From Mansions to Mountains

(And All Points in Between)

A Rendezvous With an Old Friend, Twenty Five Years On

Photograph: Copyright © 2004, Eddie Wren

Introduction

My earliest involvement with Range Rovers was many years ago, during my initial years as a traffic patrol police officer, in the Cumbria Constabulary, northern England, in the late 1970's.

The primary purpose for the Constabulary having two Range Rovers, based at the county police headquarters in Penrith, was their ability to cope with the very deep snow that in most winters besets the section of the main A66 trunk road where it crosses the Pennine mountain chain -- the main road link between the far north west of England and the more industrialised north east coast.

They were also used for motorway patrol duties, where even when fully laden with police equipment they were by no means sluggish. And in addition they were used for driver training -- not only for off-road use, which was a very dramatic and impressive course, but also for some of the high speed, public road training, and more specifically in the context of safely handling such relatively tall vehicles in a variety of emergency scenarios.

Since that time the outward appearance of the vehicle has remained much the same but I can safely say that its basic shape is the only thing that has not altered, over the years. Everything else about it is dramatically improved from origins that were already very good. Even its off-road capabilities, which always were remarkable, are even better now, thus maintaining its status as a superb, all-terrain workhorse.

Appearance

Drivability

Controls

At the opposite extreme, if one uses the full range of this vehicle's capabilities and takes it off road, over rough terrain, the air suspension can be extended, thus lifting the underside higher and giving greater ground clearance.

In the photograph, above, controls may be seen on the steering wheel -- not an uncommon feature these days. But apart from the fact that one has fingertip mastery of the cruise control and the audio system, the two curved silver lines, that are positioned either side of the central steering wheel boss, are worthy of mention. They are the two horn buttons and are easily reached with one's thumb no matter what position the wheel is in. It is a much-overlooked fact that even though many vehicles have horn buttons which, when used, necessitate that a driver takes one hand off the rim of the wheel, the only time we generally use a horn is in an urgent situation where the last thing one wants is to have a hand off the wheel!  Is this a trivial issue? In safety terms, no it is certainly not. And the horn buttons on the Ranger Rover are not only long, for versatility, but also very reachable.

One other very useful feature involves the ease of parking. Not only does it have parking sensors at the back of the vehicle, to warn you audibly if you are getting to close to another object when backing/reversing, but it has them at the front, too. Having them at the front, as well as at the back, is much more helpful than it initially might seem, because nobody can see over the end of a large hood/bonnet. It is a pleasing, additional facility that makes one wonder why front sensors aren't fitted to all large vehicles. 

Seating/Spaciousness/Comfort

And if ever you need to go properly off-road in a Range Rover, fear not! It is extremely accomplished, even in rough terrain where some other SUVs simply could not go, and people in a Range Rover get to take the equivalent of their favorite, comfy armchairs, too!

The harman/cardon, 570-watt, 15-speaker audio system was delightful. In my own case, the temptation was to pull up alongside one of those objectionable youths who insist on playing their rap music, or whatever, at full volume with their car windows down, so that I could give them some payback with a blast of Bizet's "L' Arlésienne", or "1812", or something of that ilk. 

As for the harman/cardon itself, I can add that it performed with great panache from Schubert, through Styx, to Shania.

Exterior Lights

Land Rover -- the company that makes Range Rover cars -- have seemingly come up with a compromise for the American market, even though no such compromise should be necessary. The matched pair of rear fog lights on the HSE are brighter than ordinary rear lights but not as bright as its brake lights. Despite the power limitation, this is undeniably an additional safety factor, albeit not as good as having the much more powerful European-standard units fitted.

The only lights on the Range Rover that are yellow (referred to as 'amber' or 'orange' outside America) are the indicators. The front parking lights (side lights) are white, and as stated the rear indicators are yellow, not red. For safety, this is the best combination as it is unwise to have lights with different purposes that share the same color.

The HSE also has a full complement of courtesy lighting, such as down-lighters under each exterior mirror, plus headlights and reversing lights that remain on after you leave the car at night, in order to help illuminate your walk to the house or wherever.

View Out

The high seating position, albeit typical of SUVs, does give a very commanding view (though, of course, this advantage must always be balanced against the fact that the effect of this extra height on the center of gravity of such vehicles inevitably does increase their propensity to roll over in an emergency situation).

The view forwards and to the sides is understandably excellent, but the necessary size of the roof pillars does mean that it is essential at many intersections/junctions to lean forwards or backwards until one can be sure that no oncoming motorcyclist or other road user is hidden from view by either an 'A' or a 'B' pillar.

In addition, the necessarily substantial size of the B-pillars means that a driver understandably does not have a particularly good view if casually glancing back over the shoulder. As in other vehicles, though, this may be easily remedied -- as above -- simply by leaning a little until a safe view is obtained.

Also in keeping with all of the larger SUVs, the view via the interior mirror is not extensive but the exterior mirrors do a very acceptable job and should feature highly in a driver's regular mirror checks. Indeed, the passenger-side exterior mirror has a very useful extra facility: whenever reverse is selected, the mirror automatically tilts downwards to allow the driver to see the ground on that side, immediately behind the vehicle. This allows great accuracy when reversing into a tight space or simply makes it much easier to line the vehicle up with the curb (kerb!). Like some of the other additional features on the Range Rover, this facility can be disabled if the driver so wishes.

Safety Aspects

The Range Rover HSE comes with front, dual threshold airbags; side (torso) airbags for the front seat occupants; and -- crucially -- side (head protection) airbags not only for the front seats but also for the two 'outboard' rear seat passengers, to help protect the occupants in the event that the vehicle should roll over. Over 10,000 people are killed in rollover crashes in the USA each year and it is widely known that the two types of vehicle that are most prone to rolling are pick-up trucks and SUVs. The two vital defenses to help protect against serious injury or death from head injuries in these circumstances are seat belts and 'head' airbags. And as it says above, the Range Rover has them.

Cornering Brake Control (CBC) is designed to keep the vehicle tracking accurately through a curve even during a heavy application of the brakes. Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) applies full anti-lock braking when needed, to help bring a Range Rover to a secure stop. And the all-terrain Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) detects the onset of a cornering-induced skid and applies individual brakes while reducing the throttle, in order to help prevent loss of control.

For serious off-road enthusiasts or wilderness workers, one of the specialized features is Hill Descent Control (HDC) which operates in conjunction with the anti-lock braking system to provide greater control in off-road situations, particularly when descending severe gradients.

Usability

Load Carrying and Towing

Technical Specifications

Pro's

• It undeniably fits the maker's rhetorical question & claim: "If I had to have just one vehicle, what would it be?"

• Good safety features

• Excellent towing and off-road capabilities

• Very much a "comfort zone"

• Rear fog lights... Okay, so they have had to be subdued down to permissible yet inadequate U.S. standards but would still help somewhat in fog of falling snow.

Con's

• Expect a fairly hefty monthly bill for fuel

• The unusually designed, driver's cup holder is flimsy. Surely some metal could have been incorporated to add strength? 

Prices

U.S. prices start from $73,750

A wider choice of Range Rover models (SE, HSE, and Vogue) is available in the UK, where the base price (SE) is £45,995

Conclusion

The Range Rover truly is one of the most versatile vehicles available today -- quite possibly the most versatile. It is most definitely an upscale (UK: 'upmarket') vehicle and commands an appropriate price. Owning one is not for the financially faint-hearted, but this is an excellent vehicle and in our opinion it is certainly worth the price.

     Would I have one?....... Oh, yes......   That -- as Americans say -- is a given!

Land Rover worldwide home page (including Range Rover)

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