2023 Range Rover Review

Range Rover Pros

• Unmistakably Range Rover styling, yet futuristic at the same time
• Drives just as the flagship Range Rover should. Very luxurious, extremely opulent, and makes you feel special
• Easy to drive around despite the size. Manages to feel compact thanks to the all-wheel steering
• Supreme quality interior in terms of design, materials and feel
• A potent 6-cylinder diesel and plush ride quality make this car a brilliant mile muncher
• The All-Wheel Drive system along with the Terrain Response system is more than capable of getting you out of tricky off-road conditions
• Versatility in terms of seat configurations (3rd-row option available), engine choices (including 8-cylinder petrol & plug-in hybrid) and trims. Highly customisable SV variant also now on offer
• Sheer respect that the big Range gets you everywhere. Pretty much instant celebrity status

Range Rover Cons

• Hugely expensive now. Pricing is in the ~3 crore range
• The waiting period is currently a minimum of 6 months long
• Expect maintenance & upkeep to be very expensive as well. If you have to ask how much it costs to maintain, this is probably not the car for you
• Questionable reliability and after-sales service quality
• Misses out on the absolute tank-like feel of the previous gen car
• Something as basic as TPMS is not offered as standard (it is available as an option)


Check out our reports on the 4th generation Range Rover here - 2012 Range Rover & 2019 Range Rover Vogue LWB

Introduction

From being functional and rugged to being one of the most luxurious SUVs, the Range Rover has come a long way. Now, the Range Rover puts you up in celebrity status instantly and has a fan following of its own. So, when Land Rover was coming up with this fifth-generation Range Rover, the formula was pretty simple. Make sure that the new car does all the things that the previous generation did, only better. What you get is a car that is bigger, better, and of course more expensive too.


In India, the Range Rover is offered in standard and long-wheelbase versions with the option of 7 seats on the long-wheelbase version. There are 5 variants - SE, HSE, Autobiography, First Edition and SV. The First Edition and SV variants are not available with the 7-seat configuration.

Engine options include 3.0-litre, 6-cylinder petrol and diesel engines with a 48V mild-hybrid system. The petrol engine puts out 394 BHP & 550 Nm, while the diesel engine delivers 346 BHP and 700 Nm. There's also a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine (shared with BMW) that churns out 523 BHP and 750 Nm. The same engine is also available with a mild hybrid system that produces 606 BHP and 750 Nm. Then you have the plug-in hybrid variant of the 3.0-litre, 6-cylinder petrol with a combined output of 542 BHP was introduced with the SV variant.

Prices start at Rs 2.39 crore for the 3.0L diesel or petrol SE variants and go as high as Rs 4.17 crore for the 4.4L petrol LWB SV variant. We got to spend some time with the 3.0-litre, 6-cylinder diesel Range Rover Autobiography in and around Mumbai and here are our impressions.

You can download the 2023 Range Rover brochure & detailed price list here: Range Rover Brochure.pdf & Price List.pdf

Up front, the minimalistic styling is what sets the Range Rover apart. You don’t have too many curves and the car looks very plush and upmarket:


In comparison with the previous generation, the rear is very different. The design overall is minimalist and subtle but looks expensive at the same time:


The car is really long, but it’s proportioned so well that it doesn't feel stretched out until you see it parked next to something significantly smaller:


Looks very naturally like a Range Rover as we’ve come to expect from them. The design of the 5th generation model is more of an evolution rather than a revolution when compared to the previous generation:


This is the long wheelbase version, where the wheelbase measures 3,197 mm (the standard version's wheelbase is 2,997 mm). The Range Rover measures 5,252 mm in length, 2,209 mm in width and 1,870 mm in height:



A closer look at the new grille with the ‘Range Rover’ badge on top:


These pixel headlights display a pattern when you switch them on. They’re very powerful and effective on the road. They’re also adaptive and they follow the road ahead using the navigation data:


22-inch are shod with 285/45 section tyres. The comfort levels on this setup are good. While the disc looks small, the braking is powerful:


Vent-like design on the door with the trim badge at the bottom like on the earlier cars. Also, notice the flush door handle:


Walk up to the car and the handle pops out:


