Range Rover review - Practicality, comfort and boot space
It’s hard to think of a better alternative to the Range Rover when it comes to overall practicality and first-class comfort
If you feel confident enough piloting a five-metre long premium SUV then the Range Rover offers all the practicality and comfort you could need. The levels of luxury are really only restricted by how much you wish to pay, while useful touches that make everyday life a little easier haven’t been forgotten.
Standard kit includes a heated front screen, an automatic gesture-controlled tailgate, auto wipers and headlights, heated power-folding door mirrors, an electrically-adjustable steering wheel, adaptive cruise control and three-zone climate control. Cabin storage is good with twin gloveboxes, big door bins and a three-litre storage space under the centre armrest.
Size
The standard wheelbase Range Rover model is a little longer than the previous model, measuring 5,052mm from front to back, with the long-wheelbase version adding a further 200mm. Overall width (including mirrors) is 2,209mm, while you’ll need to be well over six feet in height to peer over the big luxury SUV as it stands 1,870mm tall.
Leg room, head room and passenger space
Neither the driver or any of the passengers onboard will be left wanting for space in the Range Rover. Buyers can specify four or five-seat configurations in Standard or Long Wheelbase body styles, along with a seven-seat Long Wheelbase version, while Land Rover claims there is now an extra 44mm of knee room for passengers in the second row seats.
Passengers travelling in the third row of the LWB seven-seater model shouldn’t feel too short-changed as there’s 864mm of legroom on offer. The Range Rover’s ‘Stadium seating’ design means that those in the rearmost row sit 41mm higher than in the front seats, so visibility remains good and, when the third-row seats aren’t in use, the second row can slide backwards to unlock a further 50mm of legroom.
Boot
Access to the Range Rover’s boot is slightly hampered by the split tailgate, as it makes it harder to reach into the load bay, although the lower section is now smaller than before to help mitigate this issue. Luggage capacity is good with the five-seat, Standard Wheelbase model offering 725 litres (loaded to the vehicle waistline), while there’s huge flexibility provided by the Long Wheelbase seven-seat version which has a van-like 2,601 litres of carrying capacity with the second and third row seats folded away.
Towing
All Range Rover models are rated to tow up to 3,500kg, with the exception of the entry D300 diesel and the P400e plug-in hybrid which both have a towing limit of 2,500kg.
