STILL RIDING HIGH

The fifth-generation Range Rover takes effortless performance, quiet comfort and modern luxury to a higher level. TONY TAN flies to Napa Valley in California for a test-drive

For a couple of days back in April, I really felt like a multi-millionaire. I was at Sonoma County Airport, which is a gateway of sorts to northern California’s famous wineries, and I have just disembarked from a private jet. Parked nearby was a row of spanking-new Range Rover luxury SUVs, and one of them had my name written on it. Or more accurately, my name was on a placard displayed on the dashboard.

I was invited to Range Rover’s global media event, and for two days, I drove Land Rover’s latest flagship across highways, country roads and picturesque off-road trails. The total distance covered was around 400km, so I can safely say that I got to know the vehicle quite intimately.

Is it still the standard bearer for all luxury SUVs? Most definitely, yes. There may be many alternatives, but the Range Rover pioneered the luxury SUV market. Introduced in 1970, it is still the benchmark even though it has a huge target on its back with Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Lamborghini setting their sights on this category.

LOOKING THE PART

Land Rover uses the phrase “modern luxury” a lot in its press and marketing materials, and I can see why. Modern certainly applies to the Range Rover’s exterior design, which features a gorgeous blend of proportion, precise lines and sleek surfaces. In fact, when I first saw the Range Rover First Edition P530 and touched it in the flesh, outdoors on a lusciously trimmed lawn at the press event’s first evening, it looked much more mesmerising than it did captive in a showroom in Seoul last December when I was invited to its preview.