2016 Land Rover Range Rover TD6: First Drive

What Is It? 2016 Range Rover TD6, a full-size luxury SUV
Price range: $87,445 to $94,445 (base price)
Competitors: Cadillac Escalade, Infiniti QX80, Lexus LX570, Mercedes-Benz GL Class, Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Alternatives: Toyota Land Cruiser, Porsche Cayenne
Pros: Proven off-road prowess combined with resplendent luxury; great fuel economy for its size
Cons: Uncertainty with long-term reliability
Would I Buy It With My Own Money? Sure, at least if I only planned on owning one while there’s a warranty.
When thinking of Range Rovers, the word “sensible” seldom comes to mind–even more so when you’re taking a $100,000 SUV and having it gyrate, and cajole itself through perilous mountain passages in Spain. But practicality is what the new TD6 trim brings to the 2016 Range Rover, in the form of a direct-injected diesel V-6.
Its $1,500 premium over the standard supercharged V-6 may seem strange, considering the latter makes 86 more horsepower than the diesel’s 254 hp. That’s offset by a substantial improvement in fuel economy—22 city and 28 highway mpg versus the standard model’s 17 city/23 highway. Would the affluent Range Rover customer appreciate those savings, especially with declining prices at the gas pump?
Maybe not, but it gives the 2.5-ton SUV an impressive 650-mile range, and 440 lb.-ft. of torque at 1,750 rpm. There’s more usable, low-end grunt on the street compared to the standard V-6, which makes 375 lb.-ft. of torque, and there’s power on tap all the way to its 4,800-rpm redline. While its 7.4 second 0-60 mph time won’t impress the G-Class AMG gawkers of the world, what’s remarkable is what you don’t notice; at idle the engine emits but a faint rumble, and at full tilt it sounds like a sedate gasoline V-6. No cacophonous clattering typical for a diesel, thanks to increased sound deadening in the firewall and acoustic laminated glass for the windshield.
Engine aside, the experience is just as plush as you’d expect with the standard Range Rover. Even when crawling over jutting rocks or trundling through gravel, the queen’s SUV feels composed and serene, with not a hint of rattling or a twisting chassis. There’s an alphabet soup’s worth of technological acronyms that can make the Ranger Rover practically drive itself when off-roading. With All Terrain Progress Control (ATPC), you set the speed and let the vehicle do all the braking and gas while you steer. We put it to the test climbing a steep incline at Les Comes, where the computer automatically detected slipping and crawled up the hill, all without ever touching the pedals.
With its palatial appointments and unflappable capability off-road, the Range Rover seems perfect—except when factoring in long-term reliability. According to JD Power’s 2015 Vehicle Dependability Study, Land Rover came in second to last with 258 problems per 100 vehicles, surpassed only by Fiat. According to Land Rover, that was due to transmission issues in other models that have since been rectified, but will it fare significantly better next year? 
That may be the Range Rover’s most challenging ascent—not to climb the Dakar-rally inspired trails, but to overcome old perceptions of quality.

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