2018 Land Rover Range Rover HSE Road Test and Review

The 2018 Land Rover Range Rover costs between $88,000 and about $210,000. It’s one of the most expensive SUVs in the world. It’s also one of the best. Now in its fourth generation, the iconic 2018 Range Rover is one of most luxurious, the most comfortable and the most capable full-size SUVs available. It continues to set standards for opulence, style, performance, and off-road capability in a segment in which buyers expect only the best for their hard-earned capital gains.

Built just outside London, the 2018 Range Rover is the flagship of the Land Rover brand. Unlike many of its competitors, which include the Mercedes-Benz GLS, it’s a five-seater with no available third-row seat. Until Ferrari and Rolls-Royce introduce their new SUVs (yes, they’re both working on them), and the BMW X7 hits the streets, the Range Rover’s competitors also include the Bentley Betayga and the newly introduced Lamborghini Urus.

Every 2018 Land Rover Range Rover includes all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission, but there are several engines available including a diesel, and a plug-in hybrid version is expected in 2019. Available trim levels are base, HSE, Supercharged, Autobiography, and SVAutobiography Dynamic. The base and HSE trims come standard with a 340-hp 3.0-liter supercharged V6, an engine also used in the Jaguar XJ luxury sedan. It’s plenty strong for most buyers, but a more fuel-efficient 254-hp 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 is an enticing option for $2,000. For $5,000, HSE buyers can also upgrade to a 380-hp version of the supercharged V6.

Prices start at $88,345, including $995 destination charge, for the base Range Rover model and $95,045 for an HSE like our test vehicle. Performance-oriented buyers will want to step up to the Supercharged model or the Autobiography, both of which cost over $100,000 and are powered by a 518-hp supercharged 5.0-liter V8. Prices for the top-of-the-line SVAutobiography Dynamic, which is motivated by a 557-hp supercharged V8, start at around $178,000.

Land Rover doesn't offer a third-row seat in the Range Rover, but buyers can select a more expensive extended-wheelbase model. Although it can be used for family duty, it only seats four. The additional 8 inches of wheelbase expands second-row legroom significantly, but its two reclining rear captain’s chairs are better suited to taking Oprah to the Oscars than taking your kids to soccer practice.

Long-wheelbase versions of the Range Rover start at $109,890 and top out at $209,895 for the fully loaded SVAutobiograpy, which features 25 rear-seat massage programs, power-deployable tables, and a rear seat refrigerator for chilling your Grey Poupon. Land Rover boasts: “If you’re working while being driven, up to 17 connection points including domestic plug sockets, USB, HDMI and 12-volt are all available; a 4G Wi-Fi hotspot for up to eight devices and convenient storage are all designed for the business traveler.” It’s all so Gordon Gekko.

Hollywood’s new age raiders like Bobby Axelrod drive themselves. And the 2018 Range Rover is a great drive. Our Range Rover HSE test vehicle was very easy to drive around town, with plenty of power from the supercharged V6. Although the SUV weighs over 5,000 lbs, it has strong acceleration and passing power. Land Rover says the HSE with the 340-hp supercharged V6 can accelerate to 60 mph in just 7.1 seconds.

The automatic transmission is responsive, and it has a Sport setting for more immediate performance. Its long-travel air suspension provides a soft and compliant ride, but it isn’t floaty. You can feel the road through the steering wheel and the handling is remarkable for such a large barge. The Range Rover is agile and likes to be driven with an enthusiast’s exuberance. There’s some body roll in corners, but you get used to it. On the highway, the Range Rover is quiet and just seems to eat up the interstate, while its light steering and a tight turning circle make it easy to park and fun-to-drive in the city.

Few Range Rover buyers will ever fully explore this SUV’s extreme off-road capability, but they’ll be glad it’s there when the zombie apocalypse arrives. Range Rovers have been driven through jungles, across deserts, and over mountains. Those adventures are more than the brand’s image — they are representations of the SUV’s depth of engineering. Sure, it can get your kids to the mall, even if the mall is in the heart of the Kalahari.

