LIKES
- Unmatched elegance
- So many customization options
- Massive lineup
- Supple ride
- Terrific engine lineup
DISLIKES
- Luxury doesn’t come cheap
- Infotainment system can frustrate
- Some versions are massively thirsty
- A few features ought to be standard at six figures
BUYING TIP
The 2021 Range Rover is a true flagship—not just for its maker, but for SUVs in general.
What kind of vehicle is the 2021 Land Rover Range Rover? What does it compare to?
Perched at the top of the SUV mountain, the 2021 Land Rover Range Rover is an ultra-luxurious SUV. Compare it to the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class, BMW X7, and Cadillac Escalade.
Is the 2021 Land Rover Range Rover a good car/SUV?
The Range Rover lineup celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, though it has only been in the U.S. for a little over 30 years. In that time, the big Rover has only been reworked four times, and the current model is just starting to show its age. Still, this is a fine, full-feature SUV that coddles in ways rivals still haven’t figured out, and its capability is nearly unmatched.
We rate the big Range Rover at 7.8 out of 10.
What's new for the 2021 Land Rover Range Rover?
The Range Rover comes in two versions, the longer of which adds nearly eight more inches of rear leg room. Last redesigned for the 2013 model year, the look has become somewhat familiar, but it’s still stoic and elegant outside, and full of tech and luxury inside.
Short-wheelbase versions can be had with turbocharged inline-6 engines that put out between 355 and 395 hp, depending on the trim, a surprisingly frugal turbodiesel V-6 rated as high as 24 mpg combined, or even in plug-in hybrid form with a turbo-4 linked to an electric motor and a battery good for nearly 20 miles of electric-only driving.
Optional on short-wheelbase Rovers and standard on long-wheelbase versions is a 5.0-liter V-8 that puts out between 518 and 557 hp, enough to drop the 60-mph sprint to a hair over five seconds.
No matter what’s underhood, look for an 8-speed automatic transmission plus a proper two-speed transfer case and plenty of off-road goodies that give this luxurious ride serious capability unlikely to be explored by most owners. Hey, it’s there!
Even base Range Rovers are plenty plush inside, while high-zoot Autobiography versions are among the most opulent cars on the road today.
The Range Rover comes standard with automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, and active lane control, though adaptive cruise control is optional and rivals deliver more advanced driver-assistance systems.
How much does the 2021 Land Rover Range Rover cost?
Land Rover offers a staggering array of optional equipment, and we recommend adding the Drive Pro Pack with its adaptive cruise control and the Park Pack with its useful surround-view camera system, at the very least.
Where is the 2021 Land Rover Range Rover made?
In England.
Styling
The stately Range Rover will be mistaken for nothing else.
Is the 2021 Land Rover Range Rover a good-looking car?
The Range Rover hasn’t changed much since 2013, but it remains a beautifully-detailed SUV both inside and out. We award it 9 out of 10, with a few more of those points going to its lavish interior.
Styling cues from the 1970 original abound, including the tall greenhouse and slab sides. Land Rover offers a huge palette of interior colors, many of which cost as much as a British Airways business class ticket to England should you wish to watch your new SUV being sprayed, so spend your money wisely.
Inside, the basic design isn’t as impressive as the materials and attention to detail. Land Rover has hidden most switches and integrated them into one of two touchscreens, which do take some acclimation to sort through. Like the exterior, interior choices can take some time to select—especially on higher-end versions. Don’t settle.
Performance
Quick in any form, the Range Rover is perhaps most impressive for its ability to balance on-road comfort with off-road supremacy.
Is the Land Rover Range Rover 4WD?
Of course! Every Range Rover is ready to tackle a serious trail, and various option packages add even more ability like a locking rear differential. Go easy on the big wheels should you plan to use yours off-road, however, as those short sidewalls are like magnets for rocks.
How fast is the Land Rover Range Rover?
Short-wheelbase models offer every engine, from turbo-6s with plenty of power in any situation to a turbodiesel V-6 that is quiet, quick, and quite frugal. The gasoline 6-cylinders use mild-hybrid tech to deliver a little extra punch and to slurp down a little less fuel.
