2018 Land Rover Range Rover

The 2018 Land Rover Range Rover is available in a total of three well-equipped trim levels which are base, HSE, and Supercharged. The base trim comes with a standard 4WD layout with Land Rover’s iconic Terrain Response System and a supercharged V6 engine along with a starting price of $87,350. Some of the features include full LED headlamps, a 13-speaker Meridian premium audio system, three-zone climate control, and parking sensors both at the front and rear. The HSE trim gets no upgrades in terms of powertrain, however, it brings along a plethora of standard features on top of the base trim’s ones such as 20-way power-adjustable front seats, power-operated liftgate, soft-close doors, 20-inch wheels, and unlocks the gateway to avail more optional extras.

Which trim should you buy?

All the trims are quite well-equipped and we would recommend the base trim for its value for money proposition. However, the HSE trim is best suited if you desire a more number of standard features along with the option of avail more optional extras.

The 2018 Land Rover Range Rover is powered by a standard 3.0-liter supercharged V6 motor. It delivers a maximum of 340 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of maximum torque. When pitted against its rivals, the base V6 of the Range Rover might be quite underwhelming in terms of sheer performance yet, it is adequate for daily usage and relaxed highway drives. Irrespective of the engine, the transmission remains the same, an 8-speed ZF 8HP automatic unit that offers quick and precise shifts along with the brilliant low-gearing for the excellent prowess of the vehicle. Within the city limits, the motor remains relaxed courtesy of the ZF transmission while out on the highways going easy on the gas pedal offers a refined and progressive performance. The 0-60mph comes up in a decent 6.5 seconds.

The Lexus LX 570 gets a mammoth 5.7-liter V8 under its hood that delivers an impressive 383 horsepower and 403 lb-ft of maximum torque. For a hefty vehicle like the LX 570, the motor is decently powerful and feels quite capable while out on the roads. The 0-60mph comes up in a rather leisurely 7.3 seconds while the standing quarter-mile comes up within 15.6 seconds. The Toyota Land Cruiser, the bad-ass off-roader from the land of Japan, shares the same powertrain with the Lexus LX 570 yet its powertrain puts out a marginally lower 381 horsepower and 401 lb-ft of torque. The Lincoln Navigator is all about pure American brute and puts out a beefy 450 horsepower along with 510 lb-ft of torque from a rather compact 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6.

How well does the Land Rover Range Rover handle?

Big and luxury SUVs such as the Range Rover are not designed for carving corners like a sedan or a sports car and are rather capable to take on a wide variety of terrains instead. The 2018 Range Rover has a brilliant and legendary Terrain Response System that incorporates a wide range of terrain maps to tackle almost every terrain out there. The excellent articulation of the wheels and the suspension along with the generous ground clearance helps the vehicle to reach places where some of its rivals would just dream of reaching. On the flip side, the SUV also offers an excellent and carpet-like ride quality on the roads yet the big wheels might crease unnecessary noise inside the cabin at highway speeds.

Braking performance

Big and beefy full-size luxury SUVs do require some serious braking prowess to tame all those heft properly and the 2018 Range Rover is equipped with some promising braking hardware as well. The SUV gets 14.3-inch rotors at the front while the rear rotors measure at 13.8-inch, allowing the over 5,000-pound SUV to come to a dead stop under 117 feet. The travel of the brake pedal is rather long but it suits the off-roading characteristics of the Range Rover.

The Lexus LX 570 is the heftiest one here yet, its brake rotors measure smaller than the ones found on the Range Rover. Nevertheless, the brakes are adequately powerful to stop the SUV under 123 feet, a commendable feat. The Land Cruiser gets similar braking hardware to the LX 570 but its lighter curb weight allows it to stop earlier than the latter. The Lincoln Navigator covers the maximum distance before coming to a stop when compared to the rivals here.

Even though automobile technology has come a long way still, performance vehicles and powerful luxury SUVs with some serious off-roading capabilities are not quite synonymous with fuel efficiency. The 2018 Land Rover Range Rover when equipped with the base supercharged V6 motor, returns an average of 17mpg within the cities, 23mpg out on the highways, and 19mpg of combined mileage. The most respectable bit is the huge 27.3-gallon gasoline tank that allows the SUV to munch miles for long distances without frequent stops at gas stations.

The Lexus LX 570 with its mammoth 5.7-liter V8 is not the most desirable option even to those who care less about fuel efficiency. Its paltry 13mpg of city mileage and somewhat doable 18mpg of highway mileage are justifiable considering its power figures and the sheer size of the powertrain. The Land Cruiser is mechanically similar to the LX 570 hence its mpg figures and the driving range numbers are similar as well. The Lincoln Navigator is the true stunner here with its similar mpg figures to the Range Rover despite being overwhelmingly powerful as compared to the rivals here.

The 2018 Land Rover Range Rover interior is the place you’d wanna spend your time and it will cut you off completely from the outside world with the immersive luxury and sheer opulence it has to offer. For 2018 MY, the interior gets some design tweaks along with the addition of a secondary 10.1-inch display that replaces a lot of physical buttons placed on the center stack for various controls of the vehicle. The front seats are fully power-adjustable by default while the HSE offers an upgraded version of the front seats with 20-way power adjustments. The interior also offers a three-zone climate automatic climate control, heated rear seats, premium leather upholstery, and a heated steering wheel as well. The rear seats are supremely comfortable too with a comfy recline angle and soft cushioning while the comfort levels are amplified via the comfortable suspension setup of the SUV. The SUV disappoints when it comes to cargo storage and the total space available is lower than what a majority of the SUV’s rivals offer.

