Land Rover is gearing up for the 2011 Geneva Motor Show and it's bringing four new models to show off, one of which shows the automaker is thinking a bit more green: the Land Rover Range_e plug-in diesel hybrid.
Power for the electrified Range Rover Sport comes courtesy of a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 paired with a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission, as well as an electric motor. The Range_e's driving range is said to be nearly 700 miles and it can drive approximately 20 miles on electric power alone, which should be good enough to get the SUV into the heart of London.
Also getting the bright light auto show treatment are the luxurious Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate Edition, Evoque in two and four-door guise and the 2011 Discovery/LR4 Landmark Edition. The Autobiography Ultimate is described as the most luxurious Land Rover ever produced and features yacht-inspired teak flooring and Apple iPad tablets for the rear passengers. The Evoque will be featured in a handful of trims that offer unique customization options for consumers. Finally, the limited-edition Landmark LR4 will be available in either a Black or a White theme with upscale interiors and unique color treatments.
[Source: Land Rover]
Land Rover promises Range_e plug-in diesel hybrid for Geneva
Review: 2010 Land Rover LR4 makes a better boxy SUV
Wanting to sample the latest iteration of Land Rover's middle-management cruiser, we set off in search of the 2010 LR4's natural environment. Minutes later, the Rover's new 5.0-liter, 375-horsepower V8 led us to Nordstrom. What? You expected Monument Valley?
With the wallet-denting expedition complete, we took solace in the luxuriously updated interior during the homeward jaunt. Sybaritic pleasures and tried-and-true off-roading abilities are the extremes of its range, so how does the LR4 fare in the middle?
Unmistakably a Land Rover, the LR4 comes in for an exceedingly subtle outward metamorphosis. Look (very) hard and you'll notice the reworked grille and fascia. There's also a larger intake in the restyled front bumper, which itself has been reshaped to enhance aerodynamics – not that the LR4's squared-off look screams "wind tunnel-tested." New headlamps, LED taillamps, a trio of new paint colors and new 19- and 20-inch wheel designs round out the exterior tweaks. No one's complaining about the conservative approach to the visual facelift; iconic styling is an asset changed at your own peril.
The relocation plan moves the controls for the updated Terrain Response into a more logical location by the shifter. Thanks to the upgraded materials, Range Rover drivers will feel right at home when they get an LR4 loaner at the service department. Front and second-row seating is revised, and HSE buyers can choose the Premium Leather Pack and its electrically-adjustable seat bolstering. The third row is still coach-class, largely the domain of priveleged brats, but grown-ups do fit more easily than in some other three-row vehicles with a similar footprint.
The interior refit pays off by improving the LR4's driving experience. Were it not for the obscene amount of fuel required to shove a tall, blocky, heavy thing through the air, this would be a nearly ideal vehicle for long-legged journeys. The seating position is high, and visibility is fantastic. The front and middle-row seats are fantastically comfortable, and a heated steering wheel feels decadent on subzero mornings. Equally sublime is an electrically heated windshield, though the squiggly grid can be initially distracting.
The LCD that serves as command center and navigation display is the lone quibble in the interior, and our gripe centers around the software. The user interface is tedious and non-intuitive, though at least the speed of the system is improved over past implementations. A flattening of menu structures would be more welcome, though. Beyond usability complaints, the audio system sounds great and chats nicely with iPods or thumb drives, as well as offering satellite radio. Premium automakers, with their longer development cycles and niche sales numbers, seem to be more afflicted by obtuse electronics than bread-and-butter brands. Land Rover's entire lineup would benefit from a wholesale electronics update.
All in good time, perhaps, as the engine and chassis have just received that kind of fine-tuning, turning the sow-like LR3 into the responsive, nimble LR4. Anti-roll bars have been enlarged, dampers stiffened and a new steering rack is also part of the remix, which perks up the LR4's tiller and makes it respond attentively to driver inputs.
