TWIN TEST
The Range Rover P38a was targeted not only at other off road vehicles, but at the world of the luxury saloon. The Jaguar XJ was Britain’s poshest plutocrat carrier – how does the Range Rover compare?
THE RANGE Rover P38a was a vast step above what had come before – it offered not only go-anywhere ability but luxury beyond that the outgoing car could hope to match. Land Rover was bullish about the new product – it believed that not only was it capable of seeing off the best that Jeep could throw its way but also that it could compete on equal terms with the Mercedes S class and Jaguar XJ. Few outside the motoring magazines had the chance to compare the two when they were new – and as they age, few enthusiasts like the idea of having two large and costly classics on the driveway.
However, at Jaguar World we’re different. These two cars have been run alongside each other for almost three years now, meaning we feel better qualified than most to assess whether the Range Rover really was as good as a luxury saloon. Can it take on the Jaguar XJ and win?
The Jaguar XJ and the Range Rover, as concepts, date back to within two years of each other. And by 1994, both were due new generations. The X300 and the P38a were launched in the same month, September 1994, and unsurprisingly most of the major car mags capitalised by featuring both in the same issue under the banner of Britishness.
The Range Rover Classic was getting old by 1994. After a solid 24 years of production, Land Rover had developed a new model to succeed it. Development stretched back into the 1980s, and the car took advantage of the fact that the Range Rover’s target market was changing. No longer did it need to be a hose down family car crossed with a tractor. It needed to be plush – not least because the sub-Range Rover Discovery was cramped in the existing market and the upward expansion of the Range Rover market would mean less internal competition. The P38a – named after the room in which it was developed – would sit on an eight inch longer wheelbase, and be fitted with larger engines and better trim than the outgoing car.
Land Rover paved the way with the LSE – a Classic fitted with air suspension, a larger engine, more toys and a longer wheelbase. Feedback was good, and confirmed that Land Rover was doing the right thing by expanding the Range Rover into this new market. The air suspension was key to the car’s development – with five heights selectable. A low height enabled entry and exit, a standard height was used for driving, a raised height for off road and a lower version of the standard height ensured a low centre of gravity at speed. The final height was not selectable unless in an emergency. Should the car be beached, you had the option of extending the wheels downwards in order to find tractio
