MOTORS Luxury and practicality from an all-new Range Rover.

An automotive interpretation of Modern Luxury

It’s a tall order indeed to reinvent a car that’s been an iconic sight in both town and country for over 50 years. There’s a lot riding on Land Rover’s new flagship Range Rover. Can it deliver? Words: Rob Davis.

BACK IN 1970 the world was a very different place indeed. There’s more technology in even modest cars today than it took to send a man to walk on the surface of the moon. Today’s cars are a mass of chips, sensors and driver aids, not to mention being rather more comfortable than anything you could pilot half a century ago, with better engineering, manufacturing and design. Looking back at the original Range Rover now it’s difficult to believe that it was considered the embodiment of comfort... it looks positively crude by today’s standards. Over five generations, its successive reinvention has brought us right up to October 2021, when Land Rover chiefs unveiled an all new model for the 21st century to the world’s press at London’s Royal Opera House. Commensurate with a vehicle which is available to order now with first deliveries in spring 2022, it’s been created with an all new architecture that builds in electrification (full electrification will not be available until 2024) and eco-friendly qualities as well as reflecting traditional Range Rover values like space, luxury and terrific breadth of capability.

With the advent of the Range Rover Sport, Velar and both Land Rover’s Discovery and Defender, the market place has become much more crowded in recent years, with the Range Rover jostling among its siblings to secure sales, never mind the fact that other manufactures like Bentley and Rolls, Aston Martin and Porsche have all entered the posh-SUV market. With prices for the best vehicles now comfortably in the £150,000 region, this version of the Range Rover has been given the necessary breathing space to put some distance between its sub-£100,000 siblings and really make the new flagship special. Accordingly, the new model starts at £94,400 and tops out at £131,000, which will increase when the dedicated sports model, which will be badged SV – a reference to the firm’s Special Vehicles Operations engineering department – launches later in 2022. For now though the Range Rover is available in SE, HSE and Autobiography trims, in both a standard and longer wheelbase version. Engine choices at launch include a 3.0V6 diesel (badged D300 and generating 300hp), 3.0V6 diesel (badged D350 and generating 350hp) and a P400 3.0V6 petrol generating, 400hp. At the top of the lineup is a 4.4V8 petrol unit generating 530hp. Two additional engines with plug-in hybrid technology and all-electric ranges of at least 60 miles are yet to go on sale and will doubtless lead to the extinction of diesel in the lineup, providing a last hooray for combustion prior to full electrification in a couple of years. One very welcome addition to the new Range Rover is the option to specify six or seven seats including two ‘Executive Class Comfort Plus’ seats in the middle row, mostly aimed at the Chinese market where

being chauffeured is more popular than self-driving. Otherwise, it’s possible to seat seven in comfort in the new model, and of course all seats can be heated, cooled, they can recline and provide a hot stone massage. In terms of spec, we’d recommend the shorter wheelbase unless you really do make the most of the rear seats, and spec those rearmost seats according to your needs. We think the D300 has all of the smoothness, power and economy you’ll need, although we’ll quickly consider the plug-in hybrid model instead, as soon as it launches. Likewise, base SE trim is very well equipped indeed with adaptive cruise and a 3D camera making motorway driving and parking easy. Heated seats in the front and rear, electrically adjustable and clad in leather, plus a heated steering wheel, panoramic roof and a power tailgate are all standard, so we’d opt for the SE and add perhaps a few choice options like Park Assist for automated parking, which will pay for its £250 list price the first time it spares you the ignominy of a scuffed bumper in a tight car park. Being a Range Rover, an eight speed auto gearbox, low range gears, air suspension and the company’s Terrain Response system are all standard. There’s probably no terrain around the county that a Range Rover driver would find inaccessible, and not only will you get there, you’ll do so in style, comfort and in unashamed luxury. n

THE DETAILS Range Rover

Price: £94,400, D300 SE (first deliveries March 2022). Powertrain: 3.0L 300HP diesel, all wheel drive, eight-speed auto box. Performance: 0-62mph: 6.5 seconds, top speed 135mph. Economy 36.7mpg, 202g/km, Equipment: Heated electrically adjustable leather seats, 360° camera, adaptive cruise, navigation, heated steering wheel, power tailgate, soft door close, keyless entry, Apple Carplay. n

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR LAND ROVER?

