2023 Land Rover Range Rover takes a giant step forward
Astrange thing happened multiple times while we were piloting the new Land Rover Range Rover on a beautiful selection of winding two-lane roads that meander through Northern California’s wine country and along its scenic Pacific coast. We’re not sure why, but when we invariably came upon a slower vehicle, they promptly found a turnout and moved out of the way within a couple of corners. This never happens.
It’s not as if we were tailgating or flashing our lights, and our SUV wasn’t painted black and white with a light bar on top. Sure, the new Range Rover is easy to hustle along at a good clip and there was a certain closing rate involved, but in our experience the usual reaction is to patently ignore the desires of those behind and stay put until they’re good and ready — especially if they’re holding up just one vehicle.
Perhaps the new Range Rover looks impressive in a rearview mirror, and they wished to take a gander. That’s certainly the case when it’s parked, because there’s a simple elegance to the flowing shape of the new Range Rover that stands in direct opposition to some of the more gimmicky new vehicles of late. Its proportions and roofline are unmistakably Range Rover, but there’s a precision to the execution that makes it appear to be a design study brought to life. Smooth lines flow along its flanks, barely interrupted by gentle curves and subtle creases.
It’s a design that demands a precision build, so considerable effort has been put into tightening flushness tolerances and slimming panel gaps. Our favorite such detail might just be the way the body sides roll through 90 degrees to meet the side glass with no chamfer, crease, or molding. We also like how the taillights appear to be black accents until they’re illuminated, at which point they reveal themselves for what they are. The overall shape is as pleasing to the air as it is to the eye, with a remarkable (for an SUV) 0.30 coefficient of drag.