Vertical tail lights are encased in a gloss black panel and the LED light is reflected off a surface which is why it's more pleasant to look at. The turn indicators are placed next to the Range Rover lettering:


You get a massive panoramic sunroof:


A look at the suspension height in various modes. There are 2 off-road settings that are selected depending on the speed and terrain response mode:

What a change the interiors are from the previous generation! The cabin feels a lot newer and gets a massive touchscreen in the middle. The quality of materials is very premium and feel great to touch:


A 2-spoke steering wheel with touch control buttons is similar to what we’ve seen on Land Rovers in the recent past. It’s nice to hold and is large in diameter like the previous Range Rovers:


You get a heads-up display that gives a lot of information:


The steering wheel has multimedia controls on the left spoke and switches for the driver assistance features on the right:


Nice detailing on the stalks. They feel solid and nice to use:


13.7-inch high-definition display MID gets various permutations and combinations. There are also off-road and navigation details. The screen may not have as much flexibility in terms of content, but the graphics are top-notch:


A look at the driver's door. Good quality materials all around and everything feels very premium to the touch:


Similar power window buttons as the previous generation, except they’re no more in the signature Land Rover placement on top of the doorpad. They’ve been moved to the armrest area. You get memory functions for seats:


Meridian tweeter is placed on the inside of the door and gets a plastic grille. Looks downmarket. An aluminium trim would’ve looked much better:


Front seats are supremely comfortable and very well supportive. Top quality leather. They seem to be lacking some under-thigh support which is surprising since the previous gen had much better support:


Big ORVMs give a good view of the rear. They’re heated and have anti-glare:


IRVM is a conversation mirror that turns into a camera. JLR trickery, but very useful:


A look at the sunroof. It doesn’t have gesture control:


AC vents are well integrated into the dashboard and have a futuristic design. The hazard lights button gets camouflaged:


You get a 13.1-inch curved touchscreen with Land Rover's Pivi Pro infotainment system. It’s very user-friendly and has a crisp display with no lag. Interestingly, you can choose haptic feedback, where you have to touch and press the options on the screen. It is supposed to reduce the need to look away from the road and use the screen. The head unit is mated to a 35-speaker, 1,680W Meridian Signature Sound System with active noise cancellation. The ANC system monitors wheel vibrations, tyre noise and engine sound transmitted into the cabin and generates a cancelling signal:


A look at some of the options like auto park, stability control and ride height:


Interestingly the 360 camera can be activated at any speed and not just at parking speed:


The physical buttons for AC controls look very basic and not as premium. However, they feel good to use and…


… the knobs have multiple functions. Push the knob in for seat ventilation options and pull for blower speed control:


The cabin has plenty of storage areas that can be covered for a cleaner look. The one below the AC controls has a wireless charging pad and a USB-C charging port as well:


A look at the classy gear lever. Nice and stubby feels good to hold:


You also get a terrain response system in which you can choose from six driving modes. There’s a low-range mode as well:


A couple of well-sized cupholders are below:


You get an upper and a lower glovebox, both of which are quite accommodating:



This is where you would prefer to be. The rear seats are extremely comfortable:


Just like the front, the switches have also been shifted to the armrest area. You get a button to mute the infotainment system so you don't always have to ask the driver to do it. Then you have the sunblind control and two reading light options. You can select the laptop button to let the light focus on the lap or you can select the book reading light option which focuses the light on the area where you would usually hold something to read. You can also choose to lower both rear windows or the one on your side or the one on the other side window by pressing the button above the window switch:


A look at the headrests. They’re perforated because all the seats have speakers built in them for active noise cancellation:


The centre armrest is powered to go up and down:


The centre armrest gets a touchscreen with loads of options for the rear passengers. One good thing is that the recline position is a one-touch operation. In most cars you have to keep the button pressed to recline the seat:


You can press the cup option on the touchscreen and the top part of the armrest extends to reveal the cupholders underneath:


In recline position, you have superb comfort. Over good roads and bad too. You have everything you need. They come with massage and cooling functions too. Legroom is just too good:


Another view from the rear seat. It shows the amount of space here. You can also see the speakers below the screens and the footrest popping out of the front seat:


