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Premium large SUV; Built in
  • 4-door wagon
  • longitudinal front-engine/all-wheel drive
Good condition price range: $61,700 – $151,600*


2014 Land Rover Range Rover


2014 Land Rover Range Rover


2014 Land Rover Range Rover

Pros:
  • Acceleration
  • Off-road capability
  • Interior materials
  • Quietness
Cons:
  • Control layout
  • Fuel economy

Few SUVs can come close to matching the Range Rover’s combination of good driving dynamics, luxurious accommodations, superb off-road ability, and country-club curb appeal. None of that comes cheap, however, as this is one of the most expensive SUVs around. Most buyers probably don’t need all the Range Rover has to offer, and as such, will likely find better value elsewhere.

Overview

This was the flagship vehicle in the Land Rover product portfolio. Designed to go just about anywhere, the Range Rover was a popular choice for sports stars, Hollywood celebs, and the country-club set who would never set a wheel off road.

Range Rover came only as a 4-door wagon with an upper liftgate and drop-down tailgate. All-wheel drive and V8 power were standard. Styled, engineered, and built in Britain, the Range Rover competed against Yankees such as the Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator, Germans such as the Audi Q7 and Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, and Japanese such as the Infiniti QX56, Lexus LX 570, and Toyota Land Cruiser. However, while most SUVs in this price class had three rows of seats, the Range Rover only had two. Seating for 5 was standard, with an optional high-end seating package reduced that to 4.

At introduction, a 5.0-liter V8 with 375 horsepower was the base engine, while Supercharged and Autobiography got a supercharged version of that engine with 510 horsepower. For 2014, a 340-horsepower supercharged V6 replaced the naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 as the base engine. The supercharged V8 carried on unchanged. All were mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

Per Land Rover tradition, all-wheel drive was standard, and it included low-range gearing for off-road use.

In addition to the expected safety features, Range Rovers came standard with a driver knee airbag, front- and rear-obstacle detection, and rearview camera. Also offered were blind-spot alert, cross-traffic alert, and a surround-view camera.

Yearly Updates

2013 Range Rover
For 2014, Land Rover’s flagship vehicle got a new supercharged 3.0-liter V6 engine with a fuel-saving start/stop feature as its base engine. The new V6 replaced the previous naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8; the topline Supercharged 5.0 carried over unchanged.

Engines

longitudinal front-engine/all-wheel drive

At introduction, a 5.0-liter V8 with 375 horsepower was the base engine, while Supercharged and Autobiography got a supercharged version of that engine with 510 horsepower. For 2014, a 340-horsepower supercharged V6 replaced the naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 as the base engine. The supercharged V8 carried on unchanged. All were mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

Supercharged dohc V6
Engine Size (liters/cubic inches) 3.0/183
Engine HP 340
Engine Torque (lb-ft) 332
Avail. Trans. EPA MPG (city/hwy) MPG avg. as tested
8-speed automatic

 17/23
dohc V8
Engine Size (liters/cubic inches) 5.0/305
Engine HP 375
Engine Torque (lb-ft) 375
Avail. Trans. EPA MPG (city/hwy) MPG avg. as tested
8-speed automatic

 14/20
Supercharged dohc V8
Engine Size (liters/cubic inches) 5.0/305
Engine HP 510
Engine Torque (lb-ft) 461
Avail. Trans. EPA MPG (city/hwy) MPG avg. as tested
8-speed automatic

 13/19

Road Test

Land Rover says the Range Rover’s weight reduction results in 0-60-mph times that are nearly a second quicker than before. Quoted 0-60 sprints are 6.5 seconds for Base and HSE models, 5.1 seconds for supercharged versions. The HSE driven gave us no reason to doubt that claim. There’s plenty of power at all speeds, though the transmission sometimes hesitates before downshifting for more passing power.

No opportunity to measure, however, EPA ratings are up over the 2012 models. All engines require premium-grade gas.

Most roads on our preview drive were either fairly smooth or snow-covered off-road trails, so it’s difficult to say how the Range Rover will handle normal bumps and pot holes. However, the tested HSE soaked up everything thrown at it with ease.

It’s hardly nimble, but the substantial weight reduction helps the Range Rover feel competent in corners, though the tall build induces some body lean. For severe off-road use, the suspension can be raised to summon a whopping 11.9 inches of ground clearance.

