What's the difference?
Land Rover was making SUVs before they were even called SUVs.
Range Rovers were ferrying families around in prestigious four-wheel drive comfort decades before Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz even thought of doing it, too.
So, even with all its rivals these days, how well does a Range Rover do modern family duties?
Well the Range Rover Autobiography came to live with my little family of four for a week. We had the seven-seater long-wheelbase version with the twin-turbo petrol V8 engine, and this is what we discovered…
Balancing luxury car comfort, hot hatch agility and supercar speed is no easy task, yet that is what made the six previous generations of BMW's M5 so iconic.
In seventh-generation ‘G90’ guise, the M5 has another skeleton in the cupboard: the toughest emissions regulations that Europe, and now Australia, have ever seen.
A twin-turbo V8 was untenable and going battery electric was not an option. Plug-in hybrid was the only answer. For the new M5, BMW combined a revised 4.4-litre ‘S68’ bent eight with a punchy electric motor for 535kW and 1000Nm.
Problem is, the G90 is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest BMW M cars of all time, especially in CS trim. And thanks to a circa-600kg weight hike to nearly 2500kg, the new M5's 0-100km/h claim is actually slower than the old 'F90' M5.
Doesn’t exactly sound like a big leap forward, does it?
A drive through the Central West of NSW and around the iconic Mount Panorama racing circuit gave us answers to two questions. Does the M5 work on Australia roads, and does BMW M's latest super-sedan represent progress?
The Range Rover Autobiography long wheelbase is an outstanding SUV that is not just beautiful to drive but makes family practicality a priority, too,
The price is reasonable relative to the competition, the features list is long and complementary servicing offers peace of mind.
If you don’t need the third row, I’d consider the standard wheelbase Autobiography even if it does reduce legroom, there’s still plenty of space.
My son stopped short of giving the Range Rover Autobiography full marks "because there are no massaging seats in the second row".
Let’s get one thing out of the way: the new M5 is a very good car. Considering the emissions limitations and size increase of its base model, it is an impressive bit of engineering.
What’s trickier is deciding whether the new car is really better to drive. Less edgy but supremely comfortable and quiet; BMW leaned into the daily usability of the plug-in hybrid M5 rather than amping the petrol-electric system for maximum thrills. And do you know what? That’s fine with me.
The new M5 still performs on road and track and does an incredible job of hiding its weight (most of the time). Perhaps the G90 is a little more Audi RS6 than F90 in its demeanour but some would argue that’s no bad thing.
The concept of the BMW M5 is not static, it evolves with the times, and the G90 is no exception. Expect future Competition and CS variants to unlock some extra lunacy.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.