What’s hot?
- Lighter by 180kg and more fuel-efficient
- All-aluminium body with same look but more streamlined details
- Terrain Response 2 system now fully automatic
- Very impressive to drive, better road-holding and more nimble than previous Range Rovers
- The most business-friendly engine, the TDV6, is also the most refined
- Strong performance with 600Nm of torque in the TDV6
- Acceleration from 0-62 in 7.4secs with 130mph top speed for the TDV6
- Lower CO2 emissions for company car tax purposes: 33% in 2012/13
- Choice of four or five-seat configuration, opt for only two rear seats for optimum luxury
- Rear seats recline electrically so you can sleep in them
- More toys for back seat passengers, for when you chauffeur your business colleagues or clients
- Maximum ground clearance up by 13mm to 296mm, in case you ever want to swap your business car brogues for wellies and go off-road
What’s not?
- Stonking price makes it a very expensive business car
- Improved fuel economy still means heavy fuel bills
- Big car, the Range Rover needs a large parking space
- Over-cushioned head restraints push your neck too far forward
- Some clunky satnav features, cumbersome way of changing map scale
Business Car Manager road test verdict
There is a massive difference between the old model Range Rover and this new one – and not just the saving in weight or the new V6 turbo diesel engine.
The new Range Rover represents a major step-up in luxury, with superb cabin quality and a reduction in driver workload. The number of switches has been halved, and the dial-a-surface Terrain Response is now automatic.
Fancy a dip on your way to work? The new Range Rover can wade through water up to 900mm deep, thanks to a redesigned engine air intake system with high channels just under the bonnet that have been nicknamed ‘Queen Mary funnels’.
We would agree that the running costs remain high (although reduced), and you can expect to pay for it in company car tax allowance should you choose to run it through the company. Meanwhile, don’t forget to make sure your parking space is reserved – the new Range Rover is a big vehicle.
But the new Range Rover’s superlative on-road luxury not to mention its fabulous dexterity off-road fully justifies its aristocratic status – and isn’t that what you want from a business car when you run a successful SME business?
Land Rover Range Rover 3.0 TDV6 Vogue Auto – the low down
P11D Value: | £ 70,780 |
Monthly business car lease (ex VAT) | From £984 (3 yrs/30,000 miles) |
Company car tax bands 2012/13-2014/15: | 33%, 34%, 35% |
Benefit-in-kind tax 2012/12-2014/15 | £23,357, £24,065, £24,773 |
Engine: | 3.0 6cyl turbocharged diesel |
CO2 Emissions: | 196g/km |
Power/torque: | 258PS/600Nm |
0-62mph/Max speed | 7.4s/130mph |
Economy: | 37.7mpg |