Last month Jaguar Land Rover revealed that its business lost £302m from the period July-September 2021. Covid, Brexit and the current shortage of semiconductors (chips used in everything from anti-lock brakes and engine management systems to your car’s air conditioning and hi-fi) were to blame for supply problems and for sluggish sales. In fact the company says that it has its lowest ever level of inventory (i.e.: the number of available cars that dealers can nab for buyers seeking a particular model or configuration). The company remains optimistic though, not least because with outstanding orders of 120,000 vehicles waiting to be satisfied, there’s still very strong demand for its best model lineup ever. The new Defender, expensive as it is, has been enormously well-received and it’s currently outselling the firm’s Discovery by roughly three to one. With the new Range Rover providing the firm with a fitting flagship, and with electrification now possible across the firm’s range, 2022 is looking very bright indeed for the company and Land Rover is set to enjoy a bumper year. n Land Rover Sales by Model:

Sales, January-October 2021. Land Rover Defender: 50,882. Range Rover Evoque: 50,299. Range Rover Sport: 46,279. Land Rover Discovery Sport: 43,618. Range Rover: 32,474. Range Rover Velar: 30,047. Land Rover Discovery: 15,268. n

The 4x4 that’s going back to Where It All Began

We’ve already seen how much the 2022 Range Rover has evolved over half a century and five successive iterations, but some have their attention focused firmly on the past, not the future... Words: Rob Davis.

BEING WEALTHY definitely has its advantages. Say your favourite car has been discontinued, and the new model just doesn’t excite you. Most of us could do little about that, but Sir James ‘Jim’ Ratcliffe isn’t most people: he’s the richest man in the UK, worth £21bn and has interests in chemicals, industry and finance. He also has a favourite pub, The Grenadier Arms in London’s Belgravia, and it was in that very pub that the billionaire was decrying the loss of a proper Land Rover Defender. A pint or two, some pork scratchings and a game of darts later, he thought that as he can’t buy one... he’ll just make one, instead. Doubtless the new Land Rover Defender is a phenomenal car, but it’s pricy, electronic and a world away from the original. Not that the original was without its flaws; it was crude, uncomfortable and wouldn’t cope with being upgraded to adhere to increasingly stringent crash or emissions standards, let alone electrification. Jim Ratcliffe’s new Ineos Grenadier, then, is rather more faithful to the formula of the original Defender.

For a start it’s going to be priced from £48,000. It will also be available as a double cab pick-up, a two seater utility wagon and a station wagon version too. BMW will provide its 3.0 straight six engine, in either petrol or diesel flavour, and in addition to an eight speed gearbox, you’ll have permanent four-wheel drive, a two-speed transfer box with low range gears, centre, rear and front locking differentials, and 17” steel wheels that’ll stand up to real punishment. Looking decidedly like a Defender, it’s the car that Land Rover’s reboot should have been; rugged, practical and no-nonsense. Order books are open now, and already, it looks like Jim will be very pleased with the car he’s built to celebrate and reinvent a true motoring legend. n Price: From £48,000, available to order now, first deliveries from summer 2022.

Powertrain: 3.0L straight six diesel, all wheel drive, eight-speed auto box.

THE DETAILS Ineos Grenadier

Equipment: Permanent four-wheel drive, two-speed transfer case, locking differentials, electrical power takeoff, USB, Recaro seats, Pathfinder off-road navigation, park assist, heated seats, optional leather. n

A new SL from Mercedes

MERCEDES REVEALS ITS BRAND NEW SL ROADSTER, WITH DELIVERIES ANTICIPATED JUST IN TIME FOR SUMMER...

MERCEDES Nearly 70 years after the original launch of the Mercedes Benz SL300, the company has revealed what its new generation flagship two seater sports car will look like. The luxurious roadster is now a 2+2 seater and the new model puts its power down on the road with all-wheel drive for the first time. Elsewhere, too, it’s all change! One of the most notable features of the new model is the omission of a metal folding roof in favour of a lighter and simpler fabric roof. Engines available from launch will include a Mercedes 4.0V8, and though the diesel engine is likely to be consigned to history, electrification should soon be available too, alongside a fierce AMG version, too. n MICHELIN Could the holy grail of tyres be just around the corner? Michelin has announced a 2024 launch date for its airless tyre, made from rubber and fibreglass promising better environmental credentials and savings on fuel. Over 50 patents for the design have been registered, and it’s hoped that when the tyres proliferate, checking tyre pressures, flats, jacks and spares might all be consigned to the history books! n

An electrified classic Aston...

EVEN Q BRANCH WOULD BE PROUD OF THIS TECHNICALLY SOPHISTICATED ELECTRIC REBOOT OF 007’S CLASSIC ASTON

Michelin announces airless tyre for 2024 launch...

LUNAZ The newest electric cars from mainstream manufacturers are very modern looking, so if you’re looking for an electric car which still has the grace and lines of cars like the classic GTs designed by British marque Aston Martin, look no further. Lunaz can electrify a DB6 now, and have it delivered to you for 2023, although the price of £750,000 might prove to be somewhat shocking. In addition to a 80-120kWh motor, the DB6’s cabin has been upgraded with air con and modern sat nav. Lunaz claims the car will have a range of around 255 miles and will generate about 700Nm of torque. n

MOTORING NEWS

In Brief

MOTORING HISTORY 125 YEARS OF MOTORING HISTORY TO VIEW ONLINE

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