A Range Rover Autobiography TDV6

Our posh off-roader’s new keeper is finding things strangely familiar

New Range Rover TDV6 3.0 liter Autobiography

This seems familiar. In my previous job, as editor-in-chief of sister title What Car?, I also had custody of a Range Rover TDV6. It was a Vogue SE, rather than the ritzier Autobiography spec of my ‘new’ one. And grey, rather than bronze. But everything seems the same.

So here I am, sitting on slightly softer leather, with slightly squishier headrests, but the Autocar Range Rover is just as terrific as the one I left behind on the other side of the office car park.

The reason I’m so glad that Mr Cropley ceded ownership to me is that the Rangie fits into my life just perfectly. That life includes lots of central London driving, lots of long-distance work-related missions and a seven-year-old son with his commensurate clobber.

Range Rover TDV6 Autobiography dashboard

No other car on sale quite hits the same target as the Range Rover, which plays the dual role of luxury saloon and all-terrain hatchback. If anything, this one seems to have a mite more engine and wind noise than the Vogue SE I left behind. But as they are identical, despite a few extra ornaments, I can’t explain the difference.

One thing I am enjoying is a slightly more supple ride quality around town. The difference, no doubt, is that this car is wearing 21-inch alloys, rather than the 22s I had got used to. In truth, it seems like the slightly smaller wheels (and I use the term “smaller” advisedly, of course) is that the 21s feel like the best balance between aesthetics and refinement. Nor have I detected any dynamic disadvantage.

One minor annoyance I am starting to have is with the ‘executive’ rear seats. These, you might remember, are a pricey option and mean that you get two separate rear chairs rather than a normal rear bench. The executive seats look great and certainly make it feel even more luxurious. But with a little kid in tow, the inability to get in from either side and slide across to the other is a bit of a pain.

Range Rover Autobiography TDV6 Engine

So is the inability to fold the seats flat. I got an early taste of this during my first weekend with the Rangie and had to undertake a rare but inevitable trip to the local tip, or recycling centre as it’s now been rebranded. The 10 bags of garden waste meant two trips there, rather than the single jaunt I would have taken in the previous car. I also know that the inability to ferry five around will cause me problems at some stage.

But if you want to carry big loads, buy an estate or rent a van, you may well say. Quite right too, and I can still carry more stuff with more convenience than in any luxury saloon. Considering the Range Rover’s myriad other abilities, I’m quite prepared to forgive it.