Range Rover
Posted in Range Rover on Sep 5th, 2007
The Range Rover is probably the height of all round driving excellence. The car itself really will get you anywhere that almost any car will go, and it will do it in supreme comfort. Buy a bulletproof one and you can just about stay immune to the whole world inside one - something that many owners delude themselves they are already.
It will get you anywhere. It will go on for years. The engineering is groundbreaking. The comfort is awesome.
How do you justify it though. We’re talking about £60k and 3 tonnes of machinery - who can make a sensible case for owning one of these? Someone towing all day, every day? Possibly. Someone moving 5 people regularly across inhospitable terrain with a need to keep them comfortable (realstically how often do you need to keep your suit crease free while traversing a desert?)? Unlikely.
So who actually buys them. Well the people who buy them new are the fashion brigade. Very rarely do you get a farmer who can afford to buy a brand new Rangie - he’ll buy it in 10 years time when he can afford it, or he’ll buy a disco instead. The people who buy them justify them by saying they have kids to shift around - my parents moved themselves, 2 kids and a dog in wonderful comfort in a Citroen GS estate (slightly smaller than a Ford Focus), so that isn’t justified. They say that they feel safer - but everyone outside the car is less safe - pedestrians hit by a 4×4 are likely to break a hip rather than a leg - and at 20 mph a 4×4 collision with a pedestrian is often fatal or disabling. Even inside the car is less safe, the false sense of security engendered by a Rangie makes you feel invincible leading you into greater risks than you would take in a Ford Ka. And if you don’t feel safe in a Ford Ka - you’re not driving well enough - take some advanced training and you’ll find out how to drive properly.
The only problem I have with the Rangie is that I think it is amazing - but I’d never suggest buying one to anyone. If you’re off roading for real, those leather seats will never take the mud - buy a Defender. If you need a comfortable road car - buy a Beemer. If you need a Tow vehicle that will cope on and off road - buy the Disco.
Lovely - but leave them to the footballers.