What is a Range Rover? A Range Rover is a luxury midsize SUV built in the Solihull, UK assembly plant and is sold worldwide by Land Rover. Land Rover is the automotive brand and Range Rover is one of the Land Rover models; like a Mustang is one of the many Ford models. The full Range Rover name is Land Rover Range Rover SE; just as a Mustang is a Ford Mustang GT.
Why are Range Rovers so expensive? Range Rovers are expensive for a few reasons. The major part of the Range Rover’s appeal is that these SUVs are both luxurious and very rugged. Range Rover uses high quality materials in all of their models and every Range Rover includes top line amenities and luxury accessories. Range Rovers tend to be more expensive than Land Rovers and they are all targeted at wealthy buyers.
This week Land Rover sent me a 2023 Range Rover SE SWB PHEV SUV to test drive and review. The base window sticker price for this SE model is $110,500. The options on the SUV are: the heated and cooled massaging front seats, heated and cooled rear seats for $4,200, the hot climate pack for $2,200, the technology pack for $2,000, the gloss black veneer package for $1,300, the tailgate event suite for $1,250, the Meridian 3D surround sound audio system for $1,200, the shadow exterior pack for $1,000, the black contrast roof for $1,000, the LED headlights and DLR’s for $550, black painted brake calipers for $550, a 21″ full size spare wheel and tire for $450, the ebony headliner for $400, a heated steering wheel for $300, and the illuminated seat belt buckles for $100. The manufactures suggested retail price (MSRP), including the $1,475 destination and delivery charge is: $128,475.
After adding in the state and local sales tax, plus the DMV and dealer fees, the out the door and in your garage total purchase price came to: $144,534. At near $145 Grand this Range Rover SE SUV will look stunning at your local country club, driving to your lake front Tahoe house, or just picking up some weekend warrior stuff at Home Depot.
To get you there quickly this SE edition has a 3.0L liter turbocharged 6 cylinder gas engine with 434 horsepower (HP), 457 lb-ft of torque, with a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) motor, bolted to an 8 speed automatic transmission with gearshift paddles, routed into an all wheel drive (AWD) traction control system with a twin speed transfer case. Plus it has a terrain response system with selectable driving and off road modes, hill launce assist, traction launch, electric power assisted steering, all wheel steering (AWS), a set of 21″ alloy wheels and a 4 corner air suspension system with adaptive dampers.
As this is a PHEV, it’s nice to note that this SUV can drive up to 51 miles on a full battery charge. That is way more than the average 25 to 30 miles that people actually drive on a daily basis. This means that you can plug in this SUV at night and drive it all day long as an electric vehicle (EV). Then after the battery runs out of juice, the gas engine fires up and you can go anywhere you want to with zero worries.
The comfort and convenience list is over 30 items long and it starts with: the LED headlights, LED daytime running lights, LED fog lights, high beam assist, the nickel alloy exterior pack, soft close doors, a power tailgate, a sliding panoramic glass sunroof with a powered sun shade, rain sensing windshield wipers, privacy glass, auto dimming headlights, power folding side view mirrors with memory and approach lights, Windsor leather seating with heaters, 3 zone climate control, a power adjustable and heated leather wrapped steering wheel, remote start, keyless entry, push button start, a 13.1″ center stack digital screen with a pro information system, a Wi-Fi hotspot, SiriusXM radio, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, a wireless charging pad, a driver display interactive dashboard, and a Meridian 3D premium audio system with 19 speakers, a 800 watt amplifier, a center channel, a subwoofer and rear mounted surround sound speakers.
Call, click or visit your local Land Rover dealer for a test drive, and a Bottom Line price review, on the 2023 Range Rover SE PHEV SWB SUV. And remember that the base price for a new Range Rover SE starts at only $83,000. Range Rover – Above & Beyond.
Be smart, stay safe, and just breathe. Remember, You Are What You Drive, and maybe, just for those reasons alone, you should Drive one, Buy one, Today. Have a great day, drive safely, and enjoy the ride, as the future looks nice and bright – Tony the Car Guy.
This Bottom Line new vehicle review is a Nut & Bolt and Dollars & Sense editorial provided by Tony Leopardo. Tony the Car Guy is an automotive writer, editor and publisher in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you have a question, or comment for Tony, send it to tonyleo@pacbell.net and visit AutoWire.Net at www.autowire.net
