The Range Rover was one of the first off-roaders to bring a little luxury to the table.
Fast-forward to today, and the modern car is among the most opulent ways to travel on four wheels. If you're after a high-end SUV and you have a big budget to back it up, however, here are 10 sumptuous Range Rover alternatives you might want to consider first.
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Porsche Cayenne
Isaac Newton wouldn't be a fan of the Porsche Cayenne – we assume – because this two-tonne SUV sticks two fingers up to the laws of physics. It'll track tighter into corners than many proper performance cars, let alone a high-riding SUV, and you can enhance this sensation further by adding optional four-wheel steering. Every engine delivers ample performance, firing the Cayenne well past the speed limit if you're not paying attention. Plus, Porsche build quality is essentially flawless, with a robust, well-engineered feel to everything you touch.
BMW X7
It seems a bit odd to highlight the BMW X7's value for money – it's the largest SUV in the brand's lineup, and one of the priciest. Compared to the Range Rover, however, it's tens of thousands of pounds more affordable, while offering comparable levels of luxury and practicality. You even get three rows of seats as standard, where they're around £8,000 extra in the British car. If you stretch all the way to the X7 M60, you'll also get the same 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine that you'll find under the Range Rover's bonnet, with absurd levels of power.
Lamborghini Urus
Let's be honest – you weren't going to drive your hundred-thousand-pound Range Rover off road. So if you're just looking for an SUV to make one heck of an entrance, try out the Lamborghini Urus. This feels every inch a proper exotic car with show-stopping, fighter-jet looks and a mighty twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 for supercar performance. Prices start a little higher than the priciest Range Rover models you can buy, so you might have to hunt around for some spare change under the sofa to make up the difference.
Bentley Bentayga
The Bentayga represents a few firsts for Bentley. It's obviously the brand's first proper SUV – ignoring a handful of custom creations built for the Sultan of Brunei – but it was also the first Bentley model to be offered with diesel power, and the first to receive a plug-in-hybrid option. Despite blazing such new trails, the Bentayga has proved a runaway success for Bentley, quickly becoming its best-selling model. It's easy to see why, too, with a gorgeous cabin, effortless performance, top-tier refinement and an unmistakable image.
Mercedes GLS
Like the X7 above, the Mercedes GLS has somehow ended up on this list as a value-driven alternative to the Range Rover. Everything about the GLS is huge – its road-filling bodywork, its luxurious seven-seat interior, its impressive performance – and its equally impressive appetite for fuel. As befits a car bearing the three-pointed star on its badge, material quality is high and there's a wealth of equipment in the cabin to keep everyone entertained on long journeys.
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Audi Q7
The Q7 is the largest, fanciest SUV Audi makes. In range-topping Vorsprung trim with our prefered '50' 3.0-litre diesel engine, it retails for just less than £100,000. Or you can step up to the £120,000 SQ7 Vorsprung which gains a rumbly 507hp twin-turbo V8. That price buys you its enormous cabin and pretty much the entire options list, so there's lots of distractions to keep your passengers occupied as you drive. It's also one of the few cars to feature three separate second-row seats, each with its own Isofix mounting point.
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Rolls-Royce Cullinan
Perhaps even the wallet-busting £180,000 Range Rover SV LWB is too pedestrian for your tastes. In that case, it's likely that nothing short of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan will do, with prices comfortably north of £300,000, depending on how demanding you are its extensive customisation options. One of the choices you'll need to make is whether to stick with the regular three-seat second row, or swap them out for a pair of individual captain's chairs with a drinks cabinet between.
Land Rover Defender
If the Range Rover's image is a little too stuffy for you, but you still fancy a posh off-roader with street cred, take a look at the Land Rover Defender. Off the bat, this is a premium SUV that you'll be much more willing to actually take off road thanks to its grippy four-wheel-drive system, lofty ground clearance and clever off-road tech. The Defender range is fairly wide and includes some relatively affordable options – at least in this company – but stretches all the way up to the overpowered Defender Octa with its 635hp V8 and 3.8-second 0-62mph time.
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Mercedes G-Class
The Mercedes G-Class feels like something of an anachronism – it's kept roughly the same design since the '70s, complete with old-school compromises like its narrow cabin and heavy barn-style boot door. Despite this, it remains enduringly popular with well-heeled drivers thanks to its blocky, tough image and shockingly impressive performance considering its height and weight. There are sensible diesel options but many buyers can't ignore the allure of the brand's fire-breathing AMG models.
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Lotus Eletre
Lotus is now part of the Geely group alongside Volvo and, like the Swedish brand, has undergone a reinvention with new technology and investment. One of the most recent fruits of its labours is the Eletre SUV – a dramatically styled electric SUV with a sumptuous interior and massive electric performance. Even the most basic model has a 600hp dual-motor setup and a claimed range of up to 373 miles, or you can pick the range-topping Eletre R which boosts output to a frankly obscene 900hp.
Read our Lotus Eletre review
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