Range Rover P530 Autobiography

The newest Range Rover steps into the modern era but retains its old-world charm

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We are living in a fastmoving world. From the inexorable move towards the digitisation of almost every medium of communication known to humankind to the increasing drive in the direction of fuel-efficient motoring and electrification, some of the tenets of our society are in a state of flux. Many things imbued with timehonoured charm are dwindling in our rear-view mirrors. This is why it's heartening to see some things managing to circumvent such caprices (or at least adapt in a less jarring manner) and remain untouched by the passage of time. The latest Range Rover is a case in point. While it has adopted numerous digital-age technologies in place of dated mechanical systems, assumed modern underpinnings and gone the dreaded route of engine downsizing - it's not as bad as you'd believe, but more on this later-it preserves much of what makes the genre-defining luxury SUV as enticing now as it was when it first broke cover more than 50 years ago.

In terms of its styling, the fifth-generation Range Rover perseveres with the classic two-box silhouette but dispenses with many of its forebear's fussier details. It has created an appearance that places suitably futuristic touches such as those slimline stacked brake lamp arrays and modern, pared-down grille and headlamp arrangement on a canvas instantly recognisable as a Range Rover. Even the trademark split rear tailgate remains true to form, albeit now with electric operation, even for the lower tier load lip/impromptu seat.