<span>T</span><span>here are fleets of 4x4s making their presence felt on roads in </span><span>most cities across the world these days, and the </span><span>amount that are available to rent and buy shows no signs of decreasing. </span><span>But one name still comes to mind whenever this kind of vehicle is mentioned</span><span>: Range Rover. </span> <span>Whenever you talk about th</span><span>e</span><span> brand, there are certain words that always come up</span><span>, such as impressive, capable</span><span> and comfortable</span><span>. </span><span>They all apply, really</span><span>, and it is no surprise</span><span> that Range Rover's Vogue SE</span><span> has those traits, too. As a concept, the Range Rover is arguably the 4x4 all other 4x4s judge themselves by, including (whisper it) the model's </span><span>Jaguar Land Rover stablemates.</span> <span>The Vogue has </span><span>everything you'd expect from a luxury SUV. In the past, it's been </span><span>described as a Bentley in an all-terrain skin, and many motorists would agree with that description. Everyone knows what a Range Rover looks like on the outside – that trademark boxy affair with smoothed edges – but less </span><span>familiar is what you can find when you open those sizeable doors.</span> <strong>Look through the photo gallery above to see more of the car.</strong> <span>The Vogue's cabin could only be plusher if you had room for a waiter to serve dinner to the passengers and take over from the driver when the person behind the wheel feels a </span><span>little tired</span><span>. The surfaces are largely soft leather and cool aluminium, and it all screams quality. Admittedly, the seats are less like a cosy suite of furniture than those in a luxury cruiser, but that's essential in a vehicle </span><span>designed to tackle the </span><span>sort of surfaces that would leave a city runaround quivering. You might see vehicles such as sturdy, Japanese pick-up trucks </span><span>being used in tough conditions, but you know </span><span>the people using them would rather be in a</span><span> Range Rover </span><span>were they </span><span>cheaper and </span><span>had trailers</span><span>.</span> <span>The technology in the Vogue is as generous as you'd expect</span><span> and while the lane assist can be a bit brutal at high speeds, the three-screen infotainment system, driver aids and multimedia options are exemplary</span><span>. The indicator sounds a little tinny, but to cite that as a </span><span>problem </span><span>seems petty. Suffice to say, the Vogue's sound system is loud enough to blot it out, anyway.</span> <span>If you believe the blurb, the Vogue's</span><span> five-litre supercharged V8 will do 250 kilometres per hour when the car is fitted with 22-inch wheels</span><span>. Driving it </span><span>at 160kph along the road with the highest speed limit in the UAE</span><span> – the Abu Dhabi to Al Ain Road – it certainly feels like the power-train has plenty more to give. It's thirsty, but </span><span>that's a feature of a large engine. </span><span>The ride is also quiet and smooth.</span> <span>You can't ignore the fact </span><span>all Range Rovers are on the pricey side. When you compare them to, say, the Ram 1500 range, the differences are stark </span><span>and you can have a fully kitted out version of the US pick-up truck, which would arguably make it comparable to a reasonably high-grade Range Rover, for less than half the price of the British off-roader. They have similar space inside the cabin, </span><span>while the Ram evidently has plenty more outside it.</span> <span>Kudos still sticks to the Range Rover like glue, though, as the Vogue's abilities off</span><span> road really raise it to a higher level. It's amazing that such a large and heavy car can be so capable on any kind of surface. It corners well on and off the tarmac, too.</span> <span>The Vogue is part of the fourth generation of Range Rovers, a series that was </span><span>introduced in 2012. </span><span>The </span><span>model turns 50</span><span> next year</span><span> and </span><span>we would all be lucky to look as good as it does at th</span><span>is age. </span><span>But, alas, that is not always the case. </span><span>Still, at least driving cars </span><span>such as the Vogue</span><span> is enough to turn a few heads.</span>
