Range Rover (2012) prices and further specs

By Ollie Kew

First Official Pictures

07 September 2012 09:00

Ownership of the the all-new Range Rover will start from £71,295 for the entry-level 3.0-litre TDV6 diesel model.

The flagship 5.0-litre supercharged V8 model is a good deal more at £98,395, but for that you do get the 503bhp engine from the Jaguar XFR, and 0-62mph in 5.1sec...

Never before has a V6 diesel engine been available in a Range Rover. The new 3.0-litre TDV6 unit pumps out 254bhp, and is the lightest motor you can have in the car. Thanks to the diet elsewhere, mostly from the substantially lighter monocoque chassis, a TDV6 Range Rover weighs in 420kg less than the 4.4-litre TDV8 Range Rover of the previous generation.

So, with a smaller engine and a lot less weight, you'd expect a decent showing on the economy front, and you'd be right. The TDV6 Rangie is 22% more efficient than its equivalent predecessor, good for a claimed 37.7mpg and 196g/km of CO2.

Also helpful in the economy stakes is the eight-speed automatic transmission, standard fit on all Range Rovers. The other powerplant options are the 4.4-litre TDV8, and the aforementioned 5.0-litre V8 petrol. Of more relevance to UK readers is of course the diesel variant, now up to 332bhp from 313bhp in the old car.

Despite losing around 300-400kg in mass compared to the old car, the new RR maintains its 3500kg towing capacity, and has a wading depth of up to 900mm, up 200mm versus the previous-generation car.

Lightweight adaptive suspension gives best-in-class wheel articulation, while the lauded Terrain Response system now has an automatic mode, which monitors conditions 'under foot' and sets the car up appropriately, without the driver having to select modes manually.

The new Range Rover mixes the best of both worlds. On the one hand, its off-road credentials are better than ever, and it's a more ecologically responsible machine. Yet despite the brand enthusiast-pleasing, mud-plugging ability, on-board luxury has been improved, not compromised. There's even wider access to the rear quarters thanks to the RR's common role as a chauffeured limo, and 120mm more legroom once you're back there.

Want more pub ammo? How about the fact that it takes just 142 seconds to stamp out a new RR bodyshell, or that each structure contains 3722 rivets? If personalisation is more your thing, rest safe in the knowledge that there are 18,000 combinations of exterior and interior finish, and that those stylish new wheels are 2.5kg lighter each than those on the L322 Rangie.

The runaway success Evoque is still doing a sterling duty for JLR, selling around 90,000 units worldwide as of July 2012. However, a great deal of its appeal comes from the mystique of buying into the Range Rover family - the full-size RR remains a critical car for the company.

To secure the future of the vehicle, over £370m has been invested in the JLR Solihull plant, including creating the world’s largest aluminium bodyshop.

Land Rover isn't resting on its laurels. In 2013, we'll see the emergence of a hybrid Range Rover, teaming electric power with the 3.0-litre TDV6 engine. Land Rover says the hybrid Rangie could record CO2 figures of around 169g/km - no mean feat for a 5m long luxury SUV.

For even more in-depth analysis of why Britain's 4x4 will rule the world, check out the September 2012 issue of CAR magazine, on sale now.

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Range Rover long wheelbase (2013) scooped

By Georg Kacher

Spy shots

10 September 2012 11:00

Your eyes don't deceive you: here we have another camouflaged Range Rover scooped while on test in the UK. But while the all-new Range Rover has already been revealed, this is the long wheelbase Range Rover, set for a sales debut in 2013.

When Land Rover invented the luxury 4x4 segment back in 1970, it couldn't have conceived how the car would evolve into one of the world's most iconic and successful luxury cars. Even the just-replaced 2003 L322 model underestimated just how popular the Rangie would be as a chauffeur-driven car, so Land Rover is finally turning its attention to a rear passenger-friendly RR.

It's especially targeted at the Chinese and Russian markets, thanks to their can't-buy-them-fast-enough thirst for luxury British cars, and the convention in those parts to be chauffeured rather than drive oneself.

The all-new L405 RR is already bigger in the back: its new aluminium architecture and slight dimensions stretch liberates an extra 120mm of rear legroom over the outgoing model. The 'Pullman' RR will get 150mm of stretch in the wheelbase, and will swap the three-seater rear bench for two individual chairs.

Like now-defunct Maybach, the rear chairs will be fully independent and electrically reclinable, according to CAR's sources, while the whole cabin will be even more sumptuously appointed and open to further trim and upholstery options, taken from the highly successful Autobiography Edition.

Expect a hefty price tag of well over £100,000 for the LWB Rangie, which will only be available with V8 engines, in diesel and petrol form, until the TDV6 diesel-hybrid emerges in 2013.

