Used 2009 Land Rover Range Rover

For 2009, the flagship Range Rover shines as the height of Land Rover engineering and luxury. It combines unparalleled off-road prowess with a winning combination of power, performance and, quite possibly, one of the most handsome interiors ever to grace an SUV. Adhering to a long tradition, the Range Rover retains its boxy styling and tall doors, augmented by a modern front fascia, large wheels and flush side glass. Furthermore, unlike many luxury competitors, the Range Rover is not derived from lesser siblings; it is a true original designed from the ground up to be the best premium SUV possible. Although fuel economy is definitely not a strong point, we doubt many buyers in this price range even notice the price at the pump when filling up.

Though not many people are going to take a $70,000 – let alone $90,000-plus – vehicle for a romp in the mud, it’s nice to know that, if you must diverge from the civilized road, the 2009 Land Rover Range Rover is equipped with one of the finest off-road systems ever designed. Its permanent four-wheel-drive system and complex array of electronic monitoring devices permit the Range Rover to ascend hills that might have a mountain goat think twice. The air-spring suspension allows you to choose the ride height of the vehicle, raising it higher when more ground clearance is required and lowering it when conditions allow a lower center of gravity. For a big SUV, the Range Rover handles itself surprisingly well, devoid of that top-heavy feel you sometimes experience in softly-sprung SUVs.

The Range Rover’s dash is a complete original, and the fit and finish of the interior might easily lead one to believe it was handcrafted. The Range Rover has excellent room for four passengers, though it is designed to hold five. You can choose from five beautiful interior leather seat and piping combinations, all of which complement the standard Burl Walnut wood trim.

For decades, the Range Rover was defined by its boxy, upright greenhouse and short front and rear overhangs. The 2009 Range Rover continues this theme but with a polish never before seen on a Land Rover product. From its flush multi-beam projector headlamps to the elegant side-fender louvers, every inch of this SUV looks as though it was assembled to be a one-of-a-kind vehicle.

Instrument Panel
The Range Rover’s lovely dash is a work of automotive art.

Seat Design
Colored piping on the seats is a subtle but effective accent.

The 2009 Ranger Rover HSE features a 305-horsepower V8 engine, six-speed ZF automatic transmission with CommandShift, Terrain Response all-wheel drive, tri-zone automatic air conditioning, xenon headlamps, Hill Descent Control, dual-heated power auto-dimming power mirrors with tilt-down feature, rearview camera, front side-impact airbags, front and rear side-curtain airbags, power glass sunroof, navigation, 710-watt 14-speaker harman/kardon LOGIC 7 surround sound audio system, heated leather front seats, cruise control, stability control, automatic load-leveling suspension, heated windshield wipers, alloy wheels and a memory feature for the driver’s seat, outside mirrors and steering wheel.

Options for the Range Rover include a 400-horsepower Supercharged V8, heated and cooled seats, heated steering wheel, 14-way power driver’s and passenger’s seats, adaptive headlamps and a rear-seat DVD entertainment system. The Autobiography Package adds Diamond Turn 20-inch wheels, semi-aniline leather seating, unique wood trim, four-zone air conditioning and a rear seat DVD entertainment system.

The 305-horsepower 4.4-liter V8 engine of the Range Rover HSE rates high in the areas of horsepower, torque and fuel economy. The supercharged 4.2-liter engine provides superior off-the-line acceleration as well as passing power, but the additional $15,000-asking price is steep. We think most people will be perfectly happy with the HSE.

4.4-liter V8
305 horsepower @ 5750 rpm
325 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4000 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 12/18

4.2-liter V8 Supercharged
400 horsepower @ 5750 rpm
420 lb.-ft. of torque @ 3500 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 12/18

Our Expert Ratings come from hours of both driving and number crunching to make sure that you choose the best car for you. We comprehensively experience and analyze every new SUV, car, truck, or minivan for sale in the U.S. and compare it to its competitors. When all that dust settles, we have our ratings.

We require new ratings every time an all-new vehicle or a new generation of an existing vehicle comes out. Additionally, we reassess those ratings when a new-generation vehicle receives a mid-cycle refresh — basically, sprucing up a car in the middle of its product cycle (typically, around the 2-3 years mark) with a minor facelift, often with updates to features and technology.

Rather than pulling random numbers out of the air or off some meaningless checklist, KBB’s editors rank a vehicle to where it belongs in its class. Before any car earns its KBB rating, it must prove itself to be better (or worse) than the other cars it’s competing against as it tries to get you to spend your money buying or leasing.

Our editors drive and live with a given vehicle. We ask all the right questions about the interior, the exterior, the engine and powertrain, the ride and handling, the features, the comfort, and of course, about the price. Does it serve the purpose for which it was built? (Whether that purpose is commuting efficiently to and from work in the city, keeping your family safe, making you feel like you’ve made it to the top — or that you’re on your way — or making you feel like you’ve finally found just the right partner for your lifestyle.)

We take each vehicle we test through the mundane — parking, lane-changing, backing up, cargo space and loading — as well as the essential — acceleration, braking, handling, interior quiet and comfort, build quality, materials quality, reliability.