Yes, quite a bold statement, isn t it? But let s dig a little deeper to explore what makes the perfect luxury car. Comfort? Of course. A splash of exclusivity? Maybe. Understated design, both inside and out? Yes, we ll have a bit of that too. But a refned air to the way it drives is always an essential ingredient, because a deluxe motor car can t be too squidgy and it can t be too sporty. It just needs to be absolutely right. Automotive luxury There comes a point somewhere along the luxury car spectrum where things can become a tad ridiculous. Some cars are so crazily priced, or so hugely ostentatious, that they become wholly impractical propositions. A Rolls-Royce certainly ticks a lot of the “impractical” luxury car boxes because, for one thing, they tend to cost more than some people s actual houses. Let s face it, a big Roly-Poly isn t the kind of thing you d use to pop down to your local supermarket unless you re prepared to look unbelievably ridiculous. But, of course, these magnificent cars were never designed to be used as anyone s shopping trolley! However, there is one car that does it all. It doesn t try to redefine what automotive luxury is all about; it just gets on with perfecting it generation by generation, one facelift at a time. The end result is that owning one of these cars opens far more doors than it closes. That s because it feels at home literally anywhere, and it does so without involving much pretension. That car is our peerless old pal, the uniquely British Range Rover. I ve driven quite a few Range Rovers in my time. Amongst other more recent examples, I actually owned a mint 1971 MK1 and used it as my daily driver during the early 1980 s. The most recent one I have driven is a white 2025 model, which I picked up in Santander and drove all the way down to Vilamoura. In my humble opinion, the Range Rover continues to define luxury motoring to this day, and it does so for plenty of good reasons. Whatever people might say about their reliability (or lack thereof ) or their somewhat exorbitant running costs, a good Range Rover is still an incredibly comfortable place to be. Exquisite refinement Every single model (none are exactly cheap) is equipped with air suspension that smoothes out even the worst Algarvian mountain roads. A Range Rover is way more comfortable than any other SUV that I ve ever driven. The cherry on top is exquisite refinement. For a huge box on wheels, there s virtually no wind noise or appreciable tyre rumble to speak of, which is utterly remarkable when you think about it. These things are huge square boxes! But let s park the miraculously engineered levels of sheer comfort and just pray that it all continues to work. You see, a Range Rover isn t really about engineering or ability. It s become more about how it makes us feel. That famously imperious driving position fosters a genuine sense of occasion. All this is, of course, aided by the supremely luxurious environment that you ll be sitting in. Whilst Range Rover s interior designers may not have got it down to absolute perfection because, for one thing, some of the tech is a bit old hat. Although this is very much a subjective matter, despite the old-hat techy bits, the button-free centre console is still frustrating for an old dinosaur like me. One thing that s very refreshing about a Range Rover, especially now in the absence of Jaguar, is that the brand is now almost entirely stand-alone. That means, you ll not find any switches, knobs or buttons that have been pulled out of the same parts bin as some “lesser” cars. Even a Bentley shares some of its bits & pieces with other Volkswagen Group products. While the top-spec Mercedes GLS uses some of the same switchgear as a bog-standard A-Class. No such issues inside a Range Rover, where every switch and every button is uniquely Range Rover and beautifully crafted. Gone are the days of finding Austin Allegro door handles, or Sherpa van indicator stalks bolted on to your posh Rangey! Financial commitment Then there s Land Rover s genuine capability both on and off-road. Most Range Rovers won t see terrain more testing than the summit of Monchique or an unexpected pothole along the N125. But it s reassuring that if you are ever faced with an off-road challenge, your Range Rover is the best way to tackle it. A Bentayga, a GLS Mercedes, a Cullinan or a Cayenne would be left looking completely silly and somewhat inept amongst the slippery stuff. On the other hand, the master mud-plugger completes its off-road chores with consummate ease and effortless prowess. I suspect it goes without saying that Range Rovers have never really been particularly cheap cars to buy. A hefty financial commitment is called for to actually run one of these things, too. But despite these somewhat inconvenient fiscal factoids, Range Rovers do somehow appear to be strangely attainable. It s quite remarkable where we tend to find them these days. They re not exactly rare, are they? I d go so far as to suggest that, in fashionable places such as Wilmslow in Cheshire, they re actually somewhat ubiquitous. As a friend of mine once surmised, “I wonder how much cash you need to spend in a car showroom, as not to see yourself coming the other way”. I still chuckle to myself when I think of those words even today. I wonder what the answer is? A universal appeal Popularity is nevertheless an enduring sign of success. Desirability has ensured the Range Rover s survival from when it was launched in 1970, right through to the present day. Everyone from CEOs, celebrities, stressed out Mums to country landowners seem to fit the bill when it comes to Range Rover ownership. Unlike a Rolls-Royce or a Bentley, a Range Rover looks equally at home being filled up with groceries at Lidl as it does rounding up sheep in a muddy Cumberland field. It even cuts the jolly old mustard when parked outside a glitzy Lisbon hotel. But, don t forget to tip the concierge. Truth is, I simply cannot think of any other luxury motor car manufacturer that can boast a product that offers so much by way of universal appeal. The Range Rover seems to have it all. It s got a style that isn t brash and it s got plenty of presence without being in any way vulgar. And that s why the good old Range Rover is quite possibly the most sensible luxury car you can buy. About Douglas Hughes Douglas Hughes is a UK-based writer producing general interest articles ranging from travel pieces to classic motoring. Douglas Hughes