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…