With 825 watts driving 18 speakers, the 2014 Range Rover Supercharged with its Meridian Premium Surround-Sound audio system is a concert hall on wheels.
And thanks to Range Rover’s legendary off-road capability, the best performances can be heard in the most remote locations. Of course, there’s much more to admire about the storied Brit than its over-achieving audio.
Introduced in the U.K. in 1970, the Range Rover incorporated the off-road DNA of Land Rover with old-world luxury to create the first upscale SUV capable of flourishing beyond pavement’s reach.
Now in its fourth generation, the Range Rover once again establishes the bar for other so-called luxury utes to aspire.
The latest iteration retains the overall shape and visual identity of its predecessor while adding greater legroom within its opulent quarters, where more cutting-edge technology coexists with enhanced luxury and refinement, keeping the Range Rover at the pointy end of off-road aristocracy.
It’s this amalgam of privilege and adventure that makes the vehicle so fascinating and exclusive.
Most owners will never know what their Range Rover is capable of, but that’s OK. For those whose use includes rivers to be forded and mountains to be climbed, the new Range Rover is up to the task — and in a most rapid manner.
The 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine developed by Jaguar Land Rover is one of the sweetest mills in production today. In its Range Rover application, the polished powerplant seductively dispenses 510 horsepower, yet in traditional British dispassion does so with refined restraint. Nevertheless, the supercharged Range Rover is brilliantly quick, reputedly hitting 100 km/h from a standstill in just over five seconds.
An eight-speed automatic transmission contributes to the vehicle’s adroitness and overall ease of full-sized SUV driveability. Shift paddles enable quick, fingertip gear changes on-road and off-road, while Land Rover’s Terrain Response-2 system employs a series of sensors and algorithms to automatically match the vehicle’s drive setting, including ride height, to the environment in which finds itself.
Should the driver prefer, chassis and drivetrain settings can be selected manually by matching the driving situation to one of a series of icons surrounding the circular controller, which depict snow, sand, ruts and rock crawl; the latter also activating low-range gearing. The height-adjustable air suspension can be independently controlled at the touch of a button.
Three quick hits behind the wheel: 1) Tremendously supportive front seats with massage function; 2) Outstanding visibility; 3) Remarkably smooth propulsion. This trifecta of attributes merely scratches the surface of those encompassed within the latest Range Rover.
From the driver’s seat, the spacious Brit is delightful. While it feels big, its ease of operation is counter-intuitive to what one might expect.
A good example of Land Rover’s penchant for decorum is found beneath the right foot.
Unlike other powerful SUVs that like to show-off their brawn by over-responding to minimal throttle inputs, the Range Rover’s pedal requires a judicious prod to generate propulsion, which builds slowly and progressively.
Of course, when urgent thrust is required the supercharged V8 drops its silk gloves and launches the plush sled with astonishing clout, never leaving its driver yearning for greater grit.
Day-to-day though, the Range Rover spoils its occupants with opulence and luxury befit for royalty, as no doubt we’ve seen on numerous occasions with the Windsors.
Here’s a brief list of some of the technology onboard to ensure the concert hall on wheels makes it to any desired location one should choose to listen: Hill Descent Control, Gradient Release Control, Hill Start Assist, Dynamic Stability Control, Electronic Traction Control and Roll Stability Control.
While “getting there” may be assured by the aforementioned, doing it economically isn’t.
My tester’s information centre dutifully informed me that my average about-town consumption was 17.2L/100km of premium fuel, which is not really that far off its official rating of 16.2L/100km in the city. Regardless, both figures are distressing.
If I chose to drive more bashfully,
I could probably have settled the consumption number closer to the rated figure but that’s not about to happen when the subtle whine of the supercharger is backed by a stampede of 510 horses.
And even if I did succeed in reining them in, at 16.2L/100km there’s no pretending to be an adherent of green behind the wheel of the Range Rover. Don’t even try.
What would I change? More knobs and switchgear, fewer touch-screen inputs, better fuel-economy.
— rgrothwell@telus.net
Overview: The height of luxury, refinement and off-road worthiness
Pros: Exceptionally capable on-road and off-road, ultra luxurious with great visibility
Cons: Expensive, poor fuel economy, not green, complex layers of touch-screen programming
Value for money: fair
What would I change? More knobs and switchgear, fewer touch-screen inputs, better fuel-economy
SPECS
Type of vehicle: 2014 Range Rover Supercharged SUV
Engine: 5.0L V8 Supercharged
Power: 510 hp @ 6,000 rpm; 461 lb-ft of torque @ 2,500
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Brakes: 4-wheel antilock disc
Tires: 275/45/21 All-Terrain
Price: $114,990 base / $126,095 as tested
Natural Resources Canada fuel economy: L/100 km: 16.2 city, 10.4 hwy.
Standard features: Terrain Response full-time 4WD, three-zone climate control
Notable options: Vision Assist Pack $1,760, Front & Rear Comfort Pack $4,150, Meridian Premium Audio $1,850
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