By Tom Barnard

January 2003

When it comes to pulling power, nothing can match our new Range Rover. And we're not talking about its considerable ability to impress - rather, its incredible towing capacity.
Although it might spend most of its week on a grinding commute, the big daddy of our long-term fleet is far from being pampered, and has to graft at weekends. So, despite the fact that it has spent less than a month with us, the car has already been packed for a house move, towed a boat and even shifted tons of wet sand.
Rather than get the cream interior dirty, the sand stayed on the outside, but lugging it about proved how amazingly versatile the Rangie can be. One-tonne bags of aggregate had been abandoned awkwardly at the bottom of my brother's steep driveway by a builder's merchant, blocking access. So we lashed a rope around them, tied it to the back of the car and selected low range. I didn't even need to press the throttle to drag them up the slope and into a more convenient position - the great V8 just crept up on tickover.
With all this pulling power, it comes as no surprise to discover that more conventional loads - such as sailing dinghies - pose no problem. Slot the removable towbar in place, lower the air-suspension under the trailer and then raise the Rangie up to meet it. The only real difficulty I had was remembering that the boat was there at all, as it made negligible difference to the way it drove. But of course, the real beauty of the Range Rover is that it behaves like a luxury car while doing the work of a tractor. A standard Vogue has the plushest interior this side of a Bentley and, as we were allowed a few ticks in the options boxes, our car also has one of the best hi-fi systems I've ever listened to. There's even a TV, meaning I almost didn't mind being stationary on the M25 for half-an-hour, as The Simpsons were there to keep me entertained. And then there are those wheels. Measuring 20 inches and with 255/50 tyres, they're among the biggest fitted to any production car, yet the ride is still executive saloon smooth.
While getting used to the Rangie's sheer physical size has taken time, the high-set driving position is instantly useful and welcome. It means you have a view over other traffic to see what's going on ahead - an amazingly handy safety feature. In places where height is not a benefit, such as underground car parks, you can just twist a knob and the suspension sinks down 43mm to make sure you can go places a Discovery can't.
It's not all perfect, though. All the mirrors are too small and, unlike most modern cars, there's no blindspot curve on the side ones, seriously limiting visibility. But by far the biggest bugbear is the fuel consumption. We never expected it to match the slow-sipping antics of a supermini, but the BMW-sourced 4.4-litre powerplant is averaging an eye-watering 13.8mpg. To be fair, this has involved towing and a daily commute in and out of central London. But even if you can afford the ΂£70-plus it costs to fill up the 100-litre tank when the warning light comes on, it's still a real pain having to stand on a cold forecourt, watching other motorists arrive, fill up and leave. As an added irritation, the fuel gauge never quite reads full even with the tank totally brimmed.
But it's impossible not have a warm feeling about our Rangie - and that's not only because of the heated seats, steering wheel, windscreens and mirrors. In fact, with the weatherman forecasting snow, it would take another RR to drag me out of it...

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