This New Car May Just Be the World’s Best Luxury SUV
The Land Rover Range Rover has a foundational place in the now ubiquitous category of luxury SUVs. It pretty much invented the concept, both when it was first launched, over 50 years ago, and when it was first officially imported to America in the late 1980s, where it became the first overt vehicular status symbol (besides the Jeep Grand Wagoneer) that was also kind of a truck.
The current (fourth-generation) Range Rover has been around for nearly a decade which is far fewer than the nearly 25 years that the first generation lasted (1971-1994), but still a lifetime and a half in contemporary automotive expectations. Nevertheless, it continues to sell very strongly, and profitably; combined with its slightly smaller and more dynamic Range Rover Sport sibling, it is the brand’s best-selling vehicle.
But now, the venerable British brand has finally unveiled the fifth-generation Land Rover, and it is a stunning, if evolutionary, design. This means it maintains many classic features from previous Ranges: an upright stance, rectilinear corners, a dimpled beltline, a clamshell hood, big windows, a floating roof, and a two-piece rear hatch. At first glance, the look is imposing in the way of a high modernist skyscraper, like the Seagram Building: simple, formidable, and extremely refined. Then, on second glance, the details emerge, incorporating splendid notes of luxury and sophistication.
Many of these arise in the service of delight, the kind of affection that keeps owners and drivers smiling during the duration of their ownership. These include available interior materials like gloss ceramic rounded handles on the shift knob and accessory dials, deeply patterned wood marquetry in the front and rear center consoles, a beverage cooling bin up front and a champagne fridge in back, (complete with flutes), and an aluminum rear tray table that levitates at the touch of a button. The Land Rover brand is also moving the Range even further upscale, with the least expensive model starting at over $100,000, and the top-of-the-line SV model sports a $218,300 base price.