LONG LIVE THE RANGIE

As the Range Rover turns 50 this year, we look at what has made it an enduring success

- TUHIN GUHA

Unlike how many of these stories go, the high point in the Range Rover’s legacy wasn’t sometime in the past. It’s right now. The Range Rover is the definitive luxury SUV of our times. So much so that everyone from Aston Martin, through Mercedes-Benz to Rolls-Royce has in the past few years decided that they want in on its action.A big part of this legacy is the notion that the original Range Rover was the first SUV, in the correct sense of the word. But that’s not entirely true. The Jeep Wagoneer debuted in the USA in 1963 and provided the mix of aspiration, luxury and utility that has come to define this class of the car.

So where does the appeal of the Rangie come from? And what has made it an enduring success for so long? Much of its current relevance can be attributed to a decision that, again surprisingly, didn’t have much to do with the Range Rover itself. The move to bring the Land Rover LRX concept to production as a Range Rover, the Evoque, in 2011 was an inspired one. It rejuvenated the brand and made it something that younger buyers aspired towards, if not for the heritage then for the stunning looks.

The Evoque was also the starting point of the Range Rover sub-brand. The second-generation Sport followed soon with its promise of more engagement while keeping the luxury and off-roading ability largely intact, while the Velar added that shot of high-street appeal that makes or breaks a luxury SUV these days. Sure the first-gen Sport was around before the Evoque, but it wasn’t much more than a tarted-up contemporary Discovery.