Range Rover

SECOND REPORT Our 2022 Luxury Car of the Year continues to impress, despite one blip

- Steve Fowler

IT'S amazing what numbers stick in something I recite probably a little too often, and always with a smug smile on my face.

The reason? A five-metre-long SUV should not be able to turn around in just 10.95 metres, but that's just what my Range Rover does. For context, my daughter's MINI turns around in about the same space - and her car is over a metre shorter.

The secret is the Range Rover's rearwheel steering; the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the fronts at low speeds to achieve that astonishing turning circle, then they move in the same direction as the fronts at higher speeds to aid stability when cornering. It's not that I throw my SUV around like a sports car, but it does feel considerably more wieldy than previous generations of Range Rover.

And yes, I have found myself in situations where I've been waiting for other drivers to go backwards and forwards in their car when manoeuvring, while Mr Smug over here gets around in one go. Brilliant.

It's one of the many unexpected things that have impressed me about Range Rover ownership so far - and they come from Land Rover knowing who buys these cars and what might stop them buying a new one.

So, for owners who've been frustrated by the constant twirling of the steering wheel in tight spaces, four-wheel steering fixes that.

And for owners frustrated by how often they have to fill up, that's been fixed, too. In a world when range is a hot topic among car buyers - especially those looking at EVs - my 3.0-litre diesel D350 model will cover a genuine 600 miles between fills.