Land Rover is showing off its latest Range Rover SUV with several updates and it’s riding on an all-new vehicle architecture. The newest Rover is decked out with a hand-picked selection of wood trims, buttery leather, and metal, and it’s predictably gorgeous.
Now in its fifth generation, the Range Rover remains a favorite of British royalty and anyone who can afford the six-figure price tag. The newest model is rounder and less angular now than the 2000 P38 in my garage, but it retains the same high-end features inside and it’s still the off-road vehicle you can drive into the wild (or into a lake) and not spill your tea. Out of all of the generations, I’m curious to know what you think: which Range Rover was the best one?
Introduced in 1970, the SUV has been through a number of iterations and ownership changes that include BMW and Ford. Tata Motors, its current parent company, bought Land Rover and Jaguar from Ford in 2008 in a $2.3 billion all-cash transaction. The company has a storied history that includes the Range Rover model, including a win at the first Paris-Dakar rally in 1979. The SUV became available in North America in 1987, and in 1994, the second-gen P38a model launched. The third generation (L322) kicked off in 2001, and the fourth (body style L405) in 2012.
I own a 2000 Range Rover that my husband purchased in 2003, not long before we started dating. He was living in Phoenix at the time and I was in Atlanta, and when I visited him we drove that Rover all over Arizona, from Tombstone to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. I had never owned a vehicle that luxurious, and I fell in love with it. Eighteen years and 180,000 miles later, that Range Rover still has a place in our garage.
Based on our experience, its reputation as an unreliable vehicle is unfounded, and that’s part of what I’m curious to know from you. I want to hear from Range Rover owners and fans here; what do you think is the best generation Range Rover and why, and what you think of them?
Got a tip? Send a note to kristin.shaw@thedrive.com.