Range Rover's 'Ultimate' choice

The headlines will focus on the list price of the new Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition – at around £130,000 it’s the most expensive Range Rover every produced – but there’s more to this ultimate incarnation of Solihull’s finest than the dent it will make in your finances. The new model debuts at the Geneva Motor Show next month and is described by Land Rover as “The most luxurious Range Rover ever.”

To give you an idea of just how ‘luxurious’ this Autobiography Ultimate Edition is, there are Apple iPads installed as standard in the rear cabin, it features a super yacht inspired teak load space floor and the handcrafted luxury interior is trimmed with even softer leather and more exclusive aluminium and new ‘Kalahari’ wood veneers.

Two stand alone electric rear seats enhance space and comfort for the rear passengers, making the Ultimate Edition the definitive chauffeur vehicle. The addition of a rear console extension, including a machined aluminium laptop table and drinks chiller, plus those two Apple iPads as standard, take the Range Rover rear seat experience to new levels of luxury.

The all-V8 engine line-up includes the mainstay 4.4-litre TDV8 Diesel engine with a new eight-speed transmission incorporating Drive Select with Paddle Shift controls as standard. This LR-TDV8 combines 309 bhp together with 700Nm of torque whilst delivering even lower fuel consumption and 14% less CO2 emissions than its predecessor.

The combined cycle fuel consumption of the new TDV8 4.4-litre is just 30.1mpg, making this the first Range Rover ever to better 30mpg (albeit by just one-tenth of an mpg….). Performance is brisk rather than stunning, propelling the Range Rover from rest to 60mph in 7.5 seconds and covering the 50-75mph dash in just 5.1 seconds.

Just 500 units of this Ultimate Edition will be produced for the global market guaranteeing its exclusivity, although the list price would see to that without needing to limit volumes. Each car will be built to order, enabling owners to personalise their cars and making it very unlikely that any two cars will leave Solihull looking the same.

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