I imposed on our Santorini black supercharged test model was engaging the 400 horsepower to merge onto the interstate in a moment of pure exhilaration. So impressive are the horsepower and torque, it seemed as though traffic had slowed to a stop as I went rocketing by.

The genius of this super-SUV is its conflict of utility and luxury. There’s enough leather smell to approach intoxication, power adjustable heated and cooled seats with lumbar support, heated double folding 60/40 split rear seats, rearview camera, GPS satellite navigation system with touch-screen interface and off-road functionality, heated power tilt and telescopic leather-wrapped steering wheel, walnut burl trim, four-zone climate control, rear-seat entertainment with dual headrest display and remote control, and much more.

If that seems like excess, then Range Rover has accomplished its mission. It makes no apologies for its library quiet ride, confident and tenacious handling, satiny silver dash, console and pedal trim, color accent seat piping, and Harmon/Kardon audio system. The overall effect is more British royalty than African safari, yet it isn’t out of place at either locale.

As expected, standard safety equipment abounds: nine airbags (front, side, head for front and rear passengers, knee for driver), side-door impact beams front and rear, anti-trap feature on all windows and sunroof, LATCH system for child seats, heated front windshield with rain sensors, and integrated whiplash reduction system. 

Mechanically power-assisted four-wheel discs with Brembo front brakes, all-terrain anti-lock braking systems, electronic brakeforce distribution, cornering brake control, all-terrain dynamic stability control, hill descent control and emergency brake assist are all standard.

Range Rover is available in four trim levels: HSE ($78,525), Supercharged ($94,175), Range Rover Sport ($59,225), and Range Rover Sport Supercharged ($72,675). See our separate review on the Range Rover Sport models.

The more we drove the Supercharged tester the more addictive it became, and after a week of driving we bonded. It was easy to forgive its reliability sins and I confess I fell for the numerous features and comforts, which exceeded all of my given set of benchmarks. Performance, charisma and comfort are easy to get used to.

But the reality of quality reliability, or the lack thereof, will last long after the scent of top grain leather has waned. It’s what Land Rover needs to get right if it hopes to survive.