STICKER PRICE: $104,000 (est.)
ENGINE: 4.2 L 400 HP V8 w/supercharger
MPG: 12 city/18 highway
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: A strong sense of déjà vu, since I recently reviewed the Land Rover LR3, the Autobiography’s cousin. The name “Autobiography” is a pretty heady tag to tote around. I wasn’t sure if I was cut out to drive it, since I’m not sure if anyone would be willing to read my life story without being paid to.
BOTTOM LINE: After the second day of driving the Autobiography, I noticed the word “supercharged” displayed on the vehicle’s tachometer. That struck me as odd, because it seemed to me that the LR3 had a quicker immediate response. Only after I turned the car in did I speak to a Range Rover buff who advised me that I should have really punched the accelerator on a long, flat stretch of open road to see what that supercharger can do. Since I haven’t seen a long, flat stretch of open road in North Texas since 2006, I apparently missed the opportunity of a lifetime. While driving in the über-leather confines of the Autobiography, I must admit I let my imagination get the best of me. I found myself sliding a Bing Crosby CD into the player and imagining myself with a Meerschaum pipe, driving home to be greeted by a faithful hound, which would be carrying my fleece-lined slippers in its mouth. Since I don’t have a dog, a pipe, or slippers that fit, I must admit I was disappointed when I got home.
TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY: I’d pass.
The Autobiography tag carries with it a mystique that perhaps I can’t appreciate. Any vehicle whose name has nearly as many syllables as cylinders certainly has a lot to live up to. That’s probably why there will never be
a Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious sedan.
