COMPETITION in the ultra-luxury SUV is hotting up. Range Rover has enjoyed a monopoly on the class for decades but first Bentley, then Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and Maserati all threw their hats in the ring.

So the designers and engineers at JLR’s advanced product creation centre – the UK’s largest automotive development centre – in Gaydon, Warwickshire, can’t afford to rest on their laurels.

Range Rover is the original luxury SUV (despite the original coming with rubber ‘carpets’ so it could be hosed down after a long day on the farm) and has led by example for 50 years.

So, when rarefied names like Rolls-Royce and Bentley parked their tanks on Range Rover’s lawn out came the big guns.

The latest Range Rover sits on a bespoke platform that’s 35 per cent stiffer than its immediate predecessor, packed with technology (rear-wheel steering, predictive headlights which each feature 1.2 million individually controlled digital micro-mirrors and electronic anti-roll are just scratching the surface) and powered state-of-the-art powertrains. JLR’s boast that its range topper offers the practicality of a Defender and the driving manners of a Mercedes S-Class have never been more realistic.

An all-electric variant is in-bound but if you want to have your cake and eat it there’s a plug-in hybrid here now which offers all-electric running for around 70 miles – more than enough for commutes in and out of congestion zones with miles to spare.

That’s all very impressive, but it’s in the real world where the Range Rover impresses.

The test coincided with some particularly foul weather.

I had to drive a couple of hundred motorway miles in torrential rain so bad that it closed all three lanes of the A1 in both directions. The wind was howling, and bits of tree were swirling around in the air. The DAB radio carried announcements every half-hour that the best thing to do was stay at home.

Sadly, that wasn’t an option for me, so the Range Rover just had to lump it.

First of all, you sit high in this vehicle – way above even other SUVs, so your command of the road is total. I could see the floods ahead of me and slow down or switch lanes in plenty of time. Thanks to its elevated ground clearance, the Range Rover can wade up to 3-ft of water.

The steering is great, not too light at speed or over-responsive as to be flighty, and the four-wheel drive gives great traction, so the car just feels rock-solid at all speeds and in all weathers. The world outside was a ferocious gale, but the Range Rover’s cabin was serene and comfortable at all times. Never once did I think the car wouldn’t get me to my destination safe and sound.

Unlike some of its more overtly sporty competition, it's not so tied down as to be harsh, though; it still has that majestic grace and pot-hole smothering ride that has made previous Range Rover’s the choice of kings and presidents the world over.

It’s still a very big car. I felt a little embarrassed when it wouldn’t fit in a parking bay at our local Marks & Spencer and had to be left with the nose sticking out more than I’d like in order to avoid taking up two spaces. And some people still look daggers at you for driving such a conspicuous behemoth in these greener times.

Which brings me to the Extended-Range plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) powertrains which can slash your CO2 emissions as low as 18g/km, with a pure electric driving range of up to 70 miles. JLR reckons this is enough for typical Range Rover customers to complete up to 75 per cent of trips using electric power only.

The P440e sent for evaluation mates a 3.0-litre six cylinder 440bhp petrol turbo engine with a 38.2kWh lithium-ion battery – with usable capacity of 31.8kWh – and a 141bhp electric motor integrated with the transmission.

Even running on battery-power, the Range Rover feels sprightly and with the petrol engine chiming in 60mph comes up in less than six seconds – impressive for such a big, heavy vehicle. The cabin is so well insulated that it’s almost impossible to know when the batteries have handed off to the petrol engine. You’ll know at the pumps, though. Keep the battery topped up and run the Range Rover in hybrid mode and it’s impossible to achieve almost 100mpg. Run the battery flat and rely on the internal combustion alone and you’ll be lucky to crack 30mpg.

Clamber aboard and you can’t fail to be impressed with the cabin.

(Image: JLR)

Naturally, the floating glass 13.1-inch touchscreen, sitting in the centre of the dashboard, is the biggest ever fitted to a Land Rover . Unlike lesser screens, it features haptic feedback, so you know when you’ve pressed a button or made a selection. I like user interface’s the big graphics which are easier to read on the go and a cinch to pick out, even on the move.

The instrument cluster is similarly engineered as a semi-floating glass panel, and can be configured to show a variety of information.

Everyone travels first class in this cabin. My daughter was amazed by the sheer number of buttons at her disposal in the second row of seats. Four-zone climate control means everyone can enjoy their own microclimate.

A word, too, about the 1,600-watt Meridian Signature Sound System which utilises 35 loud speakers (including a pair of speakers in each of the main headrests) for an astonishing hi-fi performance. Third generation active noise cancellation monitors wheel noise, vibrations and engine sounds transmitted into the cabin and generates a cancelling signal.

As we’ve noted, competition in this class is fierce, but no other rival -including Bentley and Rolls – can match the Range Rover’s combination of refinement, comfort and genuine off-road ability. The driving experience is top-drawer; you truly feel like this is a car to cover continents.

Naturally, it ain’t cheap (with various optional extras, our cracked the £123,00 mark) – but then excellence never is.