4th Gen Range Rover Arrives Soon!
A true automotive icon, Land Rover’s Range Rover will soon
arrive in its 4th generation guise after more than 40 years of
production.
Does it look like a Range Rover? Does it drive like a Range Rover? The answer is “yes” on both counts, with some
caveats…
Let’s start with the exterior design work. All basic proportions are correct, with a
bit more curve and rake here and there while maintaining the Range Rover
presence and style. Where things go a
bit awry is the area of brightwork, or automotive jewelry. There are three main areas the auto critics
are pointing to, the first being the headlights and taillights. Word has it they are eerily reminiscent of
the current Ford Explorer light assemblies.
What the design team at Land Rover was trying to do was create a
bit of family resemblance with their run-away hit Evoque, which quite frankly I
have no problem with.
Complaint #2 centers around the 3-slat faux vents on the
front doors. Done for a tie-in to the
previous generation Range Rover as well as removing some visual heft from the
side-view, I am not sure it was the best solution.
Lastly the front bumper vents just plain stink. They are too busy and out of place, even
though they are a functional vent.
OK… Now that I have covered the design junk, let’s get to the
serious go-bits. 700 pounds lighter in
the britches, this new Range-er will outperform the previous in virtually every
category, including today’s politically correct fuel efficiency category. Performance will be guided by Land Rover’s
new Terrain Response 2 management system and a 5.0 liter V8 engine paired to an
8-speed automatic transmission. The
speed-freaks out there will want to opt for the supercharged version for even
more power!
The interior meets the Range Rover luxury standards with
yards of stitched hides and an available 29-speaker stereo system to drown out
all superfluous noise.
Available this winter in U.S. showrooms starting at $83,500,
the new Range Rover is sure to be a hit to the well-heeled SUV aficionado…