Review: 2016 Range Rover

Text and photos by Emily Chung

Land Rover vehicles are known for their luxury and power… even the Queen of England drives one! Ok, well… her chauffeurs drive one for her sometimes. They’ve also traditionally been gas guzzlers, but the diesel engine helps in this regard. Overall, the ride was smooth and we can see that this luxury SUV is a great family option.

Exterior Design

The 2016 Land Rover Range Rover Diesel keeps its distinguishable body, and signature headlamps.

 

I really liked the detail of the three lines on the side of the body, and it integrates the breakup of the door very well.

Our model tested came with 22” wheels, a tad big for my liking (I’m thinking about the cost of replacing and/or purchasing winter tires) but it matches the vehicle size and doesn’t look out of place.

Interior Design

The 2016 Land Rover Range Rover Diesel’s centre console was sleek with a cover over the cupholders, flush electronic parking brake switch, and the gearshift retracts when the ignition is turned off. When you start the engine, the gearshift comes up and you can select your gear by twisting the knob.

Similarly, the knob for the terrain selector also retracts and comes up when needed. Included in that cluster is the ability to change the ride height, turn on/off the engine auto-start, turn on/off traction, and many other features.

Overall, the dashboard and centre stack are minimal in design. Of course, the Range Rover has the advantage that the vehicle overall is larger so they have more space to work with. The infotainment system was also easy to use.

The steering wheel column buttons are laid out well and buttons are grouped together so that it looks streamlined. The buttons are within easy access while your hands are on the wheel.

Buttons, switches, and knobs are surrounded by a chrome trim (either individually or as a group), and this gives a change/break in colour to the interior.

There isn’t much storage space in the glove box and centre console (especially if you use the cool box, more on that later). Land Rover managed to give us additional storage in the door, underneath the armrest.

The rear climate control panel has a similar setup to the front one. While it’s becoming more common with various manufacturers to have heated rear seats, our Range Rover model included dual climate zones for the rear passengers.

The rear center armrest has as additional cup holders and a small, shallow storage compartment.

The interior even has flooring that feels like real carpet, not like the coarse ones you see in other vehicles.

Special Features

What is luxury without massage seats? Yes, our Range Rover model had that too. We’ve tested many massage seats in vehicles, and this is one of our favourites in terms of intensity and coverage.

The Range Rover is very spacious inside. Our model tested had a black interior and the panoramic sunroof it really brightens up the cabin. Beautiful!

Our model had a cool box in the centre armrest. It works only when the ignition switch is on, and keeps your items cool – not cold like a refrigerator. We liked using it on our road trip!

Just in front of the cool box are the auxiliary and charging ports.

The 2016 Land Rover Range Rover Diesel has a seatbelt monitor so that the driver can see at first glance who doesn’t have a seat belt on. Most vehicles have a warning light for the driver and front passenger seat, but it’s nice to have it for the rear passengers too. I’m reminded not to take off before my kids are buckled in the back!

Under The Hood / Basic Maintenance

The engine bay is mostly taken up by the 3.0L V6 engine, and covered by plastic shields. The windshield washer fluid refill neck sticks up a little bit and the bright blue stands out so at least you know that’s where the fluid is supposed to go!

While the coolant fluid cap is at the very front and easily accessible. According to the Range Rover owner’s manual you are to fill the fluid to the MAX indicator mark on the side of the reservoir. The wasn’t much room to see the reservoir, let alone the indicator mark.

The battery positive jump point is close to the negative boost point terminal.

A note about the window switches. The front driver side ‘master’ switch is located along the top edge of the door trim, which gives the inner door a sleek, minimalist look without all the buttons, knob, and switches. A word of caution though that if you frequent the drive-thru, remember to [cover up the switch] HYPERLINK: https://shar.es/1Q1XNl with your arm as you roll down the window. That way, you minimize the chance of water or snow getting onto the switch and causing electrical failure. Similarly, if you open the door during heavy rain or snowfall remember to close the door quickly or cover up the switch when you can.

Child Car Seat

The 2016 Land Rover Range Rover Diesel has more than enough room to accommodate a child car seat without losing room for the front passenger seat. The seat bench is relatively flat so you may not need pool noodles to get the correct angle when it comes to installing a rear-facing child car seat.

The headrest of the rear seats are flush so when you install a forward-facing child car seat, it will most likely sit flush with the vehicle’s seatback.

The rear seats have the seatbelt come from above the seat, which is nice because it sits closer to the collarbone. All forward-facing passengers (including the driver and front passenger) should have the seatbelt come from above the shoulder, and lie flat between the shoulder and collarbone.

Lastly, the UAS anchors are clearly marked though the anchor itself is tucked just at the edge of the cushion.

Trunk/Spare Tire

With an overall length of 196.8”, the 2016 Range Rover Diesel has plenty of room to carry your cargo in the trunk. The trunk space is rectangular, and its space isn’t cut off by the wheel wells.

The floor of the trunk lifts up to expose the spare tire. Just remember if you ever have to pull the spare out, you’ll need to remove all your items in the trunk to access it!

The 2016 Land Rover Range Rover Diesel delivers luxury in the SUV segment, and the diesel engine is relatively quiet. At the time of writing, the 2017 Land Rover Range Rover Diesel starts at $111,500 CAD.

 

Model tested:

2016 Land Rover Range Rover Diesel

3.0L TdV6 engine

8-speed automatic transmission

Four-wheel drive

Seating Capacity: 5

Road Test Terrain: 40% city, 60% highway

Tested MSRP: $131,515 CAD