Range Rover LWB review, test drive

In Land Rover’s new model hierarchy, Range Rover is now its own sub-brand, focusing on luxury while retaining that go-anywhere ability the company has always been renowned for. Within this sub-brand, the ultimate version has always been the one without any suffix – called simply the Range Rover. At 4,972mm, it may be huge, but it doesn’t bother with seven seats; in fact, top variants have just four. It’s all about luxury, and to that end, it’s easily a match for the likes of a Mercedes S-class. However, the big Range Rover has been given a suffix – LWB or Long Wheelbase – and it’s so much more than just a new variant.

Would you just look at the size of it! At 5,199mm, it dwarfs just about every other car on the road, and with the air suspension raised to off-road height, you can easily have a casual chat with the bus driver next to you at the lights. Almost all of the added length has gone into the wheelbase, specifically the area between the front and rear seats, and the result is 186mm or 7.3 inches of additional rear legroom. Swing open the massive but surprisingly light rear door and – after you’re greeted by the motorised foot step that emerges from under the car – it seems like there’s a lot more room than the numbers suggest. Once you’ve fallen back into the seat, it’s clear you’re never going to be wanting for space. The front seats are miles away, and if that’s not enough, the front passenger seat can be sent further still with the touch of a button.

The car we have is a Vogue spec – the lowest you can go on a Range Rover, but in a car like this, even the base model can’t be called basic. It means, among other things, that it gets a bench seat rather than a pair of executive chairs, but it’s still one of the most comfortable places we’ve ever sat in. It will still recline – albeit not as much; the leather is wonderfully soft and the cushioning is just right. You sit nice and high with a low window line that gives you a majestic view outside.
Choosing the top Autobiography trim will get you better front seats (greater adjustment and a massage function), larger rear entertainment screens, a better Meridian hi-fi system – 825W versus 380W – higher-grade aniline leather and 20-inch wheels. In case you’re wondering, the ones on this car are 19-inchers; don’t they look tiny?