Range Rover LWB review, test drive

The Range Rover LWB is one of the largest, plushest and most spacious cars you can buy. We take it for a spin.

Published on Aug 31, 2015 07:00:00 AM

36,791 Views

Auto retracting step is a fabulous touch.

Big mirrors a boon in traffic with the LWB.

What you do get with the Vogue is JLR’s 3.0-litre V6 diesel – something you don’t get on higher trims, where a V8 petrol or diesel are your only options. We’ve lauded this motor in other cars for its power, smoothness and refinement, but for the first time, it feels slightly out of its depth. It may have 244bhp and 61.1kgm of torque, but it has more car to haul around. The result is a touch of lethargy before the turbo comes in, which, if you spend a lot of time in traffic, is something your chauffeur will have to get used to. Once past about 1,900rpm though, the motor has enough punch to pull the big Rangie along smartly, if not briskly.

V6 a tad overwhelmed. Get a V8 instead.

All the other Range Rover strengths remain – a superbly luxurious cabin, incredible visibility, serious off-roading capability (which we haven’t sampled yet), that wonderful, all-electric split opening tailgate, a full-size spare and a regal imperiousness no other car can match. It also suffers from a few problems, like the infotainment and instrument cluster screens, which feel a bit dated and slow to respond now. And, of course, manoeuvring 5.2 metres of car has its own set of challenges. Many modern high-rises don’t have parking slots that big.

If the standard-wheelbase car was targeting Mercedes and Audi, this one is clearly going after Bentley and Rolls-Royce. At Rs 2.18-2.74 crore (ex-showroom, Delhi), the prices are certainly getting close. The LWB does deliver on the luxury front, not just when it comes to creature comforts and quality, but also on ride comfort. Yet, we do feel that for about Rs 11 lakh less, the ‘regular’ Range Rover does everything and still has more than enough legroom for most. If you simply must splurge on the LWB, a word of advice – skip past the Vogue and the V6, and go for the full-fat Autobiography. You’ve earned it.