Some people buy the Range Rover as a mobile lounge room, not as a mere car. Having just spent a week driving the special edition Range Rover ‘Autobiography’ we can understand their motives. This is a vehicle that reeks style, perhaps not style in a subdued manner, because some will regard the body details and the interior styling as verging on the garish. But if you do want to stand out from the crowd – both on-road and off-road – then this 4WD vehicle will suit you to perfection.

The British Land Rover marque has been producing its Range Rover for almost 40 years, predating other upmarket vehicles in its class by several decades. Others have tried to copy the Rangie, but none have succeeded to the fullest extent.

Note the use of the term ‘4WD’ in our introduction, because this is most certainly not an ‘SUV’. While it may look like a refined wagon, almost a grand touring estate, the Range Rover Vogue remains true to its roots. Though you may not be keen to get the polished paintwork and quality leather muddy, this vehicle will tackle the rough stuff with equanimity. And leave some tough looking pretenders wondering what happened to them.

Indeed, on more than one occasion we have seen a Range Rover on the business end of a snatchem strap while it's dragging a lesser vehicle out of a bog.

 

Range Rover Vogue Autobiography was introduced to Australia at the end of 2008 to assist sales as the company prepared for a major makeover of the Rangie range that's due to be introduced in Britain in the next few months. Highlights of the 2010 Range Rover, which was shown at the 2009 New York Auto Show, include larger, more powerful engines, fascinating interior technologies combined with increased in-cabin comfort, and further improvements to the already good driving dynamics. Imports of the MY 2010 Range Rover to Australia are planned to begin in the fourth quarter of 2009.

In the meantime, the Range Rover Autobiography, priced at a substantial $212,700 (plus on-road charges), comes with many interesting extra features. Outside, the radiator grille and large side vents use what Range Rover calls Diamond Mesh inserts. The luxurious Range Rover makes no secret of the fact that you want to be noticed.

These bold body inserts are complemented by 20-inch alloy wheels, fitted with Continental Cross Contact tyres. The wheels’ complex shape will make them a pain to clean after tackling the aforementioned muddy surfaces. Then again, anyone with over $200,000 to spend on a 4WD will no doubt have a professional detailer on standby to make everything clean again after their visit to the bush.

 

 

There's a two-tone dashboard done in full leather, with a hand-stitched appearance that's very British in its makeup. Soft-grain leather even covers the door cappings, not simply the door trim. Combine this leather with fashionable piano-black highlights and you get an interior that almost art deco. Pedals are trimmed in with stainless-steel details that give them a race-car look.

A fascinating feature is the use of special ‘Acoustic and Climate’ glass in the windscreen and front-side windows. This has special properties to reduce both sound and glare to the interior. This newly developed glass is only part of a major package that reduces noise, vibration and harshness in all new Range Rovers, not just the special edition Autobiography.

There's no doubt that this vehicle simply wafts along in near silence on smooth road surfaces such as that found on most motorways. And noise levels barely increase even when the surfaces under the big tyres become on the rough-and-ready side.

As we said, this really is a mobile lounge room. Though, it could also be called a mobile bush shack, or perhaps a mobile beach hut.

Fuel consumption from the 4.2-litre supercharged V8 engine during our weeks test hovered around the 10 to 11 litres per hundred kilometres mark when the going was easy, but soon climbed to 14 to 17 litres around town. Off-road it depends on what sort of terrain you are tackling, but if you're going to be doing some serious work – and the Range Rover just loves that – then it may pay to fill the 104-litre fuel tank before heading into the wilderness.

Range Rover Autobiography is also offered in turbo-diesel format should you wish to keep that fuel consumption, and consequently carbon dioxide emissions, under control.