Road Test - Range Rover 4.4 V8 Diesel Autobiography

Author: Ian Strachan

If you’re going to join the exclusive Range Rover club you might as well do it in style. There are cheaper Range Rovers, but the Autobiography is £80,000-worth of unabashed luxury.

And with the addition of Land Rover's superb 4.4 litre V8 diesel engine, it can be more economical to run than you think.

The Range Rover is moving unashamedly upmarket, leaving room beneath it for the Discovery and the Range Rover Sport. The Autobiography comes fully loaded with every extra you could dream of.

The first thing you notice about any Range Rover is just how big it is. This luxury 4x4 is huge, sitting high off the ground to give it the ground clearance it needs for maximum off-road capability as well as the ability to ford streams.

It has the ultimate in capability off road but is still very well behaved on road. I drove it across some Devon mud and it didn't put a foot wrong. It was also superb on wet grass - a surface that finds lesser 4x4s wanting.

The Range Rover can go from tarmac to mud without the driver having to do anything other than choose the terrain setting on a simple control. The vehicle's electronics work out the rest, including ride height, engine torque, traction and hill descent control. 

The gutsy 4.4 litre V8 turbo diesel engine has plenty of raw power without making a fuss about it. In fact it's quieter than many smaller engines. This unit has plenty of power, delivering thrust throughout the range without ever feeling reluctant to propel this big car. It's quiet and smooth running. The eight (yes, eight) speed automatic gearbox is exceptionally flexible. It's also surprisingly frugal - this is a big unit - delivering a creditable 30.1 mpg in mixed driving.

Handling is stable and predictable, with no suspension wallow, and flat cornering. On road its manners are impeccable and it's a great motorway cruiser. Steering is light but precise.

Specification on the Autobiography is top drawer and includes stylish leather upholstery, cruise control, satellite navigation, electric front seats, four-zone climate control, park assist with rear camera, centre console cooler box, steering wheel-mounted paddle shift and attractive spoked alloys. It also has a clever central screen which allows the passenger to watch TV while the driver concentrates on the satellite navigation.

My test car came with the options of tyre pressure monitor (£405) an up-rated in-car entertainment system with custom iPod connection and 19 speakers (£1330), and a twin-screen DVD player with the screens in the backs of the front headrests (£2,450)

The Range Rover Sport doesn't come cheap. The model I tested, with the extras, will cost you £83,145. But it's a Range Rover and whatever anyone tells you, there's nothing quite like it.

Road test by Ian Strachan Communications Ltd

Ian Strachan is a motoring and business writer and PR consultant. He can be contacted on 01543 490932 or 07949 202596 or via email: ian@strachan13.freeserv