Range Rover 3.9 Vogue SE: pioneer of luxury SUVs

E There are cars that you can't forget. They just don't want us out of their heads. They keep popping up - a permanent temptation. In advertisements, at used car dealers on the roadside and recently also on the Internet. They don't cost the world, but when you get involved with them you dread the morning after.

Leatherman in the shape of a car: The eternally alluring Range Rover

It is always the same seducers who entice us like the sirens and give us a lascivious 'Buy me!' breathe in: Porsche 928, Maserati Biturbo, Jaguar XJ 12 Series III, Lancia Thema 8.32 - and the ever-tempting Range Rover. Cars that supposed connoisseurs warn us about, in whose garages there are cars without risks and side effects such as Mazda MX-5, Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (R129) or a BMW 318i convertible from the E30 series.

They are totally unsuitable for such a test of courage. But they rarely appear on the wish list of obsessive car fanatics because they have too little charisma. Then rather endure ghastly nightmares of meter-long toothed belts that cost 2,000 euros to replace, are afraid of rust blisters that are getting bigger and bigger, and surrender to a spark plug change that requires the removal of all ancillary units. Passion comes from suffering.

The Range Rover, that stylish all-rounder, a kind of Leatherman in the shape of a car, draft horse, packhorse, shopping station wagon and salon lion at the same time, has such a bitch image. If only because he is an Englishman, it cost 100,000 marks again, and that twelve years ago. These three factors multiply in the imagination of bad people to roverkill.

Range Rover is timeless and classless, there is little risk involved in buying it

Enjoyment with regret seems to be preprogrammed with the Range Rover if you dream of the cool eight-cylinder Multi-purpose car for 5,000 euros, which is as timeless as it is classless. Urs Stiegler, all-wheel-drive rover specialist from Sigmaringen, has provided Motor Klassik with a late 3.9 Vogue SE. He defends the lavishly motorized four-wheel cruiser: 'The Range Rover character assassination is based on prejudice. British cars are badly made, they say. And the Range Rover is often mentioned in the same breath as the Jaguar XJ 12 in complexity. That is Not true: The spare parts cost less and the engine lasts almost forever, even with broken-in camshafts that used to breakWeak point, it shows hardly any loss of power - often it doesn't even rattle. '

For the Land Rover self-taught artist Stiegler, buying a Range Rover even from a flag dealer means no greater risk than that of another old automobile Upper class. 'When someone buys an older S-Class, he also pays attention to strange noises. Hear whether the automatic transmission is shifting correctly and take it on stage to check for rust on the body and oil leakage on the drive. The Range Rover doesn't require any more knowledge either. '

The Range Rover is the pioneer of today's SUV

The fascination of the Range Rover is nourished by the myth of the pioneer as well as by the unique driving experience, that the sleek eight-cylinder dictates the two permanently driven rigid axles in the air suspension bellows. Its own legend, which exemplifies an entire car species and proudly leads it, makes the Range Rover desirable in a platonic way.

Back in 1970 the '100-inch station wagon', invented by Rover chief designer C. Spencer King, as his project name was based on the wheelbase of 2.54 meters, became the trademark for what will later be called SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) On the one hand, thanks to the V8 engine and permanent all-wheel drive, the Range Rover is a respectable road vehicle - sufficiently fast and comfortable, and at the same time remarkably quiet. On the other hand, it does not act like a pseudo off-road athlete. Rather, thanks to the ingenious power transmission with a reduction and transfer case each including a viscous lock, it behaves amazingly agile even on difficult terrain.

Urs Stiegler demonstrates it. He would take a Landy much harder, but you can also hose him down inside and out afterwards. You drive the Range Rover gently off-road because you don't want to damage the fine Vogue suit in Ardennes-Green with stone chips.

The fine Range Rover comes through almost everywhere

wheelbase, ground clearance and the pronounced articulation of the rigid axles allow effortless climbing of the adventurously rugged orchard meadow on the edge of a military training area, which is bordered by a small river. The Range Rover bravely wades through it without having traction problems in its loose gravel bed. During the small demonstration maneuver, Urs Stiegler does not even engage the reduction gear with the short joystick above the automatic backdrop.

Everything goes easily in gear position 1 of the ZF automatic transmission, while the powerful, high-torque eight-cylinder pulls the accelerator Two-tonne truck, including dog and driver, over the steep bank out of the water. Despite its remarkable off-road capabilities, the real pleasure of driving the Range Rover begins on the road.

The platonic affection for the Range Roverthen increases into a sensual experience. Experience the elevated seating position in the comfortable, electrically adjustable seats that would make every trucker happy with their comfort. Feel the powerful acceleration of the four-liter eight-cylinder engine, which is as quiet as it is effortlessly high-revving, which is almost always drowned out by the rolling noise of the mighty tires.

At kickdown he hisses and sets the heavy Range Rover in motion vehemently - after all, the acceleration values ​​are on the level of a BMW 525i from 1985. If the old rule applies, the engine shapes the car, then above all for the Range Rover. Even if he were with the highly praised 200 TDI at a bargain price at the flag dealer, he would leave us cold like an old Nissan Micra. The Range Rover is carved from the noble wood of icons. Its unmistakable design has elegant features for all its practicality.

Its luxury interior spoils the passengers. And its V8 engine celebrates that relaxed serenity that makes long-distance travel pleasant. The Range Rover is also an all-rounder. It pulls heavy trailers unimpressed, offers a load space for two cubic meters, is perfectly suitable for winter, feels good off-road and cuts a fine figure in front of the luxury hotel. It only cost 5,000 euros - at the flag dealer on the arterial road.