2025 Range Rover SE LWB review: A great yet missed opportunity

Mitchell Weitzman
1 day ago
7 min read

My first modern Range Rover exposure has left a lasting impression, but not in the best way

2025 Range Rover SE LWB P400 review | The Road Beat

2025 Range Rover SE LWB review by The Road Beat

Words and pictures: Mitchell Weitzman

Here at The Road Beat, we tell it like it is without drinking the corporate Kool-Aid. Praise can only be earned, criticism too, and neither comes from who's supplying the keys. It's with a genuinely disappointed heart, then, that my first review of a Range Rover leaves such mixed feelings. Not because it's a bad SUV, but because it's so incredibly close to being a truly great one. Many of its shortcomings feel entirely avoidable.

Land Rover's latest Range Rover might look fantastic (from a distance) and drive stupendously, but the lack of quality is concerning for the future of JLR.

Picks

This is the shape that launched a thousand clones, and design alone, the Range Rover in its latest L460 generation guise has the goods and then some. Despite being the long-wheelbase model with its extended rear doors, it hardly looks bloated thanks to tight overhangs and a tapered butt that's more reminiscent to the stern of an old wooden Riva boat. The basic silhouette has remained largely unchanged for decades, but it's a timeless elegance that has also avoided the tired vulgarity of certain try-hard imitators—see Hyundai's latest Palisade for that or most SUVs made in China. Just don't look too closely at the paint. More on that later.

This P400 designation sits comfortably in the middle of the engine lineup, and frankly there's little reason to need anything more unless you're over-compensating. Thankfully, Range Rovers still use an ever-lovely inline-six here, an engine so silky smooth it could be the tune of a Stradivarius. The soundtrack is equally pleasing, producing a refined and expensive-sounding growl under acceleration that's never intrusive enough to spoil

the mood or disrupt your vibe while broadcasting live on Instagram.

santorini black 2025 Range Rover SE LWB P400 exterior front three quarter at dusk

The turbocharged Ingenium six also employs a 48-volt mild-hybrid system that provides seamless assistance during starts and helps fill in torque without ever making its presence known. Unlike many hybrids, the system is essentially invisible in day-to-day driving, eliminating any noticeable turbo lag and making the entire powertrain feel effortlessly responsive. With 395 horsepower, the nearly three-ton SUV never feels lacking for performance, and it even returned a respectable 21 MPG after a week of mixed driving. Not bad for a luxury SUV weighing nearly 6,000 pounds.

Comfort, of course, is exactly what you'd expect from a luxurious continent crusher. The seats are upholstered in a magnificent shade of leather called Caraway, with supportive front buckets and rear accommodations that make long-distance travel feel effortless thanks to acres of legroom provided by this long-wheelbase (LWB) model. If you need extra seats, there's also a hidden third row that can be easily raised or lowered via electronic switches from the rear. I also like the dual gloveboxes and fabulous metal paddle shifters that wouldn't feel out of place in a Ferrari Amalfi.

2025 Range Rover SE LWB P400 interior review caraway leather

The true joy of a Range Rover, though, is how it drives. Combine the effortless powertrain, outstanding comfort and remarkably composed chassis, and you end up with what might just be one of the finest vehicles in the world for consuming endless American highway miles.

Optional 23-inch wheels do little to compromise ride quality thanks to excellent suspension tuning and the superb air suspension. Wind noise is virtually nonexistent, but the real highlight is just how effortless the entire package feels. Steering is sharp, direct and surprisingly communicative for something this large, giving the impression of an SUV much smaller than its actual dimensions suggest.

On the freeway, I've yet to test a new vehicle that requires less steering correction than the Range Rover. Everything feels intuitive and perfectly judged. Even the brakes inspire confidence, and when you boil driving down to what most people actually do every day, the Range Rover is about as mechanically satisfying as it gets. Throw it down a winding road and it carries astonishing speed thanks to outstanding chassis tuning and the marvels of modern tires. It's all so calm and composed that you regularly find yourself well above the speed limit before realizing it, because the Range Rover distorts your perception of speed in the very best way.

2025 Range Rover LWB 7 seater rear seats legroom

And because it's a Range Rover, this SUV can astonish off-road, too, with incredible mechanical and electronic trickery to venture across terrains you wouldn't dare think of going. Ground clearance is only 8.6 inches as standard, but the air suspension easily raises that to a towering and hugely capable 11.6. For picnic and tailgate lovers, the traditional split rear liftgate remains a very nice addition.