The Lexus LX 570 is more luxury-oriented when compared to the rivals here and gets a proper plush cabin. There are plenty of premium touches throughout the cabin including the high-quality wood inserts along with metal trims. On the features front, the SUV is quite well-equipped and matches up to the Range Rover. It also gets a proper three-row seating configuration along with quad-zone automatic climate control. The Toyota Land Cruiser might be a mechanical twin of the LX 570 yet its interior is a completely different story. The overall design theme is matched to the tough and rugged characteristics of the SUV and the dashboard along with the busy center stack might give a tank-like vibe. The cargo capacity is decent at 81.7 cu-ft. The Lincoln Navigator gets a truly impressive and opulent cabin that even manages to surpass the Range Rover in terms of design brilliance. It offers the most spacious cabin among the rivals here on the list with excellent headroom and legroom for all three rows of seats. The cargo capacity is also exceptional at 103.3 cu-ft.

Some standout interior features are:

• Push-button start
• Tri-zone automatic climate control
• Leather upholstery
• Heated and 16-way power-adjustable front seats
• Heated steering wheel(HSE)

What’s there to keep you entertained?

The 2018 Range Rover gets a significant update regarding its infotainment system. It now gets a dual infotainment screen running Touch Pro Duo user interface under the dual 10-inch touchscreen displays. The upper display displays the navigation, audio interface, and hands-free calling functions among others while the lower 10-inch display mainly handles all the controls such as the climate controls, controls for the seats, and the audio controls as well. Standard features include HD Radio, USB ports, satellite radio, and Bluetooth.

Some infotainment features are:

• Navigation
• Dual 10-inch touchscreen displays running standard Touch Pro Duo infotainment interface
• 13-speaker premium Meridian audio system
• HD Radio
• Satellite Radio
• Bluetooth

The 2018 Land Rover Range Rover receives some minor tweaks to the exterior design yet, it still lacks the intimidating looks of its rivals such as the Lexus LX 570 or the Lincoln Navigator. Nonetheless, the overall design completely conceals the exceptional off-roading capabilities of the SUV and looks more easy-going than rugged. The front end has a sophisticated and elegant design and the stylish LED headlamp units sit flush with the entire front fascia. The standard 19-inch alloy wheels look smart while the optional 20-inch wheels look quite exquisite. The side profile of the SUV remains simple with the standard design found on the front doors while the rear end looks quite distinct with the rounded square LED taillamps.

The Lexus LX 570 comes with the traditional design from the brand with its huge and sharp spindle front grille design. The sharp LED headlamp units do accentuate the grille quite well while the side profile remains simple. The rear end of the LX 570 also has a striking design with a distinct taillamp design while the unique design of the D-pillar glass makes it stand out from the crowd. The Toyota Land Cruiser retains that old-school and chunky exterior design and its sizable front grille combined with the big headlamp units perfectly justified its excellent off-roading character. The Lincoln Navigator has a royal vibe to its design with a heavy dose of chrome all around the vehicle.

Some standout exterior features are:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Hands-free power tailgate
• LED headlamps
• Heated windshield and ORVMs
• Panoramic sunroof
• Power soft-closing doors

The steep price tag of the 2018 Land Rover Range Rover means that both the NHTSA and the IIHS have skipped crash-testing it for good. Despite that, the SUV does come with an exceptional build quality with an aluminum monocoque chassis for excellent structural strength. The standard safety techs include automatic emergency braking, front collision warning, and a rearview camera.

Some important safety features of the Range Rover are:

• Rearview camera
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Forward collision warning
• Automatic emergency braking
• Lane departure warning
• Driver drowsiness monitor(Optional)
• Traffic sign recognition(Optional)
• 360-degree parking sensors(Optional)

Land Rover Range Rover vs Lexus LX 570

The Lexus LX 570 is a full-blown luxury chariot with some decent off-roading abilities too. It beats the Range Rover in terms of cabin space, standard features, interior design, extra seating space, and generous cargo hold. The Range Rover carries exceptional off-roading capabilities and decent fuel economy ratings as compared to the Lexus LX 570.

Land Rover Range Rover vs Toyota Land Cruiser

The Toyota Land Cruiser is the mechanical twin of the Lexus LX 570 hence most of its characteristics are quite similar to the latter. The Land Cruiser, however, has excellent off-roading prowess like the Range Rover but its poor fuel economy and so-so driving range bogs it down, apart from the dull interior design.

Land Rover Range Rover vs Lincoln Navigator

The Lincoln Navigator is the radical SUV here among the rivals mentioned on the list. It offers overwhelming performance stats with exceptionally high power and torque figures when compared to the Range Rover. Moreover, it matches up to the RR in terms of fuel economy too but its interior and the comfort statement are way better than what the latter offers.

The Range Rover is for those who have deep pockets, want to have a good taste of off-roading yet don’t want to leave their comfort zone. Apart from being exceptionally good at off-roading, the vehicle also offers a cushiony ride on road, a strikingly elegant and tech-rich cabin with adequate luxury appointments, solid gas mileage numbers, and exceptionally high driving range figures owing to its huge gas tank. Overall, it is the one to go for if you don’t mind the questionable reliability of Land Rover and the steep price tag of the vehicle.