Range Rover Vogue Review: Real Estate

What we like:

Majestic road presence

straight line speed

go anywhere off-road capability

excellent ride

opulent interior

What we dislike:

Thirsty

costs more than our average home

relatively ponderous on road handling dynamics

Climb onboard the Range Rover and you'll be greeted by luxury and opulence that only a British marque can offer. The interior is lined with the finest wood and leather throughout. The last major update in 2010 saw several key changes and improvements to the cabin including the introduction of the Jaguar XJ's generously sized TFT screen for its main instruments. Also sourced from the XJ is the comprehensive infotainment system with an 8-inch Dual View screen which means passengers can watch TV or DVD on the screen without distracting the driver thanks to some clever display technology, an internal hard disk to store music and videos, TV reception, sat nav and so on. While diesel models get Jaguar's rotary gear selector, the petrol models retain the traditional gear lever selector. This could be due to the fact that the diesel variant uses a newer eight-speed automatic gearbox while the petrol models retain the six-speed unit.

The cabin ergonomics are spot on - the view out of the driver's seat is nothing short of commanding and it really gives one a bird's eye view of the road and terrain ahead. The terrain conditions immediately surrounding the car can further be scrutinized by the Surround Camera system which features cameras on all corners of the car to inform the driver of the terrain conditions immediately surrounding the car via the images relayed back to the display screen on the dashboard. In traditional Land Rover/Range Rover fashion, the myriad of switches and knobs are logically placed and are big and chunky for ease of use.

Those who often sit in the rear will enjoy generous amounts of head and legroom and adjust the four-zone climate control to their liking. In addition, a rear entertainment system with a LCD screen on each of the rear of the front head restraints as well as electrically reclining and adjustable rear seats can be specified as optional extras. In true Range Rover fashion, the boot is accessed via a split tailgate design. Due to its relatively tall ride height, the boot floor is a tad high for easy loading and unloading of bigger items. Smaller items though can be accessed by just opening the upper tailgate.

With a sticker price of almost half a million dollars, the Range Rover Vogue costs more than its closest rival, the Mercedes-Benz GL class. The latter though, can't match the Rangie's luxury, opulence, off road capability, superb ride and performance. In fact, there isn't any other luxury SUV out there that has the all-round capability the Rangie can offer while delivering unparalleled British charm and intimidating road presence, thus making the Range Rover Vogue in a class of its own.

Credits: Story and photos by Raymond Lai