Best of Both Worlds
You can have it all—high speed and luxurious comfort—with the Range Rover Vogue
The Range Rover Vogue offers everything a car can offer, in one sleek chic package
Glamping is a form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping. Glamping is likely to satisfy any city slicker seeking a little refuge in nature—without foregoing any of life’s luxuries.
This is the definition of the word in the Oxford English Dictionary when it was added for the first time in 2016. Glamping is also the first word that came to my mind when I drove the Range Rover Vogue.
For most of our lives, we have been programmed to think that we can’t have the best of both worlds and that life is a consistent struggle of trade-offs. We need a luxury sedan for a comfortable, stylish ride; but we must give that up for a more rugged SUV if we want to venture out into the mountains, drive through rough roads, or survive the occasional flooding in Metro Manila during typhoon season. A sports car can satisfy our need for speed but say goodbye to having space for other passengers and luggage. Can we ever stop making trade-offs?
Glamping is one of 21st century’s innovations that affirm we can have the best of both worlds. Blending the words (and opposite worlds) of “glamorous” and “camping”, glamping allows us to experience a condition “where stunning nature meets modern luxury … a way to experience the untamed and completely unique parts of the world without having to sacrifice creature comforts”, so says glamping.com.
In the spirit of glamping, the Range Rover Vogue combines the best of both (or in fact, many) worlds: luxurious amenities, stylish exterior, comfortable ride, powerful engine, generous seating and luggage space, resilience against rough roads and other elements, etc. It’s a vehicle that doesn’t force us to make trade-offs.
Powered by a 3.0L turbocharged, 6-cylindre (V), 8-speed automatic transmission (diesel) engine, the Range Rover Vogue can easily go from zero to 100km in eight seconds with a top speed of 209 km/h. The petrol variant can go faster from zero to 100km in six seconds with a top speed of 220 km/h. The Vogue’s diesel variant has a horsepower (hp) of around 254hp, while the petrol variant has an impressive 398hp (the petrol engine is a 2.0L turbocharged, 4-cylindre with 85kw electric motor).
To give context, most sports cars in the Philippines have hp within the 200hp range (for instance, 197hp for
the Subaru BRZ; 200hp for the Mazda MX-5; 205hp for the Toyota 86; 295hp for the Hyundai Genesis Coupe Turbo). Luxury sports cars like the Porsche Carrera S 911 (2021) has 443hp. The top speed of the Range Rover Vogue also rivals that of sports cars (such as the Mazda MX-5 at 214 km/h, Subaru BRZ at 215 km/h, Toyota 86 at 233 km/h). These comparisons are more remarkable considering the Vogue’s length (5,000 mm) and height (1,869 mm) as a full-fledged SUV relative to compact, 2-door sports cars.
As I drove the Range Rover Vogue through the highways of Metro Manila, I felt the full power of its diesel engine. Switching lanes and overtaking with the Vogue was effortless. I didn’t have to go at top-speed to enjoy driving the Vogue; the amenities made driving itself a pleasure.
The driver’s seat is cosy, designed with a 20-way memory functionality and upholstered with Perforated Windsor Leather. The leather steering wheel can be adjusted easily to suit my height. Temperature could be modified at various levels of precision through its 3-zone
automatic climate control system. Each passenger can also adjust the temperature to their own liking, as the Vogue offers separate control options for the driver, front row passenger seat and second row passenger seats. Preferences for auto airflow can be as specific as choosing “soft and quiet” mode; the level of “air purity” can also be chosen. The music comes out crisp and clear through the Vogue’s 19-speaker Meridian surround sound system.
My driving pleasure was also enhanced by the Vogue’s intuitive design. I am not a fan of reading manuals, and the Vogue managed to lay out everything in a way that was easy to navigate and find what I needed. All the gauges (speed, gas, distance, etc) are contained in an easily readable Interactive Driver Display (Virtual Instrument Cluster). The steering wheel has paddle handles that contain remote controls for volume adjustment, voice control, phone calls (in case you pair the Vogue with your mobile phone) and other setting options. The gear shift comes in the form of a knob that I can easily switch from park to drive with a turn of my wrist.
The infotainment system can be viewed clearly from the front and second row seats through a large 10-inch Touch Pro Duo Screen. Without having to read a manual, the different options and controls were clearly laid out in the Touch Pro Duo Screen. I only had to refer to the same Touch Screen to choose my music, adjust temperature controls and change driving modes (more on this later). Even the seat adjustment buttons for the Vogue are conveniently located right under the car windows.
Typical vehicle designs place the seat adjustments under the seats, making it difficult to reach and see but the Vogue’s placement of the seat adjustments at eye-level spells a world of difference in terms of convenience. With our electronically equipped lifestyles in mind, the Vogue has several charging outlets (in front: 2 USB sockets, one 12V socket in the centre console and one 12V socket in the upper glovebox; in second row: one 12V socket; and in the back loading area: one 12V socket).
The intuitive design of the Vogue applies to its technical aspects. Driving mode can be easily changed through the Touch Pro Duo Screen by choosing from several options: Eco, Comfort, Dynamic. For city driving, I usually use Eco to be more fuel efficient.
Apart from its safety features (lane departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, emergency brake assist, electronic brake-force distribution, reverse traffic detection), I felt mentally safe using the Range Rover Vogue because of its versatility. The Vogue could take on any type of road in the city (and I wouldn’t have to worry about snagging into potholes or extremely high-speed bumps—a constant threat around Metro Manila). In the city, I also enjoyed being chauffeured in the Vogue by a driver as I sat comfortably in the second-row leather seats, equipped with power reclining features and head restraints. I knew, however, that the Vogue can safely take me away on an adventure if I wanted to go out of town.
For more challenging terrain, the Vogue includes other driving modes specifically designed to manage extreme weather conditions or rough terrain (such as rocky, uneven, or unpaved surfaces or muddy slopes). Apart from its powerful engine, the Vogue’s ground clearance (220 mm standard, or 297 mm off-road) allows it to literally climb every mountain. For flooded or marshy terrain, the Vogue has the capacity to wade through a depth of 900 mm. I suppose this is why the Range Rover Vogue reminded me of glamping—its ability to rough it out in the wilderness (of the city or exotic destinations) without sacrificing the luxuries available in an elegant vehicle.
For our personal luxuries (even if they must be contained in several luggage), the Vogue has ample space to accommodate them with its loading capacity of 32 cubic feet (expandable further if the back seats are folded). Externally, the Range Rover Vogue is also glamorous. The design is elegant and slick, not giving any clunky look often associated with heavy-duty SUVs.
Speaking of the best of many worlds, the Range Rover Vogue is also environmentally friendly by being fuel-efficient. The diesel variant has a fuel economy of around 9-12 km/litre. For the more environmentally conscious users, the Range Rover Vogue Petrol Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) can run for 24-28kms on battery alone.
If it sounds like the Range Rover Vogue is too many good things in one vehicle, perhaps it’s that part of our brain has just been used to trade-offs. If you want to change your mindset, find affirmations in what the world of “no trade-offs” can offer—there’s glamping and the Range Rover Vogue, among others.
As I drove the Range Rover Vogue through the highways of Metro Manila, I felt the full power of its diesel engine. Switching lanes and overtaking with the Vogue was effortless