Some of you may remember Land Rover dabbling with a long-wheelbase Range Rover bodystyle before. Back in 1992, Land Rover offered an LSE car, with a very generous 203mm added into the chassis, taking the famous 100-inch wheelbase up to 108 inches.

As with the new car, top-spec engines only made it into the 1992 LSE: a 4.2-litre iteration of the venerable Rover petrol V8 saw duty, putting out 200bhp. How times have changed: the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 in the new car pumps out 503bhp, meaning 62mph in 5.1 seconds.

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Range Rover (2012) first official pictures

By Ollie Kew

First Official Pictures

15 August 2012 00:01

At last, the all new Range Rover is revealed, with no camo-tape! The new Rangie is 420kg lighter, more eco-friendly, and even more opulent than the outstandingly successful current car.

These are the first official pictures of the new Range Rover: you can see it for yourself in the metal at the Paris motor show from 29 September 2012

Although the profile looks similar, there's actually been much tweaking of the proportion of metal to glasshouse. Also, you'll spot lots of detail changes to the new Range Rover to set it apart from the current car. The headlights are slimmer and more raked, into an altogether more aerodynamic front end: it's still bluff, but some of the upright-ness has been morphed into a more aero-friendly frontage.

With Jaguar Land Rover struggling to build the Evoque fast enough to meet demand, it's certain JLR will be hoping for similar fortunes for the flagship Range Rover. Attention to detail is what's required, and you'll find it again in rear light clusters mirroring the fronts (and the Evoque's) by cutting into the flanks. The alloy wheels are of an Evoque-esque design too - akin in fact to the 20-inch rims worn on CAR's long-termer.

Like the Evoque, there's be more adventurous exterior options too: for the first time, a contrasting roof panel will be offered for that full 'floating roof' look, and more vibrant exterior colours (as seen in our previous spy shots) will be in the brochure.

Although the proportions are similar to the current car, the new Range Rover has dropped a scarcely plausible 420kg versus the hefty current car, thanks to a switch from steel chassis to JLR's famed aluminium monocoque technology. Reckon on the new Range Rover weighing in around 20% less that before, helped largely by a 39% diet for the body-in-white. That'll doubtless pay dividends in the bends, and at the pumps, helping to shed some of the Range Rover's reputation as the eco-warrior anti-Christ.

Charged with hauling around the lighter body are a revised set of TDV6 and TDV8 engines, with improved CO2 emissions against the current car's 253g/km in TDV8 guise - and a 503bhp supercharged V8. 

Europe will of course favour the improved oil-burners, but affluent petrol-lovers will be able to choose the supercharged model in the UK. It'll be most popular in the United States and Middle East though.

Rather well, thank you very much, though we'd expect nothing less after the car's tortuous 18-month testing regime. The aluminium structure isn't just lighter; it also allows a reshuffle that liberates a further 120mm of rear legroom.

Soundproofing has also been upgraded to make this the quietest Rangey yet, thanks to laminated glass and the structure of the body panels themselves. Meanwhile the usual options of hide, veneer and Meridian premium hi-fi will be regular fare in the lofty cabin.

For all the details on the new Range Rover, and why it remains a king among cars, check out the September 2012 issue of CAR Magazine, on sale Wednesday 22 August.

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Abarth 595 (2012) Turismo and Competizione join range

By Ollie Kew

First Official Pictures

02 August 2012 10:03

Two new versions of Abarth's 500 hot hatch have been revealed, coming as standard with more power, upgraded toys and even more personalisation potential.

There's also a handy price-drop for the standard Abarth 500, which gets a few tweaks to keep the Scorpion-badged pocket rocket fresh.

Starting from the bottom, there's the familiar Abarth 500, now starting from £13,975 - around £500 less than before. For that, you get a 135bhp 1.4-litre turbocharged engine (or 140bhp in the semi-auto version), air-con, 16-inch alloys, rear parking sensors and front foglights.

You'll still be able to spec the Essesse kit from your Fiat dealer to raise the power and add racier wheels, but Abarth would rather you went for one of the new 595 models if it's more power you're after...

The Abarth 595 Turismo gets the same engine bumped to 160bhp, and natty upgrades like aluminium trim pieces, pedals and bespoke floor mats, tinted windows, sports suspension, 17-inch alloys, and xenon headlamps.

There's also a splash more colour outside, thanks to grey front and rear grilles, red brake callipers and a choice of ten exterior hues. The 595 Turismo will set you back £17,725 in manual, hard-top form.

Competizione cars get the niceties from the 595 Turismo, but add cross-drilled brakes, a new design of 17-inch alloy wheel and the Monza exhaust upgrade. There's the same wide choice of colours, too, and it starts from £18,725.

