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Video: Range Rover celebrates the big 4-0!
On June 17, one of our favorite SUVs to ever set its wheels on this planet will celebrate its 40th birthday. And if the auto industry has taught us anything, it’s that auto makers won’t pass up the chance to celebrate whatever anniversary falls on their lap. With that being said, you can definitely expect Land Rover to throw quite a part in two weeks’ time when the unflappable and timeless Range Rover celebrates the big 4-0. It’s hard to imagine that an SUV that has spawned only three generations has lived to be 40 years old, but if there’s one vehicle that has clearly defied any and all expectations, it’s the Range Rover. The first, and arguably the most iconic of the lot, was made back in 1970 and has since been known in auto circles simply as the ’Classic’, lasting for more than 25 years thanks, in large part, to a number of upgrades and variants that were released until the second-generation Range Rover, tagged as the ’P38a’, made its way to the roads in 1994. The P38a lasted around seven years before the third and current-generation Rover was introduced back in 2001. Nine years later - and 40 years after it burst into the auto scene - the Range Rover is coming out with it’s new baby, the LRX, proving that a good thing never goes out of style, even if it’s been 40 years since it first came out. Design Q builds a private jet interior Range Rover
 
There’s something to be said about people who roll around town in a Range Rover with ’rich’ being one of those words that are thrown around most often. Well, if the word fits you and you’ve got enough money to waste, might we suggest that you give the folks over at Design Q a call. These guys certainly go to extraneous lengths to make the buyer feel, shall we say, more at home inside their Range Rover. See, what Design Q did is outfit a Range Rover with an interior that looks more like the inside of a private jet. Yeah, we’re not kidding. The features include an elevated roof designed to give the SUV’s rear seats more space, a gullwing door, a pair of plane-worthy seats, a drink chiller, a humidor, a mini-spa center, and a computer as well as “many other highly desirable features”. Not your average SUV, is it? Even for Range Rover standards. Land Rover confirms 2WD and hybrid technology
Last week we brought the first rumors about a 2WD version for the future Land Rover Range Roverand, we have to say, it’s nice when we get an almost immediate confirmation following such rumors. Today, LandRover has officially confirmed that the model will go on sale in 2011 and will emit less than 130g/km of CO2. "Land Rover has announced that the all-new compact Range Rover will be available in 2WD. This is good news for the company and for our customers. A 2WD option is just one way in which we are developing our vehicles efficiency whilst adding to the Land Rover range and expanding our customer base. We will continue to make the ‘world’s finest all-terrain vehicles’ for those customers who require 4WD but will also now offer an alternative to those that don’t," said Phil Popham, Land Rover managing director. Land Rover has also confirmed that a hybrid model will be unveiled in 2012 and on the road in 2013. The first diesel hybrid prototypes are called the ’range_e’ and are being developed using a Range Rover Sport platform. The goal is to achieve a range of 20 miles using electric power only emitting less than 100 g/km of CO2 emissions and to achieve a top speed of around 120mph. Press release after the jump. Full story 2010 Range Rover Sport and Vogue Platinum V and S packages by Onyx
Onyx Concept Bespoke Automotive is in the car tuning business not to tinker around with cars, but to question conformity. They believe cars are beginning to lose their style and appeal, so they are in business to challenge the automotive business by creating tuning packages for models such as Bentley, Aston Martin, Porsche, Lamborghini, and Land Rover. Creating design and style is exactly what they have done with their new Land Rover Range Rover Sport and Vogue tuning packages. The V and S packages not only provide a full body kit for the Range Rover models, but they also provide an impressive revamping of the cars’ engines. The V and S packages begin with front and rear bumpers, arches, and spoilers made of high quality fiberglass reinforced plastic. The side vents, front grills, and rear diffusers are made of a more luxurious material: carbon fiber. The body kit makes the car look lower and wider than the standard Range Rover model and also adds a square shape to the Range Rover that is questionable in terms of taste. The Range Rover fulfills its exterior destiny with a set of 22” forged bespoke custom TPM1 alloy wheels. The interior of the Range Rover models gets only a minor, but exceptional change: buffalo hide perforated leather. Hit the jump for the full story and press release. Full story SUV Smackdown: BMW X5M takes on a Range Rover Sport Supercharged
