I have exactly one real use case for LR: I want a contact sensor on my mailbox to indicate when mail has been delivered. Driveway is too long to do that over anything I've got right now, I think.
That said, I wish LR allowed for islands, where an LR device could relay for regular Z-wave devices near it over a long hop.
So right now, Z-wave is mesh. Using multiple Z-wave controllers is usually worse since you split the mesh and that's almost always worse. With LR on everything, or even most things, the notion of using a second or third Z-wave controller becomes much more reasonable. Tho considering the range on LR, you could probably just use a single hub anyway, since it'll work up to a mile over open air.
But I wouldn't be surprised if maybe 900 series adds just that feature you're wanting. It would be a nice feature, and I'm not sure what other 'big new thing' they can add in 900 series to stay competitive.
My point is that most networks will have a few LR devices and mostly mesh devices. If LR devices also repeated from their non-LR neighbors, they could be the beachhead that lets the hub talk to a distant enclave of devices it otherwise wouldn't reach.
That was my case too, until I got a C8 with the external antennas. Z-wave has farther range. Replaced the three spotty, at best, zigbee devices at the end of the driveway with Z-wave. Much more reliable.
Interesting idea, but that isn't possible in the spec and hardware today. Like @daniel.winks said, maybe in some future version of zwave?
Exactly. (Hence the lead-in in the original sentence, "I wish....")
Does the C8 still not support Zwave Long Range?
If not, what exactly is the hold up?
No,
Hold up is time needed to develop and test.
Now that Matter is launched I suspect we will see some movement on the LR.
Is there any other hubs that have implemented it yet? Last I knew none of the major players for home hubs had it. Hubitat will possibly be the first.
Z-Way / Zwave.Me
Although Zwave LR does indeed work on that hub, it is hard to recommend that hub due to the lack of support and updates.
So latest FW update with "Z-Wave and Z-Wave Long Range 700/800 SDK 7.18.1.0" does not enable Z-Wave Long Range?
Updating Z-Wave radio on C-7 hubs after version 2.3.8.122
Not by itself, no. It still takes interface updates and other back end support.
"soon"
You heard something?
I'm not a paid employee of hubitat so I can speculate and pontificate (within reason) with impunity.
anxiously waiting so i can get this device and finally get reliability at the mail box.. right now every month or two i need to replace the 2450 battery in the zigbee smarthings 4 sensor due to the distance and difficulty in signal
Z-wave Long Range question...
I know there are advantages to using newer Z-Wave chips like the 800 series, even without Long Range. But If you already have (battery operated) 800 series Z-wave devices not configured as Long Range, but that are already connected "direct" to your HE, is there any advantage to using Z-Wave Long Range?
I guess I am asking if the "Long Range" adds any benefit other than the long range? Less battery usage? More reliability? More speed?
The way the modulation and radio work on LR it can lead to lower transmission power required, which would equal lower battery usage. But it is 100% application dependent.
No guarantee it would be lower, and no "rule of thumb" to say it would always be lower either.
I'll do similar power testing as shown below on some of the Zooz 800LR battery operated devices once LR is officially released on Hubitat. But even then the results will still be application dependent, but may be interesting to see anyway.
There you go again.
If I throw enough gueses out there one of them will eventually be right. 
You must be a Psychic/Clairvoyant to have such incredible powers of prediction!
Ahhh yes... I see now, you recently lost someone close to you.
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