The oddball in the lineup is the gasoline-electric hybrid, which pairs a 2.0-liter turbo-4 to a 114-hp electric motor and a 13.1-kwh lithium-ion battery. Total output of 398 hp is plenty, but we’ve found the hybrid engine to be lacking in refinement. Its best feature is its 19-mile electric-only range, a worthy option for drivers with a relatively short commute.
Range Rovers have had V-8s underhood since the beginning, so we can’t blame you for picking between one of the two 5.0-liter V-8 tunes: 518 hp or 557 hp in megabuck SVAutobiography trim. This strong V-8 is a charmer, even as it slurps down fuel like it’s 1995.
No matter the engine, a slick 8-speed automatic transmission shifts power to all four corners.
Underneath, the height-adjustable air suspension squashes molehills and mountains for a ride just the right side of plush, even with bigger wheels that have shorter sidewalls. The air suspension helps endow the Range Rover with gravity-defying handling. Pushed hard into a corner, this big SUV leans over just enough to remind you that it can weigh 6,000 pounds in high-zoot trims. Steering feel is good for a big SUV.
SVAutobiography Dynamic versions handle even better. These SUVs aren’t fun in a conventional sense, but there’s something smile-inducing about hustling a massive ‘ute down a winding road and feeling more confident with every bend.
Comfort & Quality
Opulent, well-wrought, and spacious. The Range Rover wants for nothing inside.
Six figures should of course buy you a fine SUV, but there are few nicer inside than the Range Rover.
Even those Rovers theoretically available for under $100,000—which will probably need to be special-ordered—are nice enough to earn a perfect 10 on the TCC scale for comfort and quality.
Short-wheelbase versions have plenty of space for everyone, while long-wheelbase versions add a smidge over seven inches of rear-seat leg room for true stretch-out space.
Cargo space is surprisingly modest, owing to the heft of the rear bench. Standard versions have a so-so 31.5 cubic feet behind row two, while Executive models slice about seven cubes from that. Fold the rear seats in long-wheelbase Rovers, though, and you’ll find 75 cubic feet of room.
Materials are opulent to begin with and get even better the more you spend. Just allocate some time to sort through the numerous trim finishes Land Rover offers on its most luxurious model.
Safety
The 2021 Land Rover Range Rover hasn’t been crash-tested.
How safe is the Land Rover Range Rover?
If its curb weight—figure 5,000 pounds with a tank of fuel for even the fleetest of foot version—is anything to go by, the 2021 Range Rover should hold up well in a crash.
Still, it hasn’t been tested by the IIHS or the NHTSA, so we can’t assign a score here.
Features
Though hardly a bargain, the 2021 Land Rover Range Rover is plush in every form.
Thew 2021 Land Rover Range Rover comes well-equipped from the start and offers a staggering array of options, though its infotainment system and dual-screen displays can frustrate. We rate it at 8 out of 10.
Which Land Rover Range Rover should I buy?
Most buyers will be well-served by the shorter wheelbase, and even then the mid-level HSE with a few options should do everything needed.
How much is a fully loaded 2021 Land Rover Range Rover?
You may want to be sitting down when your dealer hands you the bill for a fully-loaded SVAutobiography. After paying $23,500 (yes, really) for special paint (it is very pretty), $4,500 for quilted leather seats (they are quite comfortable), $1,225 for especially exotic woods (it would be a travesty not to), a few hundred bucks for wade sensors (for off-roading, because you never know), another $11,350 for arena-like seats that attach to the tailgate (we wouldn’t want to sit anywhere else), and a few other niceties, you’ll be looking at a nearly $260,000 SUV.
The Range Rover has a 4-year, 50,000-mile warranty. Jaguars include free maintenance, though, and the Rover misses out on an extra point here.
Fuel Economy
The big Range Rover is hardly thrifty, though some versions are somewhat frugal.
Is the 2021 Land Rover Range Rover good on gas?
Generally speaking, no, the 2021 Range Rover is not a green choice—even painted in extra-cost British Racing Green.
We score the line at 3 out of 10 overall, basing that number of figures for the inline-6 rated by the EPA at 18 mpg city, 23 highway, 20 combined.
The V-8s are guzzlers. Expect as low as 13/19/15 mpg for the SVAutobiography in long-wheelbase form.
Premium fuel is, of course, required.
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