► We live with the new Range Rover
► This month: how flexible is it
► It’s a diesel! Month 1 here
The week’s plans offer a test of the Range Rover’s famous breadth of capabilities. First, a family camping trip, then a motorway blast to Manchester and finally 48 hours in Snowdonia. Family McNamara are camping novices with no idea what’s essential. And I’m seriously concerned our vast, two-bedroom air tent won’t fit beneath the immovable, auto-folding load spacecover.
Thankfully it just squeezes in, then five camping chairs, two stoves, a kitchen unit and numerous bags follow. The Rangie’s boot clearly has the same magical properties as Mary Poppins’ carpet bag.
Arriving at our Kent campsite, we’re ushered onto a grassy cliffside to choose a spot. Terrain Response now has an auto mode which works out the most suitable drivetrain and traction settings for your conditions, although a rotary controller can override to Dynamic, Rock Crawl or Wading. Without me choosing Grass/ Gravel/Snow the Rangie gambols around the greasy field, but let’s be honest, we are not descending from Everest base camp. Tougher tests will come.
More impressive is the motorway refinement, especially on our trek to Manchester. A whisper of wind noise and the odd Pirelli Scorpion Zero hum suppresses any murmur from the silken six-pot. All the while, the air springs let the body ebb and flow like dandelion seeds on the breeze. Serene and sumptuous.
Some 48 hours later, we’re carving impressively through the A487’s downhill sweepers into the Vale of Ffestiniog. The new-found body control eliminates previous Range Rovers’ tendency to ‘fall over’ in corners, instead telegraphing the L460’s superior grip and giving confidence to carry a little more speed in and power out earlier.
Breadth of capabilities? That box has been squarely ticked.
Logbook: Range Rover D350 HSE (Month 2)
Price £113,120 (£128,180 as tested)
Performance 2997cc turbodiesel six-cylinder, 345bhp, 516lb ft, 6.1sec 0-62mph, 145mph
Efficiency 37.2mpg (official), 33.4mpg (tested), 207g/km CO2
Energy cost 18.5p per mile
Miles this month 1098
Total miles 14,406