Test Drive: 2013 Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged

Review and photos by Peter Bleakney

Read a review of the all-new 2013 Land Rover Range Rover in any British motoring publication and you’d think the arrival of this all-aluminum luxury off-roader was paramount to the naming of a fresh Pope… or the appointment of a new Archbishop of Canterbury.

Well, they say good tidings come in threes.

You’ll read how this leather-lined luxo-barge is 350 kg lighter than the outgoing model, and how its increased approach and departure angles, updated Terrain Response 2 and even deeper wading ability (now 900 mm) has the Rangie attacking the wilds of Morocco and coming out unscathed… other than for a few mud smears on the baby-bum-soft leather dash and a bit of sand in the foot wells. You’ll see it perched at ridiculous angles with one wheel cocked high in the air, and marvel at photos of it blasting through a river like a Boston Whaler.

2013 Range Rover Supercharged. Click image to enlarge

But you ain’t gonna’ see that here.

No, my week was spent doing what 99.99 percent of 2013 Range Rover Supercharged owners will do – that being rumbling through the ‘hood, dropping kids off at school and commuting to work while observing the less fortunate from its imperious and lavishly appointed perch.

And I must say the view is pretty darned sweet. Not least due to the tall greenhouse and thin A-pillars that allow excellent outward visibility and full view of the front corners – a necessary virtue for serious off-roading. More importantly to some owners I suspect, it offers the Great Unwashed a fine view of the driver.

Starting at $114,750, the 2013 Range Rover Supercharged (there is no naturally aspirated model) arrives with the Jag/Land Rover 5.0L supercharged V8 that generates 510 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque, and is mated to an eight-speed ZF auto. This is a terrific engine. It is creamy smooth and has right-now throttle response – none of the elasticity seen in some turbocharged engines. The ZF auto is also very impressive. It shifts smoothly and responds with the immediacy of a twin-clutch when using the paddle shifters.

Land Rover claims this to be the first all-aluminum SUV, and with the aforementioned 350-kg weight reduction (that’s about four adults worth) the 2013 Range Rover certainly feels lighter on its feet than the outgoing model. Put your foot in it, and it charges like a pissed-off rhino – zero to 100 km/h in a scant 5.4 seconds. Its newfound svelte-ness also reduces fuel usage by a claimed nine percent, although at 2,330 kg this Rangie is still more Rob Ford than Rob Lowe.

When considering the Range Rover’s overachieving off-road abilities, its on-road dynamics are all the more impressive. This is no top-heavy waddler.

It has a marvelously smooth and quiet ride, yet when negotiating an on-ramp at speed this big ute’ stays eerily level – there are only a scant few degrees of body roll.

Credit goes to the Electronic Cross Linked Air Suspension (with variable ride height) along with upgraded adaptive dampers that adjust 100 times a second.

If you do venture off road (or fail to see the concrete parking partition in front of the yoga studio) the entirely new and mostly aluminum double-wishbone front suspension offers 260 mm of travel, while the rear multi-link setup allows 310 mm. The low-range transfer case can be engaged at speeds up to 65 km/h.

The Rangie’s air suspension increases ground clearance from 220.5 mm (8.68 inches) to 295.5 mm (11.63 inches). Aping the rotary gear selector is the knob for the five-mode Terrain Response 2. The retracted position has the system in its new “auto” setting which automatically reads the terrain and optimizes the Range Rover’s throttle response, traction-control, gearbox and centre differential accordingly. Push it and it pops up, enabling you to manually select the modes and see the cute little icons light up as you twist the knob.

Sadly, showing this off to mostly uninterested passengers is likely the only function the Terrain Response 2 dial will perform for the vast majority of owners.

2013 Range Rover Supercharged. Click image to enlarge

The 2013 Range Rover Supercharged will tow up to 3,500 kg, and if the 909-litre load space behind the rear seats is packed to capacity, the roof rails are rated to support 100 kg.

Ah, yes, the rear seats. The wheelbase stretch of this 2013 model has afforded considerably more comfortable second row accommodations. The longer rear doors mean easier access, and once positioned in the wonderfully contoured seats trimmed in the finest leather, legroom is generous. Between the front seats you’ll see a panel with climate and seat heater controls, and above, a panoramic view of the heavens through the massive sunroof.

The dash incorporates the same design theme as the old model, but it has been refined. While not as bold, it is cleaner, with fewer buttons and the build quality is up a notch or two. Every surface, be it metal, leather or wood trim is exquisite… all except for those flimsy plastic shift paddles that also crash the Jaguar party. Weird.

And I’m not completely sold on the all-digital major gauge cluster that cheapens the whole experience in my view. As in the Jag XJ, they seem kinda’ washed out and out of sync with the wonderfully tactile and analogue elegance of the rest of the cabin.

The previously dated touchscreen interface has been redesigned for 2013. It looks considerably more modern, is easier to negotiate and responds faster to prompts. The standard 380-watt Meridian audio acquits itself very well, too.

2013 Range Rover Supercharged. Click image to enlarge

This new Range Rover is longer, wider and a tad lower than the old one. Less bluff, it presents a sleeker look, yet is still immediately recognizable as this icon of British luxury off-roading. Around here in Oakville, it got stares from the other Land Rover drivers, of which there are more than a few.

While fuel economy is improved over the last model, this new Rangie still sucks back the premium juice like a camel at a watering hole. It’s officially rated at 16.6 L/100 km city and 10.6 highway. My real world results had me weeping openly at the local Esso.

But had I the pecuniary means to purchase this vehicle, fuel usage would likely be of little concern. The 2013 Range Rover Supercharged is a hugely impressive piece of engineering – bizarre, in fact, when you consider its absolutely uncompromised luxurious on-road comportment is matched by an equally uncompromised ability to traverse just about any terrain you could throw at it.