Range Rover Autobiography

The Range Rover Autobiography is among the most expensive Range Rovers you can buy, and boasts some luxurious equipment as standard. This means that, along with the equipment that can be found on the Range Rover Vogue SE – like automatic climate control, a Meridian sound system, and front and rear parking cameras – you also get a heated leather and wood steering wheel, larger alloy wheels and a panoramic roof as standard.

The entry-level 3.0-litre TDV6 diesel offers a good balance of fuel economy and performance, and it’s pretty smooth too. Although more expensive, the V6 diesel hybrid is both quicker and cheaper to run than the 3.0-litre TDV6 and offers more performance than most people will ever need. Both the 4.4-litre V8 diesel and 5.0-litre V8 petrol Range Rovers are faster still, but the running costs are undeniably high.

The long-wheelbase version of the Autobiography is only available with the more powerful V8 petrol engine and the hybrid. It is slightly longer than the standard version, and so has improved rear passenger space.

Good points

The Range Rover Autobiography is a luxury car first and an off-roader second. It has a plush interior, boasts impressive levels of equipment, and road noise is almost non-existent. However, the Range Rover is still an excellent car when it comes to the rough stuff, giving it a versatility that class rivals like the Mercedes S-Class saloon simply can’t compete with.Considering the fact that the Range Rover is a large SUV, it is also quite enjoyable to drive too. Even the entry-level 3.0-litre V6 provides more than adequate performance for such a large car.

Bad points

Although none of its rivals can compete with the Range Rover’s excellent off-road ability, the fact that it is an SUV has its downsides. Compared to more conventional saloons like the Mercedes S-Class or Audi A8, the car’s height means that access to the back is awkward.While there’s no doubting that the Autobiography has an impressive amount of equipment, it is expensive, costing £10,000 more than the equivalent Vogue SE. It is also more expensive to run than many of its luxurious competitors.Finally, the touchscreen infotainment system is fiddly and overcomplicated, making it difficult to find even the most basic of commands.

What you get

• Alloy wheels
• Metallic paint
• Panoramic roof
• Electric folding wing mirrors
• Alarm
• Rear parking sensors
• Tyre pressure sensors
• Passenger & Driver airbag
• Front side airbags
• Curtain airbags
• Front fog lights
• Auto climate control
• Full leather seats
• Leather steering wheel
• Height adjustable driver's seat
• Electric driver's seat
• Heated front seats
• Front electric windows
• Single CD player
• AUX stereo input
• DAB Radio
• Cruise control
• Sat nav
• Stop/Start
• Automatic wipers
• Reversing camera
• Rear electric windows
• Bluetooth

Our choice

The 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine provides good fuel economy for a big luxury SUV like the Range Rover. It also gives good performance should you need it.