2025 Land Rover Range Rover Review: Towing Test

Towing a trailer with the longest and most spacious steed in the 2025 Range Rover stable.

Benjamin Hunting | 

May 19, 2025 | 4 min read

Benjamin Hunting

Piloting the 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Autobiography in long-wheelbase form often imparts the sensation of setting sail rather than trundling down the turnpike. Insulated by its bulk and the finely tuned character of its air suspension, its vault-like, leather-lined cabin does an excellent job of keeping the world at bay. The overall effect is less like driving a typical SUV and more like gliding across an endless sea of opulence.

Does this same experience hold true when tagging in the Range Rover as a tugboat rather than as a luxury liner? I hitched up and headed away from port with a 3,500-pound trailer in tow to find out whether the proletarian audacity of a day's labor could penetrate the Range Rover's practiced nonchalance.

Benjamin Hunting

The 2025 Range Rover Is Stylish, Yet Capable

Beneath the Range Rover Autobiography's polished exterior lurks an SUV more than capable of tackling tough jobs. That is especially true of the long-wheelbase model I sampled, whose stretch between axles adds extra stability to the equation with a trailer attached.

The adjustable air suspension is another benefit when hauling a load, offering automatic leveling of the rear end and an adjustable ride height. The latter improves your odds of settling the tow ball on the trailer hitch.

Then there's the muscle under the hood. When ordered in Autobiography trim, the seven-seat long-wheelbase model I drove comes exclusively with a 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine that generates 523 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. Those figures are certainly enough to handle the Range Rover's maximum trailer rating of 8,200 pounds. An eight-speed automatic and standard four-wheel drive are also present and accounted for. 

Benjamin Hunting

Towing Gear Is Nice but Not Comprehensive

There's a caveat attached to the Range Rover Autobiography's max tow figure. You need to install a trailer brake controller to access the full 8,200 pounds of capacity. Range Rovers with the optional Towing Pack are pre-wired for it, and you can snag one either from Land Rover or the aftermarket. With this in mind, I kept the load behind the Range Rover well under half its stated capability.

The Towing Pack provides seven-pin and four-pin connectors, a receiver for your hitch, and several software and hardware assists. These included features I found useful, including testing for trailer lights, a profile setup so you can plug in the details of multiple rigs, and the Advanced Tow Assist feature.

Benjamin Hunting

Nearly Perfect Trailering Performance

Setting up a trailer is easy through the infotainment system, with the Range Rover asking you to input the rig's dimensions and how many axles it has. Once that's done, you need to drive forward about 150 feet for it to fully calibrate and be ready to tow.

The Autobiography doesn't overwhelm with electronic assists, but what's there is quite helpful. The towing view from the reversing camera makes it easy to line up the hitch and ball. A reverse steering feature allows you to swipe your finger on the screen to guide the trailer where you want it to go while backing up. You control the accelerator and brake pedals, but the SUV handles the steering inputs, and it's one of the most intuitive versions of this kind of assist I have ever used.

Benjamin Hunting

I only wish it had worked consistently. When returning the trailer at the end of my run, it simply wouldn't activate. That might have been because the parking sensors detected I was backing into a tight spot, but honestly, that's when you most want this kind of system to lend a helping hand.

Out on the road, the Range Rover's poise was impeccable. The serenity and stability that are the SUV's hallmarks translated perfectly when asked to tackle the heft of my father's 1941 Ford. I barely knew anything was behind the back bumper, with only an occasional tug from the trailer breaking through the Land Rover's tranquil veneer.

In addition, I didn't notice any additional engine revving until I asked the SUV to start from a stop on a steep hill, whereupon the exhaust barked just a little louder than usual on take-off.

Benjamin Hunting

You'll Pay a Lot, but You Won't Regret It

Towing with the 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Autobiography proves there's almost no task it can't handle with an exceptional grace worthy of its $183,000-plus price. It's a reminder that few luxury vehicles are as well-rounded, and that despite the Range Rover Autobiography's substantial window sticker, Land Rover hasn't strayed far from its original mission as a go-anywhere, do-anything SUV.

Land Rover provided the vehicle for this 2025 Range Rover review.

All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.

Benjamin Hunting

Nearly two decades into his career as an automotive journalist, Benjamin has had his hands greasy, his hair blown back, and his heart broken by more than one project car. In addition to his work at Capital One, he has contributed features and reviews to Motor Trend, Car and Driver, Hagerty, Driving Line, Inside Hook, Super Street, European Car, Roadkill Magazine, Motor 1, The Drive, the Toronto Star, the National Post, Business Insider, NAPA, Autoblog, Automotive News Canada, and AutoGuide. He is also cohost of the Unnamed Automotive Podcast and cocreator of the Code 45 and Dead Air graphic novels. In his spare time, he's a friend to vinyl and enjoys keeping the shiny side up during track days.