The 2022 Range Rover: Unboxing a Classic (And Spoiler Alert- It’s Also a 3 Row SUV!)

2022 Range Rover First Edition And Me. Photo: Alex Kellum
2022 Range Rover First Edition and me. Photo: Alex Kellum

Details abound in the 2022 Land Rover Range Rover, as do the smiles. Lots of them.

Do you like to be surprised? Do you enjoy not knowing what is coming in your subscription box each month? If so, I have the quintessential surprise package for you: The 2022 Land Rover Range Rover. The Range Rover has a wide variety of features, some drive-oriented, some self-care oriented, and some entertainment-oriented. All packaged up for you to discover patiently like an adult opening their fun subscription box, or like a total maniac more akin to a kid at their 7th birthday party.

But it Doesn’t Look All That Surprising

Let’s get one thing clear from the start. The one thing that is not a surprise is the Range Rover’s iconic design, and this redesign hasn’t seen a massive change in the overall look of the Range Rover. Nor should it. Would you have a Burberry trench no longer look like a Burberry trench? Or a Rolex watch to look radically different with each generation? No. And that’s why you buy it. The same can be said for the 2022 Range Rover, Land Rover’s flagship SUV. Despite the Range Rover maintaining its iconic styling, this version surprises and delights in both big ways and subtle ways. The exterior is recognizable from every direction, which is what I want if I’m spending a minimum of $104,500. But what makes the classic feel updated are elements like the Sunset Gold satin paint. It’s not super yellowy gold, but it’s not an overly trendy rose gold, either. Its a warm, beautiful color that is a standout in every type of light.

Related: Rise Above it All With the 2021 Land Rover Defender 90, A Compact Beast of a Luxury SUV

Range Rover On The Pacific Coast Highway. Photo: Sara Lacey
Range Rover on the Pacific Coast Highway. Photo: Sara Lacey

Necessary Features are Delivered Through Subtle Design Details

The other design cues that surprise are the details on the back of the First Edition Range Rover. There is a black trim around the clamshell liftgate and I immediately realize there are no visible taillights. But after following one of the test cars on my trip, and seeing the brake lights and turn signal come on, I realize the tail lights are concealed under the black finish. I’m told this is part of the “reductionist design ethic.” This concept is employed not just in this car’s update, but in Land Rover vehicles in general. This idea manifests itself in a minimalist presentation of the SUV and all its features. Even the standout ones.

Related: 2020 Land Rover Discovery Sport SE : Top 10 Swoon-Worthy Details

Range Rover First Edition Rear End. Photo: Sara Lacey
Range Rover First Edition Rear End. Photo: Sara Lacey

Keeping Everything on the Down-Low. As Much as a Range Rover Can, Anyway.

For example, the door handles are also craftily tucked in to the body, and come out when the doors are unlocked and enable you to open them. Like your fancy, thoughtful FabFitFun box, the exterior only hints at what’s inside. Inside the Range Rover, all bins and cubbies are covered, with the exception of the cubbies in the doors. But what’s underneath all these lids and doors? In the front seat there is a wireless charging pad, cupholders, and bins for storing whatever items you want to bring along with you. 

Related: 2022 Land Rover Range Rover: Royal Style in an Off-Road Package

2022 Range Rover Rear Entertainment. Photo: Sara Lacey
2022 Range Rover Rear Entertainment. Photo: Sara Lacey

Hidden Delights, Such as a … Refrigerator?

What a surprise and delight that most of the spaces in the 2022 Range Rover conceal some brilliant feature you either didn’t know you needed or didn’t know existed. Maybe it’s sunshades for the rear window that emerge when you click the window button twice. Maybe it’s the footrest in the back seat that folds down, er, “deploys” from the back of the front seat. That button too, is housed in a touchscreen that could easily be mistaken for a piano-finish trim piece set into the rear armrest. In the executive trim levels, you can press a button on that same screen and a table emerges out of the center console. Another button drops down a secret door to a refrigerator! I am not kidding.

