 2010 Land Rover Range Rover Autobiography. Click image to enlarge |
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2010 Land Rover Range Rover Autobiography
When I pull up to a traffic light, it’s very rare that my test car receives a second glance from other drivers. Save for when I’m in obvious standouts like the Audi R8 or Corvette Z06, those alongside generally spend the time ignoring me.
So I was very surprised when my big, boxy Range Rover Autobiography garnered looks at almost every stop. Could it be they were in awe of a monster that could climb mountains that might give Edmund Hillary pause? Did they realize that if I slammed pedal to metal when the light turned green, I’d be a block up the road before they were halfway through the intersection?
  2010 Land Rover Range Rover Autobiography. Click image to enlarge |
Or, more likely, were they just trying to figure out how a driver clad in faded T-shirt and baseball cap had the wherewithal to drop $130,000 on her ride? For this amount of money, you get it all: exclusivity, unparalleled luxury, stunning off-the-line performance, incredible off-road ability, and on mine, a ridiculous number of problems for a vehicle with less than 10,000 kilometres on the clock.
Land Rover’s top-range model undergoes several changes for 2010, the most important being under the hood, where the previous 4.4-litre and supercharged 4.2-litre V8 powerplants are replaced with a pair of 5.0-litre locomotives, both hooked to six-speed automatic transmissions. The HSE uses a naturally-aspirated version, making 375 units of horsepower and lb-ft of torque equally. Piffle, say I: my version, dubbed the Supercharged, uses a new Eaton puffer to force out 510 horses and 461 lb-ft of torque, the latter reaching its peak at a mere 2,500 r.p.m. The Supercharged weighs a massive 2,672 kg (5,891 lbs), but from the driver’s seat, it’s all muscle. I’m definitely feelin’ the love.
  2010 Land Rover Range Rover Autobiography. Click image to enlarge |
Even the fuel consumption, which runs way on the high side of economical, still wasn’t as bad as I expected. It’s officially rated at 18.1 L/100 km (16 mpg Imp) in the city and 11.7 (24) on the highway, while my week with it turned out to be 14.8 L/100 km (19 mpg Imp) – premium grade, please.
Beyond standard trailer sway control, an improved Terrain Response program and better brakes, changes for 2010 are cosmetic: new lighting front and rear, new fender vents and bumpers, and inside, an instrument panel that uses a technology called thin film transistor, displaying pictures of the gauges rather than using actual needles and dials. It’s fascinating and allows for a variety of menus to slide from one side to the other – along with a beautiful rendition of a sunset when you start the vehicle up – but the overall flat effect reminded me of the renditions of dials and buttons on the fake stereo equipment displayed in furniture stores. I can’t imagine the replacement cost, either.
  2010 Land Rover Range Rover Autobiography. Click image to enlarge |
The Autobiography, available only on the Supercharged (which starts at $111,900) is a trim package. For $14,200, you get leather everything, including the headliner; 14 pieces of wood trim (no, I didn’t count them all); unique 20-inch six-spoke wheels; a six-DVD rear-seat entertainment system with screens mounted in the head restraints; four-zone climate control; and special glass that keeps the vehicle cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Mine was further upgraded with some stand-alone options, including a heated wood-and-leather steering wheel (which is too big; my initial impression was that I was piloting a bus), and a surround camera system that was the cozy home of several electrical gremlins.
Land Rover is famous for its ability to seamlessly blend an upper-crust body with the heart of a mud bogger. The vehicle is always in four-wheel drive, and the Terrain Response dial on the centre console alters the throttle, transmission and stability control, and in certain settings, locks the differentials, adjusts the air suspension and initiates the hill descent control. Beyond a “General” setting for everyday driving, you can also select Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud/Ruts, Sand, and Rock Crawl. The Range Rover will wade through water up to 700 mm high, and its air suspension will go up as far as 55 mm above normal height for off-road driving, or drop 40 mm below it for easier entry and exit.