Nicks

For as wonderful as the Range Rover is to drive, the story unfortunately doesn't end there. This particular example, an SE LWB P400, will hit your Amex Platinum's credit line hard to the tune of $131,365 as-tested. For the amount required for entry, it simply asks too much to excuse its shortcomings, especially when the monthly payments can easily rival a mortgage.

I'm sorry, but a luxury vehicle like a Range Rover should not have squeaks and creaks in a brand-new example (this press example had under 4,000 miles on the odometer at the time of testing). You never get that reassuring bank-vault heft from the doors, while the interior grab handle used to close them flexes and creaks far more than it should. Instead of leather, the upper dashboard looks and feels like a life vest and seems to attract dust instantaneously. That large center touchscreen looks awkwardly placed as if an afterthought and remains far too convoluted to operate, while Land Rover somehow decided a volume knob was unnecessary. Even the tiny manual lock button built into each exterior door handle feels surprisingly flimsy, more akin to a switch you'd find on a dollar-store flashlight than on a flagship luxury SUV.

2025 Ranger Rover LWB cargo space with third row folded

Questionable initial quality aside, it'll be interesting to see how these components age, and whether they further worsen the already notorious depreciation associated with Range Rovers.

The piano black trim around the steering wheel is another questionable decision. It looks attractive for about five minutes before becoming covered in fingerprints, skin oils and dust, while hot weather leaves it feeling grimy to the touch. Leather would not only feel more luxurious, but would also be far nicer to live with every day.

The biggest disappointment, however, has to be the paint. Quite simply, this is among the worst factory paint finishes I've seen on a brand-new vehicle. If you enjoy orange peel, you're in luck, because this Range Rover delivers it in abundance. It's noticeable from 20 feet away and only becomes more obvious the closer you get. I genuinely have friends who could produce a smoother finish with a rattle can of Rust-Oleum. Yes, it can be corrected with extensive wet sanding and polishing, but that's completely unacceptable on a vehicle costing well into six figures. Hopefully this was simply an issue unique to this press vehicle.

2025 Range Rover SE LWB caraway leather front seats

I'd also avoid the optional heated windshield unless you genuinely need it. While I'm sure it's invaluable in snowy climates, it simply isn't enjoyable to look through in everyday California driving. Once you notice the fine heating elements (they look like squiggles) running throughout the windshield, you can't unsee them, akin to peering through a window screen. At night, bright points of light and reflections scatter around those elements like a bad astigmatism. Warm-climate buyers would honestly be better off ordering the vehicle without it.

During my week with the vehicle, I showed off the vehicle to two friends who are lifelong Range Rover fans and owners, with their garage currently home to a Range Rover Classic County LWB and an L405 full-size supercharged model. Their impressions largely mirrored my own. Both felt the overall experience simply didn't justify the asking price, and both immediately noticed the poor paint finish and reduced sense of solidity compared with their own older Range Rovers. They also commented on the weak air conditioning—which I completely agree with—as the cabin never became nearly as cold as expected. The disappearance of easily accessible physical climate and audio controls was another common complaint.

2025 Range Rover LWB exterior front three quarter santorini black at sunset

Areas needed for improvement

The tragedy isn't that this is a bad Range Rover. It isn't.

The tragedy is how much potential has been left on the table.

When the reinvented L322 Range Rover arrived in 2001, many proclaimed it the finest all-around automobile in the world. Sitting here in 2026, I struggle to make the same argument. Too many little details undermine what is otherwise an exceptional SUV, and that disappointment is unfortunately amplified because the fundamentals are so spectacular.

2025 Range Rover SE interior caraway leather

Few vehicles cover ground with less effort or greater refinement than this Range Rover. From an outright mechanical and dynamic package, it's one of the finest SUVs on sale today. Which only makes it more frustrating that seemingly small, avoidable details hold it back from reclaiming the benchmark status it once enjoyed.

2025 Range Rover SE LWB P400 Specifications

Exterior Color: Santorini Black Metallic
Interior: Caraway leather
Starting MSRP: $117,200
As-Tested Price: $131,365

Powertrain

Engine: 3.0-liter turbocharged Ingenium inline-six (MHEV)
Hybrid System: 48-volt mild-hybrid
Horsepower: 395
Torque: 406 lbs-ft
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Drivetrain: Full-time four-wheel drive (AWD) with two-speed transfer case
Rear Differential: Electronic active locking differential (optional/commonly equipped)