Range Rover 5.0 Autobiography: PH Fleet

Harris is feeling the love for his Range Rover; might even be reciprocated this time too

On the subject of the nearly £40K, secondhand, supercharged L322 Range Rover, it could be said that no news really is the very best news. And so it is that after 2,500 miles in just under four months, this car has only registered two minor whoopsies.

One-off CD player wobble so far the only glitch

Once, and I mean just once, the disc changer refused to change disks, whereupon I ejected it and it hasn't wobbled since. And for some reason I can't get the interior lights to illuminate when a door is opened. But I think I have to assume that is operator error.

I swapped this car for my very old Rangie Classic and updated the insurance policy accordingly. The old shed covered very few road miles, so was limited to 3,000 per annum. I thought adding another 2,000 would cover the added attraction of 500hp and heated seats, but it really doesn't come close. I cannot stop choosing to drive this machine.

The list of things I've walked past to pull on that rather disappointingly graunchy L322 door-handle is long and exotic. But there's something about this car that I find magnetic.

Wheels are going to get de-blinged...

Much of that must be down to the specification. Though it may look like I'm trying to support my residuals, I think a dark green '322 with caramel innards is way more dignified than the new car. The wheels are a bit garish, and I'm looking into some alternatives, and I will have the chrome grille and other chrome brightwork softened into something more graphite in colour.

Insane, isn't it? I have other toys whose aesthetics I should be interested in tweaking, but which I just wouldn't bother with, but I'd like this car to be 'my' perfect Rangie. Or is it just that I think any chrome on a 322 looks too TOWIE? Probably the latter.

Performance - now, there's a thing. This lummox certainly feels way, way faster from rest to, ahem, 70mph than its 190hp per tonne suggests. In fact I can't think of a machine with a greater disparity between straight-line speed and cornering potential, other than perhaps the G63 AMG. The SCRR can actually land you in a spot of bother sometimes because the powertrain and overall sensations are those of a Bentley and not a mud-plugger, so you occasionally arrive at stuff a bit too quickly. Thankfully the big front Brembos are just about up to the task.

...as is some of the exterior chromework

Then there's the stuff we already knew about this model, and which doesn't change. The front cabin is vast and brilliantly designed. The rear is way too cramped for such a large bodyshell and the boot is big enough to hold a few dogs, seats up, and a Honda CRF 110, seats down.

I have a year's approved Land Rover warranty included in the purchase price, so I'm not scouring the forums for would-be disasters yet. But one potential issue has been mentioned by several knowledgeable types; leaking coolant dripping onto the supercharger pulley and causing it to seize. I am lifting the bonnet to have a peer occasionally.

But other than that it's been plain sailing. I don't want to relax just yet though - I haven't towed with it. The last time I towed with a '322 that bore my name on the V5, it broke quite spectacularly. Twice. I suspect that 516lb ft and several more years of development will help avoid a repeat episode.

As things stand, I think this is the most likeable car I get to drive on a regular basis. And I don't even like SUVs. How does that work?

FACT SHEET
Car: 2010 Range Rover 5.0 Supercharged Autobiography
Run by: Chris Harris
Bought: December 2013
Mileage: Some more!
Purchase price: £38,000 (before man maths, haggling and finance...)
Last month at a glance: The warm glow continues to spread and that's not just the heated seats

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