PART hardcore off-roader, part sports SUV, part luxury limousine – this has always been Range Rover’s credo.

The first generation changed the automotive world when it launched in 1970 and, while the landscape has changed (thanks in no small part to the iconic original), the latest one tested here has some radical advancements of its own.

As the first SUV with a full aluminium body structure, the fourth-generation Rangie is up to 420kg lighter and – by extension – sharper in the bends, better on fuel and easier to stop than before.

The longer wheelbase improves rear legroom – although it’s still no S-Class – while the otherwise refined and sumptuous interior was let down by the navigation system and the lack of standard adaptive cruise control.

So it’s not quite perfect, but it’s close.

Here we test the 4.4 SDV8 diesel Vogue.

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