Two more reviews today, a double header of Range Rovers... I was going to post one of these last night but following that utter drivel of a game at Brighton, I couldn't arsed.
So today's vehicles are a 69-plate Range Rover Vogue and a 20-plate Range Rover Sport.
Two similar Range Rovers, the Vogue is a more upmarket model of the Sport. Both these cars were diesels and both offer a smooth, comfortable drive with plenty of horses under the bonnet should the need arise for long-range, high speed cruising or the need for acceleration.
Around town or in stop-start traffic, Range Rovers are not particularly sparkling on fuel consumption but, that's hardly surprising as the vehicles are big and heavy-duty SUVs. On the motorway, they come into their own with cruising at 70mph barely using 1400-1500rpm and affording a respectable fuel consumption of 40+, again a decent return for a big, heavy vehicle.
A massive positive about the Range Rover is that being sat up above the majority of other cars, the field of vision is excellent and with comfortable seats, the car makes long distance driving feel so much easier, it's like driving your armchair.
On the Vogue, the gear knob arises from the centre console when the ignition is turned on, and you simply twist it to D or R to drive or reverse; the Sport has a conventional gear lever.
Electric seats offer excellent leg room in both cars, the Vogue also has lumbar control so you can, in effect, give your back something of a massage whilst driving.
Steering, suspension and brakes are all excellent, the sat nav works extremely well and you can alter the display between 2D (birds-eye view) or 3D, and can show compass directions or remaining journey details on a split screen.
DAB Radio is standard so there's a myriad of channels to select your driving entertainment from, as well as a couple of USB ports under the central armrest to charge your phone from or add a flash drive.
Boot space in both cars is excellent with the spare wheel, tools and locking wheelnut under the boot floor panel.
Other than the up front cost of a new Range Rover - which is pretty steep - the only thing I wish they'd improve would be the wiper arms and blades, they look a bit thin and almost an afterthought compared to those on other manufacturers equivalents to the Range Rover.
In terms of long-term reliability, and a serious thing to consider if buying second-hand, is that all the LandRover/Range Rover vehicles have a disappointing reputation for developing electrical problems from 5-6 years old and onwards. I can't honestly attest to this as all the LR/RR models I've driven (and it's lots) have all been under three years old.
My marks out of ten...
Comfort 8
Fuel Economy 6
Performance 8
Reliability 8
Practicality 8