KING OF THE ROAD

Spencer Hart drove 1,500 miles around Scotland in the new Range Rover to see what all the hype is about

Launched earlier this year, the new Range Rover is without a doubt one of the hottest commodities in the car world. Forget young upstarts from the likes of Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and now even Ferrari – the Range Rover is the OG and the fifth generation is here to reclaim its crown as King of the Road. It’s so popular, in fact, that if you ordered one today you’d have to wait 12 months until you actually receive your car. Is it deserving of such demand and hype or is it overrated? I drove 1,500 miles around Scotland in one to find out…

Land Rover has taken the existing iconic silhouette and given it a futuristic makeover, taking the brand’s modernist design philosophy to the next level. It’s incredibly elegant (especially for such a big thing) and is nowhere near as brash as its rivals. Don’t confuse this understated luxury with tedium, though, because even after spending a week with the new Range Rover I never tired of the sight of it and always felt excited walking up to it in a car park.

Part of that excitement comes from the knowledge that soon you’ll be cossetted inside a sanctuary of calm. Materials are sumptuous, the car features an active noise cancellation system, and a new suspension system that reads the road ahead and primes the suspension to provide perfect responses. Road rage just isn’t possible when sitting inside it. Even after a three-hour traffic jam on the M6, I arrived at my destination feeling relaxed.

As well as the most luxurious Range Rover ever, this is also the most technologically advanced Range Rover ever. The highlight is the stunning central 13.1-inch curved screen that floats on the dashboard, and the 13.7-inch interactive driver display behind the steering wheel. It runs the intuitive Pivi Pro software, which features new high-definition graphics as well as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. You also get voice control courtesy of Amazon’s Alexa and the ability to manoeuvre it into and out of parking spaces with your smartphone.

Of course, you’ll want to actually be behind the wheel of the new Range Rover, because, despite its size, this tank of a vehicle is surprisingly easy to drive. As well as a range of impressively efficient and punchy plug-in hybrid and mild hybrid engines, every model gets next-generation all-wheel steering, which makes manoeuvring in tight spaces a breeze.

So, is the new Range Rover deserving of the hype? I’m inclined to think it is. The overriding sense of refinement, luxury and elegance is hard to ignore. It’s a triumph.