2021 Land Rover Range Rover SVAutobiography LWB
2021 Land Rover Range Rover Review
- Excellent balance of off-road ability and luxury
- Wealth of interior and exterior options for customizing
- Long-wheelbase variant provides added rear legroom
- Available with a diesel engine
- Uncomfortable ride
- Ponderous handling and steering
- Infotainment system is frustratingly glitchy and slow
- Pricey for an SUV with so many drawbacks
- New luxurious Fifty and Westminster Editions debut
- SVAutobiography trim level gains a sinister Dynamic Black Edition
- Part of the fourth Range Rover generation introduced for 2013
The more things change, the more they stay the same. This is especially true of the icon of British luxury and capability, the Range Rover. Now in its 50th year, the Range Rover continues to offer deeply impressive all-terrain capability while maintaining a firm grip on the luxury that its clientele have come to expect. With six available powertrains — ranging from a turbodiesel to a supercharged V8, with a plug-in hybrid somewhere in between — the Range Rover can be outfitted to serve a slew of duties.
But other manufacturers have been creeping in on the Range Rover's luxury turf. The Mercedes-Benz GLS sets a new standard for comfort, tech and drivability, and the bold BMW X7 isn't far behind. Even the redesigned Cadillac Escalade is the wheelhouse of the Range Rover. The British firm has imbued its flagship with ever-improving new technology to keep up, but is it enough to keep the Range Rover out in front at the valet stand? Read our Expert Rating to find out.
Our verdict | |
The Range Rover is a luxurious and premium large SUV with baked-in off-road capability, but it's facing ever sharper competition in a segment it once had almost entirely to itself. The exceptionally upscale cabin can't compensate for a plethora of weaknesses. | |
How does the Range Rover drive? | |
The big, plush Range Rover isn't meant to be a performance machine, but almost any demand taxes its capabilities. The six-cylinder engine in the P400 is smooth and sufficiently powerful, but there's a noticeable delay between asking for acceleration and getting it. Braking performance is also subpar, and at low speed the grabby brakes can make it hard to stop smoothly. The soft suspension and slow steering make driving along curvy roads a sloshy, woozy chore. Even in a straight line, the Range Rover requires near constant steering correction, adding to the business of driving the big luxo-barge. On the plus side, the Range Rover is impressively competent off-road. | |
How comfortable is the Range Rover? | |
Premium vehicles come with high expectations for comfort, but the Range Rover misses the mark. The front seats are big and wide but also relatively flat. We found ourselves tiring of them on longer drives. The suspension irons out most road imperfections, but at the loss of any sort of body control. The soft, floaty ride has the stability of a noodle and might be tough on sensitive stomachs. One notable strength of the Land Rover is noise insulation: The cabin is cut off from traffic noise, there's no wind noise to speak of, and what road and tire noise makes it in is filtered down into nonintrusive frequencies. | |
How’s the interior? | |
Most of the Range Rover's controls are well placed, and the use of multiple touchscreens cuts down on button clutter. You have to learn the system menus to adjust settings, and with so many screens it's not always obvious where to look. In practice, the system is not as sleek to use as it appears. The Range Rover offers plenty of space all around, and the tall windows only increase the impression of roominess. Those big windows contribute to excellent all-around visibility. The surround-view parking camera system can also help with parking, but our test car's was buggy and inexplicably switched to the vehicle's parking sensor diagrams when reversing. | |
How’s the tech? | |
Truly a mixed bag. Our test vehicle's Meridian stereo provided top-notch sound quality. The navigation system is highly functional, with good traffic routing and the ability to easily add points of interest to your route. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration is a pleasant highlight, largely working well and displaying nicely on the crisp screen. Unfortunately, all of this tech routes through an infotainment system that can be slow to respond. The system is pleasantly customizable and graphically sharp, but it's also slow to start up, buggy and often irritating to use. The rudimentary voice controls, with their mediocre accuracy, don't help matters. Driver aids are likewise behind the curve in refinement and functionality. | |
How’s the storage? | |
The Range Rover's cargo area is spacious, though three-row competitors offer more room behind their second rows. The split tailgate design is useful for keeping small or loose items confined to the cargo area, but it also requires you to push bulkier items over carpet to get them situated, which is not ideal for loading big, heavy objects. In the cabin, there's some useful storage space, including the dual gloveboxes and several cubbies. The cooler box isn't really worth it — it eats up storage space and doesn't do too much to chill food or drinks. The 7,700-pound max towing capacity is among the best in the class, adding utility to the Rover. | |
How’s the fuel economy? | |
We tested the mild hybrid P400, which is rated by the EPA at 21 mpg combined. This is decent for a big luxury SUV. But in practice, we found the Range Rover had trouble cracking 20 mpg, even with a bias toward freeway driving. | |
Is the Range Rover a good value? | |
The Range Rover is one of the pricier large luxury SUVs — it starts around $90,000 and quickly climbs above the $100,000 mark with options. You get a good amount of standard capability, and the cabin materials and construction are top-notch even by luxury standards. But at this highly competitive price point, the Range Rover just doesn't seem quite worth the money. Other than the off-road features, there's little else in the Range Rover that stands out. | |
Wildcard | |
The Range Rover has an undeniable presence and can make the driver feel special from behind the wheel. There's something to be said for its unapologetic truck-like character. But with more competition in the class, it's no longer the only big SUV that can make you feel like a lord. It's also a lot of work to drive. Some might see that as part of its charm, but it's a distinctly unluxurious trait. You have to think about throttle and braking, planning every action, and the steering wheel requires constant tending. It's hard to escape the conclusion that, in today's competitive landscape, the Range Rover has gone from being a unique proposition to another face in the crowd. | |
Which Range Rover does Edmunds recommend?