Related: 2021 Cadillac Escalade 4WD Platinum: Where Luxury Meets Self-Care on the Road

Range Rover Serentiy Interior. Photo: Sara Lacey
Range Rover Serentiy Interior. Photo: Sara Lacey

No Pedicure Though. Not Yet.

The seats are bolstered and supportive. What surprises is the massaging heated and ventilated seat options. You can choose the intensity of the massage, the location on your back, and…wait for it…hot stone massage. These seats are absolutely wonderful. The hot stone selection in the massage menu is so relaxing and delightful. And don’t worry, rear seat passengers can have this feature, too, if you’re willing to pay for it. That’ll be $4,600, please.

The joy of the massaging seats is amplified by the general zen mood of the interior of the 2022 Range Rover. The large windows that are a classic trademark of the Range Rover keep the interior light but not too bright. The moonroof contributes to the gentle, relaxing interior environment. Who needs a spa when you can listen to the birds and experience the dappled light coming through the trees on your drive to the grocery store?

Related: Mercedes-Benz E-Class: Power, Elegance or Family-Friendly. Which One Is Right For You?

2022 Range Rover Seat Screen. Photo: Sara Lacey
2022 Range Rover Seat Screen. Photo: Sara Lacey

The 2022 Range Rover has Three-Row Seating for the First Time

And here is where I reveal the biggest surprise in the 2022 Range Rover. For the first time, there is a third row available creating seating for seven passengers (and four sets of latch connectors)! Seven seats, People!

The First Edition seen in the photos is powered by a twin-turbo V8 that will give you 523 horsepower.  It sounds amazing, it delivers said power immediately with no turbo lag. It starts at $164,000 and is on the short wheel base. You can opt to get a turbocharged 6-cylinder mild hybrid in the SE model, too. These two pieces of news merit confetti and tissue paper, for sure. Typically, this system does not create massive fuel efficiency though there is some to be had (the 2020 model had 19 mags in the city, 24 on the highway). Rather, it maximizes power and keeps it even and quiet. 

But let’s talk about a couple of other fun secret surprises. The tailgate event suite pops up out of the back of the Range Rover. A rear seat rest and leather seat bottoms create a tailgating environment that will knock your socks off. There are speakers and lights in the liftgate that works with the Meridian 3D sound system to create the best party in the parking lot. This upgrade will cost you $1,950.

Related: 9 of the Best 3 Row SUVs – From Luxury to Affordable

Rage Rover Third Row. Photo: Sara Lacey
Range Rover Third Row. Photo: Sara Lacey

Go Off Road, If You’re Not Worried About Your Paint

In terms of off-roading, the Range Rover is absolutely capable. It has all wheel turning, so even the tightest hairpins are handled. The off road camera shows you where you are in relation to the side of the hill on one side and the drop-off on the other. You can also see the front of the vehicle to know where those big rocks are or where the water’s edge truly starts. The Range Rover I drove had 23 inch wheels and skinny tires and did not bat an eyelash at the steep roads full of dirt and loose gravel. It didn’t slip and slide in the mud. It was sturdy. Would I actually take my Range Rover with the $7000 paint job off-road? Well, I can only say that I hope I would, because it’d be a pity not to.

Range Rover On The Coast. Photo: Sara Lacey
Range Rover on the coast. Photo: Sara Lacey

All in all, I had so much fun unboxing this sophisticated classic. After all, there’s never disappointment when you know to expect a wonderful package, and the brand delivers it with modern elegance.

Disclosure: Land Rover provided travel and accommodations so I could test the new Range Rover. All opinions and impressions are my own.

Sara Lacey
Sara Lacey

Sara has written about cars since 2005. She used to beat them up with her kids and write about it at the likes of MotherProof.com and Cars.com. Now an Associate Editor and Contributor for A Girls Guide to Cars, Sara deciphers how a car will work in her reader's lives.

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