One quick boot of the accelerator pedal delivers results of the most significant upgrade to the LR4. The new 5.0-liter V8 speaks with authority and pushes the LR4 with the assertion to match. With 375 horsepower and 375 lb-ft of torque, the new NA mill puts out nearly as much as the old supercharged V8. Despite the robust gain in power, direct injection allows a ULEV2 emissions rating, and there's more bandwidth to the power curve. Efficiency is improved too, though the weight of your right foot will be the main determinant in achieving good fuel economy. Variable camshaft timing and a squeezy 11.5:1 compression ratio are directly responsible for the attentive throttle response and refined manners. This new 5.0 is an engine that's Johnny-on-the-spot, has a musclecar-worthy exhaust note and offers a significant power increase over its predecessor without any economy penalty, even with more than a half-liter of extra displacement.
There's also a feeling of solidity to the LR4's structure that comes from its unique mix of monocoque and ladder frame that Land Rover calls Integrated Body Frame. It adds to the curb weight, but building the passenger compartment and engine bay like a unibody vehicle while bolting the drivetrain and suspension to a ladder frame pays off. Doubtless, the weight makes for a comfortable ride, especially since the air suspension is so adaptive and the T-Square bodywork doesn't jiggle or flex noticeably.
As we've described it so far, you might be thinking of the LR4 as a British interpretation of the '88 Caprice Classic wagon. Obviously, that would be patently wrong. Even without attempting the Rubicon, the LR4 lets you smugly comfort yourself with the thought you could go rock crawling if you wanted to. Both on- and off-road, the ride is impressively cloud-like. Off the blacktopped path, the structure doesn't turn into an oscillating chamber of horror, either. Everything stayed put, with just the Jaguar-sourced V8 providing the main soundtrack as we sipped our coffee and tried to avoid high-centering.
In most cases, selecting 4WD while on the fly will suffice, though Land Rover hasn't rested on its serious off-roading laurels. Terrain Response has a new "Sand" mode, as well as tweaked calibrations to account for the new engine and improve its prowess on different surfaces. A lap of the deep snow around the backyard swingset showed off the capability of the system in low-range with the differentials locked. The neighbors were not amused.
A $57,000 family truckster that sucks fuel at the rate of less than 20 miles per gallon isn't always the right choice. There are those that need three rows of seats along with four-wheel drive that's capable of conquering the Himalayas, but all three of those people already have cars. The luxury and style of the LR4, along with the new powertrain and sharpened reflexes are what's going to close sales. It's not the most logical family vehicle, but it's one of the most capable.
More about Land Rover Cars in Www Car Com:
+ First Look: 2010 Range Rover
+ Tiret Coupe based on LSE Design Range Rover Sport Coupe
+ Test Drive: 2009 Land Rover LR3 SE V8
+ Seven-seat Land Rover LR2 could hijack LR3 name
+ Land Rover turns sixty in style with one of its most thrilling SUVs ever
Auto Review: 2009 Land Rover LR2 HSE is naughty by nature
Land Rovers have always gone their own way – often literally. While off-roading demands a low center of gravity and muddy trails would seem to warrant hose-out interiors and body-on-frame-construction, the British automaker has long contented itself building tippy-looking unibody boxes with tall greenhouses and opulent cabins – the anti-Humvee, as it were. Further, in recent iterations, they've packed their products with immense electronic systems, air suspensions, dial-a-topography Terrain Response controller, and so on... the very sort of complexity that ought to be enough to send English sports car enthusiasts running back to their therapists' offices.
And yet, the formula has always worked – vehicles like the Range Rover and Discovery (now LR3) have somehow managed to earn both Kalahari-traversing credentials and valet stand privileges. Other companies have attempted the leather-lined off-roader thing before (Lamborghini, Lexus, Hummer, Porsche, and LaForza come to mind), but while some have added the trappings of luxury to their SUVs, exactly no one has been as successful in marrying their vehicles to the notion of aristocracy – the sort of "Lord and Master of All That I Survey" quality that has remained Solihull's historic preserve. In short, Land Rovers have always been a gloriously and uniquely British contradiction on wheels – a fact that goes some way toward explaining why your author remains more than a little conflicted when it comes to this LR2.