Land Rover Range Rover models
The Land Rover Range Rover is available in a head-spinning number of configurations but comes in seven main trim levels: Base, HSE, HSE Westminster, Autobiography, Autobiography Fifty Edition, SVAutobiography Dynamic and SVAutobiography. The Base and HSE trims come with the standard wheelbase, but the HSE Westminster, Autobiography and Autobiography Fifty Edition are also available in a long-wheelbase configuration. (The SVAutobiography is long wheelbase only). Every Range Rover comes equipped with all-wheel drive.
2021 Land Rover Range Rover SVAutobiography LWB pricing
in Ashburn, VA
2021 Land Rover Range Rover SVAutobiography LWB Features & Specs
- Base MSRP
- $211,000
- MPG & Fuel
- 13 City / 19 Hwy / 15 Combined
- Fuel Tank Capacity: 27.3 gal. capacity
- Seating
- 4 seats
- Drivetrain
- Type: four wheel drive
- Transmission: 8-speed shiftable automatic
- Engine
- V8 cylinder
- Horsepower: 557 hp @ 6000 rpm
- Torque: 516 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm
- Basic Warranty
- 4 yr./ 50000 mi.
- Dimensions
- Length: 204.7 in. / Height: 73.5 in.
- Overall Width with Mirrors: 87.4 in.
- Overall Width without Mirrors: 78.1 in.
- Curb Weight: 5725 lbs.
- Cargo Capacity, All Seats In Place: 24.5 cu.ft.
Safety
Our experts’ favorite Range Rover safety features:
- Terrain Response 2
- Monitors the vehicle's traction and adapts to maintain control on different surfaces and road conditions.
- Rear Traffic Monitor
- Alerts the driver when backing up that a car or pedestrian is approaching the rear of the vehicle.
- Driver Condition Monitor
- Detects signs of drowsy driving and lets you know you should probably pull over for a break.
Land Rover Range Rover vs. the competition
2021 Land Rover Range Rover
2021 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class
Land Rover Range Rover vs. Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class
The GLS is our top-ranked full-size luxury SUV for a multitude of reasons. Its spacious interior is both luxurious and tech-forward, and the driving experience is second to none. The Range Rover's stately appearance and legendary off-road capability do carry some weight, but the Rover's ponderous handling, unreliable infotainment and higher price make it tough to recommend.
Land Rover Range Rover vs. BMW X7
BMW's X7 might be new to the luxury SUV game, but it hit the ground running. Packed with technology and propelled by powerful engines, the X7 also offers an impeccably well-built interior. All of that technology isn't the easiest to use, but we prefer it to the Range Rover's tech. While the Range Rover might offer more options for customization, it doesn't drive nearly as well as the BMW.
Land Rover Range Rover vs. Cadillac Escalade
The Cadillac Escalade, fresh off its comprehensive redesign, offers new levels of comfort, technology and sophistication. In fact, it's one of our top picks in the full-size luxury SUV segment. The Escalade lacks the off-road prowess of the Range Rover, but it does offer an extended-wheelbase option like the Rover and is generally better to drive than the big Brit.
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FAQ
Is the Land Rover Range Rover a good car?
What's new in the 2021 Land Rover Range Rover?
According to Edmunds’ car experts, here’s what’s new for the 2021 Land Rover Range Rover:
- New luxurious Fifty and Westminster Editions debut
- SVAutobiography trim level gains a sinister Dynamic Black Edition
- Part of the fourth Range Rover generation introduced for 2013
Is the Land Rover Range Rover reliable?
Is the 2021 Land Rover Range Rover a good car?
How much should I pay for a 2021 Land Rover Range Rover?
The least-expensive 2021 Land Rover Range Rover is the 2021 Land Rover Range Rover SVAutobiography LWB 4dr SUV 4WD (5.0L 8cyl S/C 8A). Including destination charge, it arrives with a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of about $211,000.
Other versions include:
- SVAutobiography LWB 4dr SUV 4WD (5.0L 8cyl S/C 8A) which starts at $211,000