IT’S easy to become blase in this job, but every now and then there comes a car that makes you appreciate just what a privilege it is. The new Range Rover is just such a car.

On the road: I AM naturally mistrusting of superlatives. It's the journalist in me. Nothing can ever be as good as they say it is. Everything has its weak point. And here's where you are perhaps expecting me to pick holes in the new Range Rover's expensively fashioned facade. Thing is, I can't. It's bloody brilliant. Bloody, bloody brilliant. Range Rover say it's "the world's most refined and capable luxury SUV" and it's hard to argue when the evidence is so compelling. It's bigger, but lighter than the old model - thanks to a new all-aluminium monocoque. It bears the same unmistakeable outline and yet it looks fresh. It's a brute of a car and yet it possesses the poise of something far daintier.

On the inside:

The Northern Echo:

WITH a 4.4 litre V8 diesel under the bonnet, you might think it impossible to insulate the occupants from its sound, but you'd be wrong. This is one seriously refined car, that is unless you want to be reminded of what's up front, in which case turn the mode dial to Sport and punch the accelerator. Sat high up and able to survey all around you, it's easy to believe that those outside are looking at you somewhat differently to normal. The interior does nothing to dissuade you - it's seductive, you cannot help but sit with the look of the cat that got the proverbial. Although there's no shortage of tech on board, you are not overwhelmed by knobs and buttons. The layout, while not minimalist, is tastefully reserved.

What do you get: IF you need anything that's not included you're either hard to please or just plain awkward. That said I am sure that, having handed over the price of a small house, if you wanted a champagne chiller or a gun rack you could get one. All Range Rovers are well equipped, many with things you might never think of including yourself. In fact, I am fairly confident that with just the addition of a portable toilet you could probably live in one for a week or more without ever having to set foot outside. As well as the standard list of accoutrements, our top of the range car included a sliding panoramic roof, a back massager incorporated into the front seats and satellite television that can be viewed by the front seat passenger while the driver, for obvious safety reasons, can only see the satellite navigation map. Along with the usual reversing camera, the car was also fitted with a neat system that lets you see out of blind corners, something that, with a bonnet the size of the Range Rover’s, is a great help.

How practical is it: IT’S stating the bleeding obvious to say that this is a big car and therefore parking can be an issue. Not the act of parking, that’s made fairly easy due to the aforementioned technology, but just due to the size of average spaces. More often than not you are forced to leave the entire front end jutting out and its width means opening the doors can be troublesome too. It’s only a slight exaggeration to say interior space rivals that of a first class airline seat and trumps that of a train. Heck, there might be some flat owners that would appreciate the legroom and headroom afforded to rear seat occupants. The boot is also vast and to reach the back of it you practically have to clamber in yourself. The split tailgate, which opens and closes at the touch of the button, is a big help when it comes to loading, but even so there still remains a fair distance between the ground and the boot floor. Dropping the seats also comes at the touch of the button and doing so means there should be little that you cannot transport if the need arises.

Running costs: YOU don’t consider a Range Rover unless you know you can afford it and if £100,000 is not really an issue then filling it up probably isn’t either. But you don’t accrue money by frittering it away and so its reassuring to know that fuel economy, for the diesels at least, is really quite impressive. Official figures come in at 32.5mpg on the combined cycle and while we managed slightly less, the return was still impressive and far better than I had imagined possible, proving that shedding those 420kg really does make a big difference. CO2 emissions are down, coming in at 229g/km.

Verdict: THE perfect luxury SUV. It’s hard to fault, so why bother trying.

Alternatives: Porsche Cayenne, Mercedes ML