2016 Land Rover Range Rover review – Roadshow

The Good The Range Rover’s new diesel engine delivers incredible range and torque for a reasonable $2,000 premium, while its standard air suspension system yields a comfortable ride and competent handling. The interior is beautifully trimmed.

The Bad Slow infotainment interface response to input, lack of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility and false alarms from its precollision warning system signal the need for some tech improvements. There’s also slightly more diesel clatter from the engine than some competitors under light throttle.

The Bottom Line Land Rover’s big luxury SUV icon is at its best with this Td6 diesel engine under the hood.

With nearly 100 miles on the trip odometer, the fuel gauge on the big Land Rover Range Rover HSE Td6’s TFT display hasn’t really budged. I wonder aloud to myself if there’s a problem. Maybe a bad sensor or some other electrical glitch? Given the checkered history of British vehicle electronics, a faulty gauge isn’t out of the realm of possibility, right? Turns out, the gauge did work and began to drop — slowly.

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Diesel heart

Under the Range Rover’s clamshell hood sits a new Td6 3.0-liter turbo diesel V-6 engine, which explains this leather-lined behemoth’s fuel-sipping tendencies. Rolling out a new diesel power plant in the aftermath of the Volkswagen Dieselgate scandal certainly seems less than ideal, but Land Rover is confident its engine meets emission standards thanks in part to its urea-injection system. In any case, it’s hard to deny the merits that diesel power brings to this 4,900-pound vehicle (and its slightly smaller Range Rover Sport sibling).

What merits? There’s the fuel economy I already alluded to, with 22 miles-per-gallon city and 29 mpg highway EPA ratings. Those numbers are a significant improvement over the base supercharged V-6 gas engine’s 17 mpg city and 23 mpg highway figures. Plus, Land Rover says the Td6 gives the Range Rover up to 658 miles of bladder-busting cruising range. Then there’s the 443 pound-feet of delicious torque, which dwarfs the gas engine’s 332 pound-feet to shoot this SUV out of the hole with ease, getting it to 60 mph in just 7.4 seconds. Land Rover’s claim is certainly a believable one, because even at half throttle, this thing gets moving in a hurry, with its ZF eight-speed automatic transmission smoothly working through the gears.

Land Rover’s new diesel engine makes its big Range Rover not only quick, but efficient.

Jon Wong/Roadshow

As for trade-offs, the Td6 can still sound like a diesel engine at light throttle and lower speeds, with more noticeable clatter than Mercedes-Benz’s diesel engine in its GLS350d, yet overall refinement is very good. Of course, urea injection also means adding diesel exhaust fluid to the system every 10,000 miles. It’s not difficult, but it is another cost and general-maintenance procedure to keep in mind. Then there’s the upfront cost of upgrading your Range Rover HSE from the base gas engine to the diesel, which runs an additional $2,000.

A non-diesel-related beef I have with the Range Rover is that its stop/start system is very aggressive, killing the engine almost immediately upon coming to a stop. That’s ideal for efficiency, but its haste can be problematic in brief-pause situations, like in a left-turn-lane queue, or at some stop-sign intersections. Thankfully, it can be turned off with the press of a button on the center console, but it always kicks back on at every startup.

Capable everywhere

Being a Land Rover, the Range Rover HSE Td6 has the equipment to be a serious off-road runner, with four-wheel drive, a Terrain Response System that adjusts transmission, air suspension and traction settings for the best drivability in various conditions like mud, sand and snow, good approach angles and clearance, deep wading depth capabilities and hill descent control. However, like the majority of people plunking down $100K for a full-size luxury SUV, I didn’t really have the occasion to venture off paved roads on this test.

Instead, my adventures were in the city on lots of broken roads, and out on expressways where the Range Rover effortlessly covers the miles. Its air suspension system provides the damping needed to take the edge off of large rut and pothole impacts. It feels like it’s gliding down the road, even on the large 20-inch wheels, and it stays confident and quiet at highway speeds. Through corners taken at speed, the Rover not surprisingly feels top-heavy with some body roll, but it’s not overly sloppy. In fact, with this generation’s substantial weight loss thanks to the use of aluminum for the entire unibody structure and various body panels, it handles quite well considering its size and high center of gravity.

The Range Rover HSE Td6’s beautifully trimmed interior.

Jon Wong/Roadshow

The Range Rover is a very pleasant vehicle to drive on a daily basis, being potent, comfortable and easy to handle, thanks to steering that’s lightly weighted and responsive. Brakes are also stout enough to confidently scrub off higher speeds, and they’re matched to a nicely firm pedal feel. The Range Rover never feels like a lumbering, overweight oaf, even though its dimensions might suggest otherwise.

The Range Rover’s sheer size has advantages, too. You can carry passengers in supreme comfort thanks to spacious confines both front and back, and those in the rear can enjoy the optional entertainment system. The driver is treated to a commanding view of the road thanks to a high seating position. And it’s possible to carry lots of stuff in the nicely appointed cargo area — 32.1 cubic feet of stuff to be exact. If you fold the rear seats down, cargo-carrying capability grows to 82.8 cubic feet, enough to easily swallow huge shopping runs or gobs of outdoor gear.