At our local off-road park, with its adjustable air suspension in its highest setting to increase ground clearance, our test vehicle lived up to that reputation. With its abundant wheel travel and its class-leading approach and departure angles, the Range Rover handled challenging trails, sandy steep grades, and other severe obstacles with ease. Its suspension smoothes out rutted trails and smothers large rocks. The traction control system works just as well off-road as it does in rain and snow, and its all-wheel-drive system offers four settings for different surfaces, including sand and mud. There’s also Hill Descent Control, which controls your speed to a crawl on steep descents.

Despite its ample size and power, the Range Rover’s fuel economy is also good for this class. The standard supercharged V6 is rated at 17 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. I averaged 18 mpg in mixed driving around Los Angeles that included a few hours of off-roading. The competing Lexus LX 570 is rated 13 mpg city and on 18 mpg highway.

The Range Rover's optional 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 is significantly more fuel-efficient, with fuel economy ratings of 22 mpg city and 28 mpg highway. The diesel-powered BMW X5 is rated 23 mpg city and 29 mpg on the highway. Range Rovers with the supercharged 5.0-liter V8 are thirsty, with ratings of 14 mpg city and 19 mpg highway. But that's still better than the more powerful Bentley Bentayga, which is rated 12 mpg city and 19 mpg highway.

For 2018, Land Rover revamped the Range Rover’s interior for even more comfort and style. The seat frames are wider and the seat foams are deeper, which make the seats extremely comfortable especially on long drives. Range Rover has also added heated arm rests and optional 24-way adjustability. There’s also a new infotainment system with enhanced features and more intuitive menus and commands. The system, along with the Range Rover’s climate controls, is manipulated through two new 10-inch touchscreens, which look like something from a sci-fi movie but are actually very easy to use. There’s another 12.3-inch screen directly ahead of the driver that displays a fully configurable digital gauge cluster.

Overall, the Range Rover's interior remains one of the best in its class, with soft-touch surfaces, high-quality materials, and a rotary shifter that rises slowly from the console when you start the engine. Another cool new feature is the SUV’s waterproof Activity Key, which is worn on your wrist like an activity tracker and allows you to lock your keys safely inside the Range Rover when you’re surfing, hiking, or mountain biking.

For most families, the standard wheelbase Range Rover and its five-passenger capacity are adequate. It has more rear seat space than many of its competitors, and there’s plenty of room for passengers over 6 feet tall. Rear air conditioning vents are standard, and luxuries like heated rear seats and soft door closing are standard on the HSE and higher trim levels. A rear entertainment system is available to keep the kids busy. The interior also offers plenty of storage, including a deep center console bin that's felt-lined and large enough to swallow an iPad. There are also large felt-lined bins on the doors and deep, well-placed front cupholders. The rear cupholders are in a fold-down center armrest.

If you need more seats, the three-row Range Rover Sport is a compelling alternative, as it uses the same all-aluminum chassis and 115-inch wheelbase as the Range Rover, or the new Land Rover Discovery. The larger Mercedes-Benz GLS is a popular alternative, as are the considerably larger Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator.

The Range Rover offers a generous 32.1 cubic feet of cargo space behind its rear seat. That’s less than the larger Mercedes-Benz GLS, which offers 49.4 cubic feet, but it’s considerably more than the Bentley Bentayga. Fold the rear seat, which is split 60/40, and there’s a useful 82.8 cubic feet of space, which is about average for the class. Again, the Mercedes offers more, while the smaller BMW X5 has less.

The Range Rover’s cargo area is easily accessed by its distinctive split tailgate, a design also used on the BMW X5. While the top two thirds of the hatch opens up like a conventional liftgate, the bottom third drops down like the tailgate of a pickup truck — creating the perfect place to picnic at the polo match.

Every year, we think the Land Rover Range Rover can’t get any more opulent, comfortable, or refined. Every year we drive one, watch it peg those meters and think, “That’s it. It’s so good it can’t get any better.” But it does get better. The crew at Land Rover has improved its flagship once again with an even better interior and cool tech features.

Although it remains unfortunate that the 2018 Range Rover does not offer an optional third row, which may turn away some buyers, it really is something special. Its unique design, powerful engines, unmatched comfort, and off-road capability keep it at the front of a growing list of high-quality, high-dollar luxury SUVs.