Range is the same as any other zwave plus controller. This is part of the spec, you shouldn’t find variation from one brand to another.
You said you had another mesh device between that light and the controller. Are you sure that device is a repeater? Only mains-powered devices repeat, a battery-powered device will not. Also, have you tried a Zwave repair? That often helps. However, if the problematic device is outdoors, it may be that there’s a local architecture issue like brick or concrete or some kind of insulation or tinted glass. If there’s a window near the outdoor light and you can position a repeater device so you could bounce signal out through the window, That might help.
Meanwhile, if local control is important to you, it is unlikely that SmartThings V2 will meet your requirements at the present time. See: