2017 Range Rover Supercharged
Land Rover has been on a quest to fill every nook and cranny in the premium-SUV segment. A far cry from the brand’s single-purpose early years, covering all bases is simply how business is done these days in the upper reaches of the luxury-SUV stratosphere. Currently, there are no fewer than 10 different ways for a buyer to get his or her premium Range Rover SUV on, starting with the short-wheelbase V-6 and peaking with the long-wheelbase SVAutobiography; the Range Rover Supercharged SWB tested here lands right in the middle. (To be clear, we’re talking strictly full-size Range Rover models—this thinly sliced group of 10 does not include the Range Rover Sport, Velar, or Evoque models.)
Familiar Interior, Muscled Motor
It was first introduced for the 2013 model year, and today’s fourth-gen Rangie still displays all the traditional characteristics that define the model: You sit high, the windowsills are low, visibility is excellent, and there is a palpable sense that at least a few of the ivory- and espresso-hued interior surfaces were designed using a tailor’s chalk and tape rather than a computer. Four ride in spacious comfort, and folding up the plush center armrest in the second row increases the body count to five. Just know that it can get tight back there, so plan your seating chart accordingly. Newbies to the brand accustomed to the flaccid seating of less exclusive full-size SUVs might be a little put off by the firm padding beneath the Range Rover’s buttery-smooth leather hides, but rest assured our collective derrières remained unbruised even after hours in the saddle.
Interior appointments aside, it’s the supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 under the hood that is of specific interest. Rated at 510 horsepower and 461 lb-ft of torque, it’s the same unit that motivates the Range Rover Sport Supercharged. Only the top-drawer Range Rover SVAutobiography models pack more punch, extracting an additional 40 ponies and 41 lb-ft from a tuned version of essentially the same engine.
Mashing the accelerator elicits an instantaneous response, and the ZF-supplied eight-speed automatic rifles through the gears obediently; catch it flat-footed, however, and it’ll sometimes give a harsh downshift. Hustling the big fella to 60 mph requires just 4.8 seconds, and the quarter-mile mark arrives in 13.2. Those are impressive numbers for any 5419-pound vehicle, let alone one that boasts 11.6 inches of ground clearance and an ability to wade through water as deep as 35.4 inches. As a testament to how far things have progressed, consider also that a 1987 Range Rover required the same 13.2 seconds to saunter to 60 mph, never mind the quarter-mile. We were happily surprised at the 20 mpg the hefty Range Rover Supercharged delivered in our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test (beating the EPA’s 19-mpg estimate), but our 13-mpg overall figure was 3 mpg shy of the feds’ best guess.
Swift Competition
If for some improbable reason you still need more thrust, you have but a few off-the-shelf full-size luxury SUV options: Pony up another 70 grand or so for the 550-hp Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic, or cross the street and take a look at the similarly priced Mercedes-AMG GLS63, which completed the quarter-mile run in an even quicker 12.8 seconds. The Porsche Cayenne Turbo S and BMW X5 M are outliers here, two unabashedly sporting vehicles that better the Range Rover in nearly every on-road performance metric but come from an entirely different place both spiritually and aesthetically. Sharp-penciled SUV shoppers unconcerned about giving up a little cachet at the club and a second or two at the drag strip can save more than $30K by checking out the GMC Yukon Denali with the 6.2-liter V-8; it posted a 14.3-second quarter-mile in our testing.
Making a big box accelerate, however, is simple compared to making it stop. Braking from 70 mph requires 186 feet—is this a bad time to mention that the GLS63 did it in 166? Poor pedal feel does little to help the Range Rover’s braking situation, as the force applied was rarely commensurate with stopping distance. The electrically assisted power steering at least offers linear response, but if you’re looking for stimulating discussion about the tire/road relationship, you’ll be disappointed. Pushed on our 300-foot skidpad, the 21-inch Goodyear Eagle F1 SUV tires managed to hang on for 0.77 g before the stability control intervened. While no match for the 0.91 g posted by the GLS63, the Range Rover does resist the urge to lean in the corners like a broken bar stool thanks to Land Rover’s Dynamic Response suspension setup. By manipulating the pressure in the air springs, it helps both vehicle and passengers stay on an even keel, and it also adapts damping to the conditions at hand. Potholes and pavement imperfections are dispatched with a surprisingly taut thud and never devolve to a level of immaturity unbecoming of a $100K vehicle.
The Price of Prestige
Our test example’s run through the land of options kicked off with its understated Aruba exterior finish for $1800 that was accented by a black contrast roof for another $650; the Black Design package (black exterior trim and badging) added a cool $2100 and triggered the additional $1400 upgrade to 21-inch gloss-black wheels. The Drive Pro package (blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, a driver-drowsiness monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, automated emergency braking, and traffic-sign recognition with speed limiter) added $2450, and the Vision Assist package (surround-view camera system, adaptive xenon headlamps with automatic high-beams, and configurable interior lighting) was $2300. Other options included an upgraded Meridian 825-watt stereo with a subwoofer for $1850, a $1300 head-up display, a 360-degree parking aid for $275, park assist for $925, and a $1300 tow package (receiver, wiring harness, full-size spare, locking rear differential). Land Rover recommends pairing the tow package with the $400 Advanced Tow Assist, a system that lets you steer while backing up a trailer via the Terrain Response knob on the center console while being guided by prompts on the screen. At $121,640, the MSRP of our test example falls right in line with the bulk of the high-performance luxury-SUV subset.
As it turns out, occupying the middle spot in the lineup is a pretty sweet deal. The supercharged V-8 offers a surfeit of thrust, and its as-tested price (add $5000 if you want the rear legroom of the long-wheelbase model) saves you $50K—give or take the cost of a pair of hand-tooled riding boots—over the $171,990 base MSRP of the SVAutobiography Dynamic (available only with the short wheelbase), not to mention the $200,945 ask for the range-topping SVAutobiography (long-wheelbase only). While that extra cash does bring additional output, revised suspension tuning, even more luxurious equipment, and numerous cosmetic tweaks, the “basic” Range Rover Supercharged gives up little in stately Anglophile appeal or off-road utility. If you have the means, it’s a swell way to travel.
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