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this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2026
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40 years ago Alexi Sayle joked about moms driving giant Range Rovers to the shops.
40 years ago range rovers weren't particularly big, nor much of a soccer mom car compared to what it is now
It's the same customer: People buying the absolute largest car sold with features like off-road 4 wheel drive that they have absolutely no intention of using.
If Range Rover offered a 3,000 kg car in 1985, soccer moms would have bought it.
It was a very different car. If you wanted the absolute largest, you bought American. Even in 2026, Range Rovers are small compared to what GM has to offer, but in the 1980s, the difference would've been even bigger since the Suburban and its derivatives have grown less. Go back to the early 80s or 70s and the Range Rover wasn't even offered with 4 doors yet, it was even smaller.
Put it this way: A Volkswagen Golf estate is now about the same size as the first 4 door Range Rovers. A regular Golf is a tiny bit shorter than the original Range Rovers (2 door). Current VW Passat is significantly bigger.
No one in Britain bought American made cars in the 1980's because they weren't officially imported. American imported cars were grey market that needed extensive conversion to be legal.
It was still far from a "big" car. A contemporary Mercedes S-Class was nearly half a meter longer than the 4 door Range and that's a sedan lol.
Range Rovers are now as big as luxury sedans were in the 1980s.