No matter which version you go for, you can have your 500, Turismo or Competizione with a peel-back soft-top roof. The premium for al fresco hot hatch motoring is £1900, whichever model you choose.

However, CAR recommends you save yourself £1300 by not opting for the semi-automatic paddleshift option: it too is available on each new 500 and 595, but it won't be giving Ferrari's dual-clutch wizards any sleepless nights, thanks to slow-witted, jerk-fest changes.

If you're still desperate for some Ferrari flavour in your Abarth 500, we'd point you in the direction of the rabid funfest 695 Tributo Ferrari - though you'll need very deep pockets. Don't miss CAR Magazine's premium super-tot triple test in the August 2012 issue of CAR Magazine, where we test the Mini Goodwood, Abarth 695 Tributo and Aston Martin Cygnet.

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Range Rover (2012) spied almost undisguised

By Ollie Kew

Your spy shots

26 July 2012 09:02

The wait for the new Range Rover is almost over. Our new spy shots show the lighter, greener car almost completely naked, save for a few remaining streaks of dazzle-camouflage. We've also received some new photos of the Range Rover sporting a two-tone paint job, just like its little Evoque brother.

Seeing such minimal disguise signifies only one thing: the fresh Rangey has been cleared for unveiling within a couple of months.

No - but the camo strip-tease has kept motoring junkies hooked on this story, wondering just how Land Rover will restyle their 4x4 icon for the next decade.

These spy shots show the wraparound headlights - clearly inspired by the Evoque - totally unmasked for the first time. At last, the grille design doesn't leave much to the imagination either. The rear light clusters mirror their frontal counterparts by cutting into the car's flanks.

Those pesky zebra stripes can't hide the car's familiar proportions. The metal/glasshouse relationship looks to have been preserved from previous Range Rovers, maintaining its classic design DNA.

Yes - it's not just racking up the testing miles in the UK. CAR reader James Silk spotted a couple of cladded examples undergoing hot-weather testing in Death Valley, California, and sent us his own spy shots of the new SUV alongside two Jaguar XF sidekicks.

This sparked a debate in CAR headquarters - could it be the first chassis tests of the Jaguar SUV/crossover; a car the company wants to expand its range? The truth is slightly less explosive: sources said the XFs were mere support vehicles. 

Despite similar dimensions to the outgoing model, the new Range Rover has been on a serious diet. Aluminium-intensive construction should reduce the current car's weight by around 30%, pitching the L405 Range Rover around the two-tonne mark. It's in with a shout of winning slimmer of the year.

As before, V6 and V8 turbodiesel engines will be the spine of the European range, with Jaguar-sourced petrol powerplants concentrated on the US and Middle East markets. A hybrid version will join the family in 2014, and like its conventionally propelled sisters, will be strictly four-wheel-drive only.

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Range Rover Sport (2012) the interior revealed

By Ollie Kew

Spy shots

20 July 2012 16:48

There are big changes afoot for the new 2013 Range Rover Sport's interior: it's come over all Evoque.

Our spyshots show previously unseen details of the sporty SUV's cabin, as well as more of that evolved exterior physique. The new Range Rover arrives first in early 2013, followed by the Range Rover Sport later in the year.

First off, the Evoque's Beckham-inspired cabin has clearly been a major influence on the new Range Sport. Gone is the chunky, squared-off centre console, and in its place is a steeply raked centre stack very similar to the popular Evoque's. To these eyes, the slope of the console is slightly akin to a Honda NSX's!

Decluttering the centre stack has been a priority: off-road functions are grouped around a single rotary dial control, while infotainment responsibilities are concentrated around the centre touchscreen, as with the majority of current Jaguar Land Rover vehicles.

It is indeed, which is most curious. Our previous scoop of the Sport's big brother showed that the full-fat Range Rover will be fitted with JLR's rotary gear selector, as first seen on the XF.

The Sport will shun that arrangement, with all its rising and glowing theatre, instead opting for a conventional stick-shift system, with a stubby little lever not dissimilar to what we've papped lurking inside the new Jaguar F-type.

Could it be that JLR is separating its racier models with this less sedate method of gear selection? You'll have to watch this space, but the clues are laid bare already.

The new Range Rover Sport is due to arrive in late 2013, around a year after the unveiling of the all-new L405 Range Rover. Expect the new RRS to sport a price tag somewhere around the £50,000 mark, meaning its market position won't change much.

What will change is the car's family-friendliness. Sources close to CAR have confirmed the new RRS will be available with a seven-seat configuration, giving a compelling practicality edge over its main super SUV-rival: the Porsche Cayenne.

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