By most any measure, the Range Rover is among the quietest SUVs on the road, with noise levels that approach luxury sedans for serenity. When worked, the engine makes but a subdued snarl.

The “virtual” gauges are easy to read if somewhat odd to the eye. As is now the norm with luxury vehicles, adjusting the audio and climate controls can be confusing. The 8-inch dashboard screen absorbs nearly all audio functions, and too many that should be simple require multiple steps. Climate-system controls are mostly separate, but mode and some minor functions are controlled through the screen, and that likewise makes them harder to change. Furthermore, although the controls are mounted high on the dash, many are quite a stretch away.

Interiors don’t get much nicer than this. Virtually every surface is either padded with leather or covered with wood or bright trim.

Front seats are comfortable, and there’s plenty of headroom and legroom. Shorter folks many find the step-in to be high, though the suspension can be set to squat down for easier ingress and egress.

In back, there’s plenty of adult headroom, and legroom is adequate even behind a tall driver. Even someone stuck in the center seating position will find decent toe room, as the floor is nearly flat and the center console is scooped out at the bottom so that feet can slide under. Door openings are a bit tight and thus somewhat restrict egress.

Although the two halves of the power tailgate/liftgate open separately, they can both be closed with one touch of the button. Cargo room is quite good, and though the seat backs can be folded nearly flat to expand it, doing so results in a 1-inch step up from the cargo floor, which makes it more difficult to load bulky objects. Cabin storage could be better. It consists of upper and lower gloveboxes (both rather small), a small but deep console box, two covered cupholders in the console and two in a fold-down rear armrest, and map pockets.

Ratings

Model Tested: 2013 HSE

Ratings values are on a 1-10 scale, with 10 being the best. With the exception of Value, these numbers reflect how the vehicle compares against the universe of vehicles, not just against rivals in its class.

Performance

Acceleration - 7
70%
Fuel Economy - 4
40%
Ride Quality - 7
70%
Steering/Handling - 6
60%
Quietness - 8
80%

Accommodations

Controls/Materials - 7
70%
Room/Comfort Front - 9
90%
Room/Comfort Rear - 6
60%
Cargo Room - 9
90%

Other

Value - 5
50%

Total: 68

Specifications

4-door wagon
Wheelbase (in.) Length (in.) Width (in.) Height (in.) Weight (lbs)
115.0 196.8 78.1 72.3
Cargo Volume (cu/ft) Payload Capacity (cu/ft) Fuel Capacity (gal.) Seating Capacity
71.7 27.7 5.0
Headroom Legroom
Front Rear Front Rear
39.3 39.2 42.5 40.2
Safety Ratings

Model Tested: N/A

NHTSA

(5 is the highest rating)

Front Impact Test

Driver Injury - N/A
N/A0%
Front Passenger Injury - N/A
N/A0%

Side Impact Test

Driver Injury - N/A
N/A0%
Rear Passenger Injury - N/A
N/A0%

HLDI

(A score of 100 is average. Lower is better)

Collision N/A
Injury N/A
Theft N/A

Trouble Spots

Brakes
Description: Brakes could drag or bind. (2014)

Recall History

2013-14 Range Rover
Description: Doors may open unexpectedly.
2013-14 Range Rover
Description: A lightweight passenger may be improperly classified by the airbag sensor and the front passenger airbag might be disabled and not deploy in crash.
2013-14 Range Rover
Description: The brake vacuum hose might be incorrectly routed, allowing a hole to be worn in it. This would result in a loss of power brake assistance with longer stopping distances.
2013-14 Range Rover
Description: The Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) connector could be disconnected because of insufficient clearance. If disconnected, the side airbags would not deploy.
2014 Range Rover
Description: The turn signal indicator may not flash at a double rate to give notification to the driver of a turn signal malfunction. The driver would be unaware of a turn signal malfuction.
2014 Range Rover
Description: The tire-pressure monitoring system may give a false low-tire-pressure warning. Should a tire actually have low pressure, the driver would not be notified.

Equipment Lists

Equipment lists are only viewable on larger screen sizes.

Pricing

Used-car pricing varies widely depending on local market conditions. Therefore, we recommend visiting websites that list used cars for sale to get a better idea of what a specific model is selling for in your area.

More about Tom Appel
Written by: Tom Appel on April 20, 2016.
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