For whatever reason, drag racing SUVs aren’t all that common in today’s world. Whether they’re a little too bulky or they just don’t make for good drag racers, SUVs have served far bigger purposes in our lives than for just the 12-second, quarter-mile thrill-ride. That being said, when we do chance upon the rare sight that is a quarter-mile race between two high-powered SUVs, we certainly won’t miss the chance to see which one takes the cake and which one ends up whiffing on it. In this video, we have a BMW X5M taking on a Range Rover Sport Supercharged. Pretty even race, don’t you think? Well, it was pretty even for a while before one of them decides to take-off, leaving the other one staring at the winner’s rear end. Care to venture a guess as to who crossed the quarter-mile first? Check it out and find out. 2013 Range Rover Sport Hybrid
Well, it didn’t take long to receive confirmation on the story we brought forth only yesterday. Land Rover confirmed today that the company is indeed preparing a hybrid Range Rover and that it will be unveiled in 2013. The first testings will begin in late 2010. The Land Rover Range_e features a diesel-electric hybrid powertrain and a new ZF eight-speed automatic that will be used in all of the future models. Land Rover said that the company is also considering adding a petrol-electric hybrid system. The first model said to be introduced with the hybrid technology will be the Range Rover Sport with the full-sized Range Rover and the Land Rover Discovery not being too far behind. The hybrid version of the Range Rover will be priced at around £10k, but Land Rover is also considering a plug-in hybrid model for 2015. This plug-in hybrid Range Rover is one of the most exciting developments. Chief engineer of hybrids at Jaguar Land Rover, Peter Richings, said: "It means you can drive a Range Rover for at least 20 miles on full electric power around town, emissions of less than 100g/km and speeds of up to 70mph in EV mode." Arden Range Rover Sport AR5
Arden has teamed up with Vredestein to put together a tuning package for the Land Rover Range Rover Sports that will be unveiled at the 7th Tuning World Bodensee on May 13-16, 2010. This year’s Tuning World Bodensee will feature 250 exhibitors and about 1000 tuned cars. The Arden Range Rover Sport AR5 will be one of them as it is officially unveiled. The AR5 package will include: a new front fascia, LED daytime driving lights, side steps, carbon fiber mirror casings, a revised rear bumper (with integrated exhaust tips), and 22-inch Dakar II alloy wheels. We are hoping to see some nice pictures of the tuned up Rover with maybe a certain Miss Tuning Martina Ivezaj by its side. Press release after the jump. Full story Land Rover will launch new Range Rover in 2012
Land Rover is preparing to launch the new generation Range Rover in 2012. It will be a roomier version featuring a super-luxurious interior and, for the first time, a seven-seat interior option (this version will replace the current Discovery). The next generation Range Rover will feature similar characteristics to the previous models including an upright nose and horizontal, multi-bar grille. It will also receive oblong headlights together with a flat beltline and airy glasshouse. Built on an all new pressed-alloy platform, the future SUV will also offer a more spacious interior package. "The feedback from existing customers was [that they wanted] more rear legroom, so that’s what we’re going to give them." A lower roofline will also give the impressioon of a less bulky look while decreasing the aerodynamic drag. Alloy construction changes will bring a dramatic weightloss of 450kg, allowing for better performance, fuel economy, and CO2 emissions. At the launch, the new Range Rover will be offered with a choice of a 300bhp TDV8 and a 260bhp TDV6, mated to eight-speed ZF gearboxes with stop-start. Land Rover will also offer a V8 engine at a later date . Additionally, the new Range Rover will use the world’s first alloy-monocoque 4x4 bodyshell. Stay tuned. We’ll get back to you with more details soon. Hamann Conqueror II
The German tuner Hamann unveiled the Conqueror II at the Geneva Motor Show. It is a tuning kit based on the Range Rover SPORT that improves both the SUV’s aerodynamics, but also the performances. The aerodynamic kit includes: a stylishly adjusted front bumper components with the four integrated LED daytime running lights and the carbon bonnet, a roof spoiler, a rear apron placed in a diffuser-look and the HAMANN-side planking. As for the 5,0 V8-Supercharged engine, it has been tuned to deliver an impressive 60 hp at 6,500 r.p.m and 685 Nm within the speed range of 2,500 to 5,500 r.p.m. For the 3,0 TDV6 engine the output has been raised to 280 hp and the peak torque to 660 Nm. Press release after the jump. Full story Video: Audi R8 and Range Rover Sport being chased by the police
At first look, you’d think that this car chase scene came straight out of an action-packed Hollywood blockbuster, but if you must believe, it’s actually produced entirely in computer-generated imagery (CGI). Yeah, you read that. That Audi R8 and Range Rover Sport you see spectacularly trying to escape the clutches of the police aren’t real. But they sure look like it, right? Sometimes we tend to forget the beauty that is CGI; it seems that just about every movie that’s produced these days has a tinge of CGI-ness to them. But watching something like this makes us all remember just how unbelievably real CGI can be, especially when you take into account that the video even has closer-ups of the driver deftly manoeuvring the R8 while being chased by a horde of angry coppers. | featured reviews: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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