Our test vehicle was the Range Rover Autobiography 4.4L SDV8 Diesel MY15.5, which gains 40Nm over the MY15 in the diesel V8 form.
The king of Range Rovers, weighing in at a good 2488kg, does well with 250kW of power and a massive 740Nm of torque. Despite its ginormous size, it can go from 0-100km/h in 7.2 seconds and Land Rover claims it will only use 8.2L of diesel per 100km, though that is subject to interpretation to say the least. We easily averaged above 12L per 100km.
The eight-speed ZF automatic transmission does its best to cope with the weight and the huge torque, but there’s certainly a fair bit of noticeable turbo lag down low when you first get on the gas. It can be irritating at times if you need to get up and go quickly from the lights, as there’s almost nothing at first before it all comes in one giant wallop. However, when it’s already moving, the torque delivery is far smoother.
An extra $13,300 will get you the supercharged V8 petrol and even though you’ll bring up the official fuel economy to 13.8L of petrol per 100km (realistically about 20L/100km), you’ll enjoy the experience (and sound) much more. At this price range, the little extra is well worth it if the car is for personal use.
Ignoring its powertrain hardware for the moment, what makes the Range Rover autobiography so special is its presence. Though not many realise just how expensive a full-size Range Rover really is (nor do they realise that of an S-Class), its grand size (particularly in this long-wheelbase version) leaves little to the imagination.
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