The screens get HDMI inputs and you can do a lot of things with them:


You get Land Rover badged Bluetooth headphones too:


AC controls may look downmarket and basic but are very nice and premium to feel and use:


The boot opens with a split style like all Range Rovers. The lower part is also powered and not manual as you see in most cars:


You can get some additional boot space by lowering the rear seats:


Nice to see a full-sized spare wheel tucked under the boot floor. Probably going to need one given the 22-inch wheels and low-profile tyres:


Buttons on the side of the boot to raise and lower the height for easier loading and unloading and to fold down the rear seats:


A panel on the floor can be set upright to create a backrest:


As you rest at the tailgate, the Tailgate Event Suite focuses the audio through these rear speakers for a nice experience:

The 3.0-litre diesel engine puts out 346 BHP and 700 Nm of torque. It's mated to 8-speed automatic transmission:


While the 5th generation Range Rover continues with a similar shape to the previous gen on the outside, the inside is a completely different story. Climbing into the driver's seat (literally climbing since this car didn't have electric footsteps), it suddenly feels like you are a couple of generations ahead of the previous model. While it still feels familiar in a way, there are so many touch points that are more modern and sleeker. Looking out of the windshield does feel like a Range Rover in the way one can see the full bonnet and in general the good visibility all around. This really is a very large vehicle! We were driving the D350 engine which is a 346 BHP diesel, there are also other petrol and PHEV options on offer. The top of the line is a BMW-sourced 4.4 V8 with mild hybrid tech producing 606 BHP, which replaces the earlier 5.0 V8 Supercharged.

Upon pressing the start button, the 6-cylinder diesel started into a barely audible hum. I knew instantly the refinement in this Range was going to be a level up. Another thing I instantly noticed was how good to touch pretty much every material was. From the buttons to the leather roof lining, it all had a sense of quality that is somewhat comparable to the competition at the current price point.

Pottering about town, in Mumbai’s infamous traffic, I noticed the Range felt a whole lot more compact to drive than the previous generation. It no longer felt like a mini school bus per se. The humongous size of the Range Rover had shrunk around me making driving it in traffic surprisingly easy. The rear wheel steering is a godsend for the sharp turns and especially U-turns. What may have required a 5-point turn is now done with a 3-point turn.

Another factor that helped the Range Rover feel more agile, was the fact that the base diesel engine (for India at least) no longer felt just adequate. It was somewhat peppy and didn't require much effort to accelerate a bit more to overtake someone or to close a gap. The 6-cylinder diesel also has a mild hybrid system, and I'm sure that helped add a bit of pep in the above situations. With 346 BHP and 700 Nm on tap, if one puts their foot down, the behemoth actually does manage to give the passengers a slight shove into the back of their seats. Out on the open road too, the diesel can be played around with a bit, and it doesn't disappoint. Slowing down and getting back to cruising speed is reasonably easy, and it isn't annoying to try and drive it rather enthusiastically, though I am sure the V8 would be far more fun.

The transmission is the tried and tested ZF8 which doesn't need much to be said about it. JLR has done a decent job with the tuning in this iteration, and it is smooth when it’s supposed to be and also sporty when one demands it. A far cry from the confused jerky transmission tuning done by JLR in the Jaguar XE we drove years ago. Still not up to the wizardry which BMW pulls off with the ZF8.

One of the things which I really liked about the older Range Rover, was the absolute tank-like feel it provided. Especially once the speed picked up it would just swallow any roads presented to it. Unfortunately, my personal opinion is that the feel is now gone with the newer Range Rover. It does have a bit more body movement (feels a bit busier) and does get upset ever so slightly with bad patches. There was also a bit more interior trim noise. I'm certain the ride was somewhat spoiled by the 22" wheels this car was riding on, and with smaller wheels, the ride would certainly improve. Small and medium bumps are taken with absolute ease without a second thought. It continues to be a vehicle one can drive on our terrible roads absolutely without stress. Larger bumps do let a thud into the cabin and are felt, but the suspension still does feel extremely refined. The Range does, on the whole, make for a very relaxing vehicle to drive, helped largely by the compliant suspension. I drove it to Pawna and then to Karjat (on internal roads) before returning to Mumbai, something which I probably wouldn't have the patience to do in any other vehicle. On the smaller town and village roads, the uneven bits of the roads were just eaten up easily though I did have to slow down a bit more than I would have wanted for the rough patches. Even the funny-designed rural speed breakers were taken in a very pliant manner, I have to add. So, while the overall suspension setup is a level up from before, it misses out on the tank-like feeling. Also, one must opt for the 21-inch wheels if there is a bit of driving on slightly more rural roads, while the 22-inch wheels are fine for the more blingy look if the usage is mainly inside the city.

