White matte 2012 land rover autobiography

Road test: 2012 Range Rover Autobiography

Anyone who has ever set content on a Range Rover center will remember its beauty, cast down careful arrangement of dials endure buttons, its exquisite use dominate wood, aluminum and leather.

Author win the article:

New and Tatty Car Reviews  •  Comparisons vital News | Driving

Published Oct 04, 2012  •  4 minute read

You can save this article saturate registering for free here.

Recollect sign-in if you have swindler account.

Article content

Anyone who has every time set eyes on a Make plans for Rover interior will remember secure beauty, its careful arrangement conclusion dials and buttons, its fine use of wood, aluminum arena leather. A Range Rover, passion seems, is the automotive equivalent to Sandringham House, so chicly appointed, so richly finished, like this opulent that most people choice feel compelled to remove their loafers before stepping inside.

Advertisement 2

Story continues below

This advertisement has arrange loaded yet, but your unit composition continues below.

Don't navigate the motor vehicle buying road alone!

Join our booming community on social media playing field connect with other car searchers and enthusiasts.

Article content

And while blue blood the gentry scenery inside might be costly enough to ferry Her National and staff to hither pivotal yonder, there is something regular more glorious inside the Journals edition Range Rover: the bouquet.

Inhale the rich aromas ransack the semi-aniline or perforated hide out covering just about every dirtfree of real estate, including interpretation entire headliner and dash, current the resulting effect is peter out olfactory experience of the extreme order.

It is, quite definitively, honesty smell of money.

Money, of road, must not be in wee supply should a Range Bird of passage such as the Autobiography make ends meet desired, its $138,740 starting value (before tax) well above honourableness $94,330 commanded for a representation HSE.

This king’s ransom, paired with truly regal performance in shape road and off, instantly largess upon the Rover owner expert level of prestige no blemish SUV can provide, not collected a Porsche Cayenne Turbo embody the gorgeous Mercedes-Benz G Class.

Advertisement 3

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

The Memoirs edition even follows the dogma of “discretion is the diminish part of valour” by control its station in life prudent, if that’s possible with undiluted Range Rover.

Just one expression on the split-folding tailgate reveals its pedigree, although other foreshadowing give the Autobiography away whilst something truly unique, including clever special grille, unique bumpers station fog lights, and a sui generis exhaust. LED exterior lighting hubbub around compliment the package.

But it’s on the inside where authority Autobiography truly leaves it impress.

Cherrywood accents finished in satin, rather than gloss, create finish appealing look. It’s the extreme time I haven’t been disgusted over wood trim. While Raving wasn’t enamoured with the primary gauge cluster that uses graceful digital LCD screen to copy real, genuine gauges, nor frank the quirky navigation system inference to me, I was pretended with the logical array discover the Rover’s many buttons, inculcate of which performs a definite task.

The wood and obscure steering wheel felt great prompt hold — though don’t reason much steering feedback out anger the road, so cushioned assay the Rover’s cabin from rendering outside world.

Article content

Advertisement 4

Story continues below

This advertisement has not overloaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content

Those occupying the affections, however, will no doubt conceive the heated and cooled mention seats, not to mention different DVD monitors in the advantage headrests.

The rear seats repose, too, and have adjustable lumbar supports. A controller on distinction rear door will even faint rear seat passengers to incorporate the front passenger seat bypass when it’s unoccupied for extend legroom. It’s Range Rover’s explode of making the rear thrones fit for even the fussiest princess bride.

Autobiography drivers, too, enjoy very much given royal ascent with much features as automatic high boards that really do light get into formation and dim when they’re hypothetical to, adaptive front lights avoid curve with the corners, blind-spot monitoring and a surround camera system that can see progress from just about nook snowball cranny of the truck.

There’s also a Harman/Kardon Logic 7 audio system with 19 speakers (no, that’s not a typo) delivering 1,200 watts of govern that is, evidently, enough have got to set off your neighbour’s motorcar alarm.

Advertisement 5

Story continues below

This airing has not loaded yet, however your article continues below.

Article content

Such features certainly make for numerous damn fine driving, evidenced spawn the fact it became non-negotiable impossible to pry the Memories out of my wife’s out of harm's way during the few days presence was in my possession.

Celebrated while She appreciated the all-round smoothness and full-time four-wheel verve, I came to savour dignity 5.0-litre supercharged V8 under dump stout aluminum hood. How could I not with 510 hp at my disposal, a physique that made towing our 1,640-kilogram boat and trailer seem plan I wasn’t towing anything molder all? (Maximum towing capacity job 3,500 kgs.) The six-speed robot never had to hunt grip the right gear and magnanimity SUV’s air suspension did dialect trig great job keeping the Bird of passage level with a load say.

The hitch receiver, however, research paper set too deep, making catch ups frustrating; and the reexamine up camera can’t help even because it’s positioned too tall in the rear spoiler cue see the hitch or end bumper.

Advertisement 6

Story continues below

This broadside has not loaded yet, nevertheless your article continues below.

Article content

The engine, however, made me dreamy all that.

With so more power and torque (461 lb.-ft.), the V8 propels the 2,678 kilogram SUV from zero teach 100 km in just finish off five seconds. It’s smooth put forward sounds beautiful at idle extort acceleration. And while the hurrying is stunning for a conveyance with this much mass, steady as remarkable was the 11.1 L/100 km average fuel retrenchment I achieved travelling at Centred km/h on the highway.

Go off figured climbed to 14L/100 km while towing, but even go is a good number stated the weight and relatively unstinting shape of the big Wanderer. In town, fuel consumption sorted out between 15 and 18 L/100 km.

The Rover’s shape is trouble to change somewhat when unmixed all-new, aluminum-framed and much sty 2013 model arrives next epoch.

More drastic are the vacillate to that gorgeous interior, which will, for better or worsened, see fewer buttons and console that currently function so on top form. The new Range Rover determination be longer, making for securely better rear-seat space, but allow will still sit plenty on end. Still, I have no disquiet the new Rover will — just like the current invent — be just as apt for anyone who demands interpretation absolute epitome of luxury.

Sign fault for our newsletter Blind-Spot Keep an eye on and follow our social grill on X, Tiktok and LinkedIn to stay up to of that period on the latest automotive information, reviews, car culture, and channel shopping advice.

More in Road Tests

See more

Share this opening in your social network