New Range Rover vs BMW iX vs Mercedes G-Class: costs
The iconic Range Rover has been renewed, but does this latest iteration have the right stuff? To find out, we’re pitting it against disparate luxury SUV rivals from BMW and Mercedes...
Buying and owning
Costs, equipment, reliability, safety and security
The BMW iX is the cheapest to buy outright, and it’s the only one available with a small discount on its list price. Although the electricity costs for the iX will be far lower than the fuel bills for the Mercedes G-Class and Range Rover (assuming you mostly charge it at home), its heavy predicted depreciation cancels out those savings for private buyers in the long term. And despite the absence of an internal combustion engine, servicing and maintenance costs for the iX aren’t much lower than those of the Range Rover.
As a result, it’s the Range Rover that works out the cheapest to run over three years for private buyers, while the G-Class is the most expensive, despite being predicted to hold onto its value the best. It’s the priciest to service and also to fuel, returning 26.2mpg in our test to the Range Rover’s 30.2mpg.
The Range Rover is easily the most affordable to buy on PCP finance, at £1391 per month, based on a three-year contract with a 10,000-mile annual limit and an £11,000 initial deposit. The iX will set you back a hefty £1771 per month and the G-Class £1767.
The iX makes the most sense for company car drivers; its 2% benefit-in-kind rating equates to just £72 per month for a 40% taxpayer. That’s a huge saving compared with the monthly salary sacrifices of just over £1300 for the Range Rover and nearly £1500 for the G-Class.
All three cars have full LED headlights, front and rear climate control, adaptive cruise control and heated front and rear seats. The iX and Range Rover have soft-close doors, and the iX even has heated armrests. The G-Class trails the other two on standard kit, due to the absence of keyless entry or a head-up display, and it also has a smaller old-fashioned sunroof, rather than a full-length panoramic roof.
Out of 32 manufacturers, Land Rover finished a poor second from bottom in the 2022 What Car? Reliability Survey, and Mercedes finished only eight spots higher up the table. BMW ranked right in the middle of the table, in 16th place. All three cars come with a three-year/ unlimited mileage warranty, while the iX’s battery is covered for eight years and up to 100,000 miles.
That battery can be charged at rates of up to 195kW, so a 10-80% top-up can be completed in around half an hour. A 0-100% charge from a typical 7kW home wallbox will take almost 17 hours.
Best luxury SUVs 2024 – and the ones to avoid
The best luxury SUVs are as practical as they are classy and as desirable as they are relaxing to drive. Here we count down the top 10 – and reveal the one to avoid
