2023 Range Rover Autobiography India Review, First Drive

A brand that needs no introduction, a car that has capabilities that have surpassed expectations with every generation and a cocktail of both have never really put the critics or discerning clients in a shadow of a doubt that what they have just sampled is borderline extraordinary. The Range Rover Autobiography has put things into perspective and also how segmentation of luxury cars is done, worldwide. Basically, every time a new generation has come, the pricing and quality determine how Range Rover is approached. Last time, it sat above most European cars, very specifically, the German trio. This time, Range Rover raises the bar and reaches even higher and competes with the like of Rolls Royce and Bentley. The pricing of all variants in India has gone up and almost reaches that mark. Making things very exciting. Range Rover has delivered in all areas in a bespoke manner. How has it done it this time? We spend a few days with it and make all the hours count and tell you what is it all about.

On the outside, the 2023 Range Rover Autobiography is substantial in width, height and length of over 5 meters. The rising sill line door integration with the windows gives it an entirely new look over its previous generations, something that is a clever integration once you get close to the car. The design elements of the car make it stand out. The flush items on the car such as the headlight, door handles and grille make it look futuristic and very digital. All this and yet it looks majestic and royal.

The build quality is fantastic and extremely solid even today and as we know, most 2023 Range Rover Autobiography score the highest marks in crash tests. The diamond-cut 22-inch wheels on our test car and the unique headlamps with Adaptive Front Lighting and Image Projection technology LED lights are our favourites as they look sleek and futuristic. The pearl white colour, the u shape element on the front door, and the way the rear tail-lamps merge with the black applique on the top of the split tailgate come together instantly helping it identify over its previous generations. Clearly. Land Rover has crafted the design perfectly well while keeping the iconic silhouette alive and kicking even today!

On the inside, the build and quality are good and so is the expansive feature list. The SUV gets everything you can imagine. Things such as automatic lights, steering controls, cruise control, 360 camera, 360 parking sensor and a panoramic sunroof. Ventilated seats, digital instrumentation, HUD, wireless Apple car play and Android auto are now part of the Pivi Pro. A fantastic and heavily revised 1600w Meridian sound system is on offer! An impressive infotainment system which works really well when it comes to response, touch and sensitivity. The graphics and fonts are good but responses can be a tad better. The screen is large and it is devoid of the bezels on the sides as well.

We appreciate the new switches and buttons on the Centre console, mirror and window operators making the experience different from the previous version. Space is endless in the LWB version in every regard. Be it head, leg, shoulder or knee room. The boot space is humungous by segment standards in this 7-seater version. The third row of seats is good for mid-sized adults as well. Road and wind noise inside the cabin is downright low due to the active noise cancellation technology on offer. The IRVM has a video option in it if you block the rear boot glass with luggage, the view outside is even better with the video option. This makes it a car with two rear view camera, one for parking and one for IRVM that is mounted in one of the dual shark fin antenna. The safety kit continues to be high with electronic stability control, traction control, ten airbags, Hill Hold Assist, ABS and EBD come and a whole lot more is on offer. If you think we missed something you can always check our launch report and video review which is covered in an in-depth manner.

The V6 mild hybrid diesel engine on our test car is smooth, free-revving, and low on NVH than before. Be it in any part of the rev range, there is enough torque. The gearbox operates well with smooth and time up and downshifts. Low and mid-range are good and the top-end is good enough as well and it cruises at legal speeds easily. The drive modes make sure that you can have a calm car or a sporty car with eco and sports modes. This makes the SUV good enough for city and highway duties. The fuel economy is now much more impressive 11 km/l in the city and 15 km/l on the highway. The highway efficiency goes higher by 25-30%, which depends on your speed if it stays under 100, you can get a higher number.

The low to medium ride quality is good but can be a bit stiff because of the 22 wheels on car our test car. You can opt for a lower one and enjoy a supple ride very likely. Adjustable suspension means you can do anything with this SUV as its water-wading capacity and ground clearance goes almost two feet high with a press of a button. Steering is light, precise and has very good feedback on offer which makes the car fun and confidence-inspiring to push harder. The larger wheels and low profile make sure it corners like it’s on rails. Handling is sporty and the overall stability is very good. The brakes are good with a good pedal bite on offer.

Thanks to rear-wheel steering, the car manoeuvres without much effort and U-turns are not bad if you plan them well. With the parallel parking being automatic, it can make sure that you don’t need to park this car on your own if you are not in the mood to do so. Overall, quite more fun to drive than before, easier than before and clearly as sporty and capable as before thanks to its 4×4 system. Something we could not sample this time as it had low profile road-biased 22-inch wheels on offer.

2023 Range Rover Autobiography India Review, Verdict

The Range Rover then, deliveries in all areas as much as it can and then more. The ease of use has increased over the previous version when it comes to driving a big vehicle in the narrow streets of Mumbai. The rear-wheel steering is a game changer for any luxury vehicle. The unique character that the Range Rover V6 diesel engine is still intact. The off-roading was the bare minimum as the test with 22-inch wheels begs to be on the road and off-the-road is simply calling for destroying the set of wheels. Needless to say, the right wheels can do a great job at off-roading too. Something we will try very soon. All this, plus the luxury on the inside, especially this Autobiography variant, the attention to detail solving age-old problems and adding more to the kitty so the customers are satisfied makes the Range Rover something bespoke, simplistic and yet borderline extraordinary.