2020 Land Rover Range Rover SVAutobiography LWB

Thinking of going off-road in your luxury SUV? Most of today's models aren't really suitable for anything other than driving along a dirt road. A notable exception, however, is the 2020 Land Rover Range Rover. It's just at home bouncing along a muddy and rocky trail as it is cruising Rodeo Drive.

Every model in the lineup is equipped with an adaptive air suspension, a healthy list of luxury features, and several advanced safety systems to make city driving easier. The Range Rover also comes with standard four-wheel drive (and an optional Terrain Response 2 system for even greater capability) and plenty of ground clearance for situations when you're escaping the city life. There's even a sensor that displays how close you are to the Range Rover's maximum wade depth of 35.4 inches.

New for this year are two new powertrains to bolster the Range Rover's already impressive engine lineup. The first is a turbocharged inline-six paired to a mild hybrid system; it's more powerful and, Land Rover says, more fuel-efficient than the supercharged V6 it replaces. If you want to use even less gas, there's a new plug-in hybrid that uses a turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Its 19 miles of estimated EV range is impressive given the Range Rover's size and weight. However, once you run out of electricity, the gas-only engine is actually thirstier than the six-cylinder.

If you go just by the spec sheet, the Range Rover has everything it takes to win a place in your garage. But we're less than impressed with the vehicle's overall execution. The ride feels floatier and less composed than others in the class, and the seats are uncomfortable for long drives. The most egregious problem, however, is its technology suite. The touchscreen has a confusing interface and is unforgivably slow to react to user inputs.

Overall, the Range Rover's appeal depends a lot on how you're going to use it. It's an obvious choice if you want something that can handle both pavement and trail. Otherwise, rivals such as the BMW X7, Mercedes-Benz GLS and Porsche Cayenne will likely be more appealing.

Our verdict

How does it drive?

How comfortable is it?

How’s the interior?

How’s the tech?

How’s the storage?

How economical is it?

Is it a good value?

Wildcard

The 2020 Land Rover Range Rover comes in five main versions: base, HSE, P525 HSE, Autobiography, and SVAutobiography. While the base Range Rover comes well-equipped, the HSE gives you more standard features. The P525 HSE is similarly equipped but has a supercharged V8. Next, the Autobiography provides more luxury options and driver assist systems, and the SVAutobiography adds more power and sportier suspension tuning. The long-wheelbase versions of the P525 HSE, Autobiography and SVAutobiography add more than 7 inches of rear legroom.

The Range Rover is available with a wide range of powertrain options. All are paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission and feature four-wheel drive. The most common is the P400, which comes with a turbocharged inline-six. Power stands at 355 horsepower and 365 lb-ft on base models and 395 hp and 406 lb-ft on the HSE trim.

If saving money on fuel costs is important to you, Land Rover offers two alternative powerplants. A fuel-sipping, diesel-powered 3.0-liter V6 — which Land Rover calls the Td6 — is available on base and HSE trims. It produces 254 hp and 443 lb-ft.

There's also a new plug-in hybrid powertrain (which Land Rover calls the PHEV) available in HSE and Autobiography trims. It uses a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four and an electric motor to develop an impressive 398 hp and 472 lb-ft of torque. Land Rover estimates the plug-in hybrid will achieve 19 miles of all-electric range before the gasoline engine kicks on.

The most potent powertrain is a supercharged 5.0-liter V8. In P525 HSE and Autobiography trims, it produces 518 hp and 461 lb-ft. SVAutobiography models get a further power boost to 557 hp and 516 lb-ft.

Standard features on the base Range Rover include 19-inch alloy wheels, LED exterior lights, an adaptive air suspension, a hands-free liftgate, a panoramic sunroof, keyless entry and ignition, tri-zone climate control, a power-adjustable steering wheel, 16-way heated front seats with memory settings, a 60/40-split rear seat and leather upholstery.

Tech features include dual 10-inch touchscreen displays, a Wi-Fi hotspot, navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, and a 13-speaker Meridian sound system. Front and rear parking sensors, low-speed forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, and lane departure warning are also standard.

Next up is the HSE, which adds the more powerful engine tune, 20-inch wheels, soft-close doors, upgraded front seats, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, as well as access to a greater catalog of options. It also includes the safety-related Drive and Park packages, which are optional on the base Range Rover. Selecting the plug-in hybrid powertrain further adds the Terrain Response 2 system and a 19-speaker audio system.

Next is the Range Rover P525 HSE, which simply adds the supercharged 5.0-liter V8 and 21-inch wheels.

The next rung up is the Range Rover Autobiography. It adds significantly more content, such as the Terrain Response 2 and All-Terrain Progress Control systems, an active rear locking differential, a 360-degree parking camera, a head-up display, four-zone climate control, 24-way power-adjustable heated and ventilated front seats with massage, heated and ventilated rear seats, upgraded leather upholstery, and a 29-speaker Meridian sound system. It also adds a few packages that are available on other models, such as Drive Pro and Park Pro that pad on even more driver assistance features.

If you want the sportiest Range Rover, go with the Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic. Its contents include an uprated version of the supercharged V8, a lower ride height, a more aggressive on-road suspension calibration, quilted leather upholstery, and additional rear-seat adjustments.

The long-wheelbase models all share the same extended chassis and provide extra rear legroom. As the top dog, the SVAutobiography LWB starts with SVAutobiography Dynamic content plus a front cooler under the center armrest, along with an even more luxurious rear-seat environment.