T H E X 5
MAY BE THE
P L A Y G R O U N D
BULLY, BUT
EVEN IT
K N O W S T H E
RANGE ROVER
ISN’T TO BE
MESSED
WITHquick, and sounds entertaining enough though it lacks the
downright punch of the diesels here. The boost kicks in at
around 2000rpm and it gets the two-tonne SUV to move, but
not with the same ferocity of a six-cylinder turbo-diesel. The
Range Rover gets a slightly stiffer suspension setup than the
rest of the cars here, and though it does have a heavier steering
and can corner well, you get the impression that it is a bit tall
and prefers a straight road to a winding one. But the Land
Rover is the most capable SUV off-road here, without a doubt.
You get the Terrain Response 2 system that allows you to select
different off-road modes. It’s the only one with all-terrain tyres
straight off the line. It isn’t the most obvious SUV at this price,
but it certainly makes a strong case for itself with is exclusivity.THE Q7, EVEN THOUGH IT IS A GOOD THREE YEARS
old now, still feels like an SUV that can slug it out with the
other big boys. It remains the benchmark for space, ride quality
and being the most well-rounded here. Would I pick one over
the BMW? Probably not. The BMW can now match the Q7 for
comfort, a department where it floundered in the past and
even feels more special from the inside. The Q7’s interior is
understated luxury, but the X5 and Rangie’s interiors feel like
a million bucks. Virtual cockpit was a big deal on the Q7 when
it launched, but the competition has caught up and moved
forward. The BMW also scores when it comes to emotion.
It’s not as raw as the older X5, but despite BMW’s engineers
dialling up the comfort, they’ve managed to retain some of its
character. The Q7 feels far too sterile in comparison. As for the
Range Rover, it makes a bigger statement than the other two
but just lacks the outright grunt. A V6-specced Rangie would
be great but then you’re looking at a stratospheric price tag too.
And while all these three SUVs would elicit the same kind of
treatment from that one cop, I’m just going to play it safe and. stick to the BMW. L
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