The handling is well-controlled, and one can hustle the big Range along like it’s no one’s business. Thanks to all the chassis trickery, and the rear wheel steering it is quite easy to cover ground very quickly in this. The handling is very neutral, and the steering feel is accurate. Body roll too is well-controlled relative to the size and height of the vehicle. Unlike the previous Range Rover we tested, I didn't manage to take this even remotely off-road. The 22" wheels had me worried, and I didn't want to end up in the middle of nowhere with a cut sidewall. I did take it on some dirt trails and played around a little on rough roads, and it handled them with aplomb. Though considering the Range Rover is very similar to the Defender in terms of off-road equipment I think it will be very capable to those who dare to take this 3.5 crore+ vehicle off-road.

Thanks Akshay for a great review. I got to see the 2023 Range Rover Autobiography up close when I went to the RR service center recently. It is plush. No doubt about it. This is a car one feels the luxury in every material choice and the tech upgrades augment the same.

The design is very simplistic and yet luxurious with it's minimalistic approach.
I could spend hours appreciating every line in the design.

On the road though, it is very difficult to Distinguish this and the previous gen model. It's only the Faux grill on the door and the rear that differentiate.

Nevertheless, this is the car I will replace my 2019 RRS with in 5 yrs from now.

Note: Now I've gone borderline Fanboy.

Very crisp review of a legendary car. The rear indicators are in the openable hatch and moves up with the hatch in the open position.



In case of spare tire access or luggage access in the road how do you warn other motorists? To the reviewers, in the above quoted image, did it cause any inconvenience with respect to blinkers. Do the rear lights act as blinker when rear hatch is open?

The last gen had a sensible design for the rear indicators, wonder why it moved on to hatch for new gen:


link (Range Rover (4th Generation) : Driven)

This is truly meant for the loaded ones, anything you like is an option that costs a lot of money, the level of customisation is exceptional.

The diesel/petrol is an inline six not a v6, this is from JLR's Ingenium range.

Crisp Review! I thought they discontinued the V8 Diesel engine? Its only being offered with a V6 in India presently I believe. Previously they only launched the V8 engines I think & later on the V6 engines were introduced in India.

The only V8 is the petrol BMW one, the rest of the lineup is I6, the V6 is also dropped.

Decent review. May I ask how many ways the seats can be adjusted? The levers seem like the basic 8 way adjust rather than the 16-32 way adjustable seats found in this segment.

Sure head turner! Probably has the best exterior styling in its class.
For that matter, I feel the brand has one of the best styling in every class it competes!

Not much point in comparing performance or reliability with German competitors. These are bought primarily for making a statement. Comfort/utility could be other important areas for potential owners and this vehicle does well in that compartment.

Just asking out of curiosity, between this car and Maybach Gls, which is more opulant and better engineered? Compared to the Maybach Gls, RR looks overpriced to me.

Me too, though call me crazy, I find the previous gen has a bit more character. I would pick this any day of the week though.

Very pertinent question. Let me try and find out on this.

Thanks for that correction.

This is the 6 cylinder, and it packs quite a punch. The only V8 is the 4.4 BMW sourced one, which seems to be flying off the shelves from what I see.

The rest of the functions can be called up on the screen and adjusted, things like shoulder support, thigh support, bolsters, etc.

These would be direct competitors. Infact the pricing is similar if I'm not wrong. The RR will probably grab more attention with its massive size, while the GLS Maybach will only be noticed by those who know what it is. The rest will think its a regular 1.4cr GLS.

So many nice features to make the drive more enjoyable. Irony is none of these cars will be driven by owners and all these features are enjoyed by a chauffeur