I drove the new Range Rover HSE with Amazon Alexa built in and massage seats

No matter what people do, hard workers take pride in their work.

Whether it’s a construction worker doing an extension, a nurse making a sick child smile, or my daughter seeing the bisto sauce she’s helping to prepare on a supermarket shelf.

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So how proud do these guys have to be?

Each of them has helped build the new Range Rover, a car that is instantly recognized around the world for being such an icon.

Mrs Queen has one. Boris has one. Clarkson has one. Jay Z has one. I could go on. But I don’t have to. Because we all know that a Range Rover is the first thing we would reward ourselves with for our success.

We may never have sat in one, but we all know that a Range Rover is the daddy. The king. Much copied, but still in a class of its own.

So let’s meet the Woodall family: twin brothers Brian and Peter, Brian’s daughter Ashleigh and her cousin Melissa.

Stay with me because along with Melissa’s father Jeff, Brian’s and Peter’s brothers and their parents Gordon and Beryl, the Woodall family have an incredible 150 years of service at the Range Rover factory in Solihull, West Mids.

One hundred and fifty years.

Which makes her the king of “kingmakers” in my book. They all get excited when they see their handiwork on the street.

Brian said: “Wherever you go, whether you’re on holiday, traveling across the country or just being around, you see a Range Rover, you look at the model year and you’re like, ‘Did I work on that? Did I touch that?’

“And then you see kings driving around in you, and the prime minister, and you’re like, ‘I’m proud to be a part of this. We built that in Solihull.”

Peter said: “We may be a small piece of the puzzle, but everyone’s role here is crucial to ensure that the final car and all of its components work as a whole.”

When senior recruiter Ashleigh saw the new range – only the fifth generation in 51 years – she was stunned.

She said: “It’s just luxury down to the finest ‘T’. It takes your breath away.

Brian added: “The luxury and refinement of our cars is second to none. We are at the forefront of SUVs. Everyone else is catching up.”

You are of course both right.

The new Range Rover is absolutely flawless. Expensive but perfect.

Hovercraft smooth. Whisper quiet. Most comfortable. For sure. And an absolute breeze to drive.

Thanks to rear-wheel steering, it has the same turning circle as a Mini Countryman.

Think about it for a moment. Range Rover and a Mini. I was expecting to make a 33 point turn like Austin Powers.

Fully independent air suspension uses navigation data to prepare for bumps and corners up to two miles ahead.

off road? Unsurpassed. But you knew that. It’s a Range Rover. And it can swim up to 90cm if the blue line on your sat nav turns out to be a river.

The car we picked off the production line in beautiful Belgravia Green is a 3-litre straight-six diesel with mild hybrid technology. yes diesel

But smooth and clean and, like I said, super quiet. You could barely hear it over the AC – and the AC was barely on.

There’s also flat-six petrols, plug-in hybrids that go 70 miles on battery power, and a 530-hp 4.4-liter V8 from BMW.

So you won’t be late for the red carpet

Right, let’s jump back in, because this thing is like a superyacht for the road.

Medical grade air filtration system, just the thirty-five or so speakers with noise canceling technology and built-in Amazon Alexa. Also, you can have four, five or seven seats.

The long version has three rows of seats for the first time.

The four-seat, high-lux version has a meter of rear legroom, a beverage cooler, motorized folding tables, large screens, and massage seats. Real VIP.

You can also opt for leather-free upholstery if that is important to you.

Actually make nine seats if you opt for the tailgate’s “event seating”.

Prices from £99,000 to £178,000 for the singing-all long-wheelbase SV V8.

But whatever you choose, you will wait more than a year.

I am pleased to confirm that the all-electric Range Rover, arriving in 2024, will be built in Solihull, securing the factory for many years to come.

The Woodall family will be delighted. And thousands more will too. tip top

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