As supercars stay parked for winter, Land Rover’s flagship hybrid delivers private-jet calm, effortless power, and restorative luxury on any road.
Very soon, it will be jingling all the way on a one-horse open sleigh. As such, might we offer a considered suggestion as you slip into the Brunello Cucinelli lace-ups? You might soon be bound for The Little Nell in Aspen or the soul-replenisher’s favorite – the Amangiri in Utah. If you are, perhaps the best advice is to leave the thrilling supercar behind.
This season, the monied are forgoing any further increase in cortisol and opting instead for the quilted pampering of the 2025 Range Rover Hybrid. It’s already been a breathless year, and one might be, dare we say, in need of care.
I tested the standard-wheelbase 2025 Range Rover; there is also a long-wheelbase version, and one with seven seats if you fancy the extra space. Go crazy, and those Brits will sell you a James Bond–sounding Special Vehicle Operations version while you watch the price climb and your trust fund deplete at a rather alarming rate. Climbing up and into the Range Rover, it’s impossible to escape the aura of flying private that permeates the entire experience.
The L460 – the fifth-generation Range Rover, if you’re stuck beside a party boor and need to baffle them, is the first Ranger to offer hybrid electric power. Land Rover sells its 4x4s in 130 countries, so the transition had better be a good one. Over four years since its launch, how has the current Rover fared in a sea of Mercedes G-Class and BMW X7 rivals? Rather well, it seems, as Land Rover now prepares to plunge the Range Rover into the murky depths of fully electric propulsion based on customer feedback. All bets are either on or off for the success of a fully electric Range Rover, depending on who you talk to. Mercedes has not shifted many electric G580s, but the G’s gruffer, military origins were always going to make deleting the 4×4’s true ISP a harder sell.
The plucky Brits, on the other hand, are hoping for a warmer global reception. The merits of being halfway to fully electric see the Range Rover Hybrid become a joy to navigate on all terrains. It glides and wafts with a level of isolation that mimics the immersion of noise-cancelling headphones. Only Bentley and Rolls-Royce offer this high plane of luxury. Mercedes-Maybach, to be fair, has a go, but somehow falls short. And kindly put your hand down, Porsche. You’re drunk, go home.
From countryside to town, my week in the Range Rover remained simply delightful. Getting out and about in the city should have been a worry in a vehicle that spans over 16.6 feet (standard length) and 7.3 feet wide. Yet the tall driving position and generous glasshouse gave an excellent vantage point for placing the 4×4 properly in tight traffic. The powertrain is a straight-six 3.0-liter PHEV, and it surges with none of the usual hybrid lumpiness. During my week, it never hiccupped once and drove with a creamed, oiled surge. Top marks go to the suspension, which barely registers a distant karrump as you glide over broken motorway surfaces. The front seats are equally pillowy-soft. All in all, I found the Range Rover Hybrid to be a work of lofty engineering genius that defies the laws of physics.
Things I might change? Well, maybe the recessed door handles. I detest this trend; they may look cool and aesthetically pleasing, but conventional handles work just fine in all weather.
Which brings us to the thorny problem of price. What does the Range Rover Hybrid cost? It’s not just money, if that’s what you’re thinking. Typically, it’s a succession of continual sacrifices made by the owner who bought the luxury SUV in the first place. There are missed family holidays because you were on the other side of the world, building your brand or product. Add in endless late nights spent backing your crazy business idea with your family home. Next time, look up at the person driving a Range Rover Hybrid in traffic and remember this: odds are, they have worked their fingers right to the bone to own one. What does the 2025 Range Rover really cost? In 2025, plenty.
