Range Rover 2013: Launch Review

Land Rover Range Rover

Land Rover says advances were made in every area, including efficiency, durability, refinement, off-road capability and on-road handling. 

As such, Land Rover expects the Mk4 Rangie – which will be sold in 170 countries globally as a key part of the company’s ambitious sales growth – to surpass the outgoing model as the most popular ever, by ‘conquesting’ more buyers of other SUVs and brands than ever before.

Aluminium is the key to many breakthroughs for Land Rover’s first all-new Range Rover in a decade and the platform of the world’s first all-alloy SUV will form the basis for at least two more large SUVs to come from Land Rover – next year’s redesigned Range Rover Sport and the all-new Discovery in 2014.

Full details were announced three weeks ahead of its world public debut at the Paris motor show on September 27 and first Australian deliveries begin next February.

At least 25 Australians have already placed orders for the revolutionary new Land Rover flagship that is expected to be more popular than its predecessor, which attracted about 20 buyers a month – 85 per cent of which were diesels.

Opening the new Range Rover line-up will be the 3.0L V6 Diesel at $168,900 plus on-road costs, representing a $6900 increase on the $162,000 TDV8 HSE it replaces. The same 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel will also be available in Vogue specifications, priced at $178,900. 

The new Range Rover TDV8 comes with a similar price increase, opening at $195,100 in Vogue trim level (it is no longer available in base HSE guise) and costing $217,100 in Vogue SE trim and $232,800 in top-shelf Autobiography specification.

The new Rangie won’t be available with Jaguar Land Rover’s 5.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol V8 in Australia and the bullocking supercharged version remains the top-shelf engine in the new Rangie line-up, and costs from $224,400 in Vogue SE spec. The same engine rounds out the 13MY Range Rover model family in Autobiography form, priced at a cool $240,100.

Depending on the market, there is the choice of seven real woodgrain trims harvested from sustainable forests, “low-carbon” leather trim from Bridge of Weir in Scotland, three Meridian sound systems including a “world’s best” 1700-Watt unit with no fewer than 29 speakers and the choice of a four-seat “executive” interior with twin rear fully-adjustable bucket seats separated by a full-length centre console.

Top-spec Autobiography models feature semi-aniline leather with twin-stitching, leather headlining and wheel sizes up to 22-inch, while 22 exterior paint colours bring to more than 18,000 the number of possible interior and exterior options combinations.

Optional extras – for the top-shelf Autobiography also – include a full-length panoramic sunroof, dual DVD screen rear entertainment system and electronic rear differential.

No spot welds are required to make the world’s first all-aluminium monocoque SUV (the original MkI Defender of 1948 wore an aluminium body made from recycled aircraft bodies), which also saves power in the manufacturing process.

The result is a 420kg kerb weight saving in base form, with the new entry-level TDV6 now weighing 2160kg – down from 2580kg for the TDV8 it replaces – and other models about 300kg lighter than before. The first all-aluminium Range Rover bodyshell is 180kg or 39 per cent lighter than the steel monocoque construction it replaces, and features the world’s largest one-piece aluminium bodyside.

Because it is riveted together rather than spot-welded, its construction requires 75 per cent less power, while 50 per cent of its aluminium is recycled and 31kg of its interior plastics is recycled. Of the 420kg shaved off the base model, 180kg comes from the move to a new alloy body, 120kg is saved in the switch from TDV8 to TDV6 and the rest is reduced in a multitude of areas throughout the vehicle.

The fitment of an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission (with low-range transfer case) as standard across the range and idle-stop for the TDV6 also lowers fuel consumption, as does the Rangie’s first electric power steering system, electric cooling fans, smart regenerative battery charging and low rolling resistance tyres.

Matching the performance of the outgoing TDV8, the first six-cylinder diesel-powered Range Rover delivers 190kW at 4000rpm and 600Nm of torque at 2000rpm from its PSA Peugeot Citroen-sourced 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 and sprints to 100km/h in 7.9 seconds. 

However, thanks to a massive 420kg kerb weight reduction to 2160kg, lower-friction internal components and the fitment of an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission with fuel-saving idle-stop function, efficiency increases by 22 per cent to 7.5L/100km and 196g/km of CO2 (58g/km less than the old TDV8). An 85-litre fuel tank provides a theoretical driving range of 1149km.

Now fitted with twin air intakes, eight-speed auto with idle-stop, cast-alloy engine mounts and a redesigned oil sump saving 10kg, the new TDV8’s 4.4-litre twin-turbo eight-cylinder diesel engine offers 250kW at 3500rpm (up nine per cent) and 700Nm of torque between 1750 and 3000rpm.

That allows the TDV8 to sprint to 100km/h in 6.9 seconds – a full second sooner than the model it replaces – while offering combined fuel consumption of just 8.7L/100km and CO2 emissions of 229g/km. Combined with a larger 105-litre fuel tank, the TDV8 can in theory travel 1215km before refuelling.

Topping the range is the 5.0-litre supercharged V8, which produces 375kW at 6000rpm and 625Nm between 2500 and 5500rpm, consumes 13.8L/100km and can hit 100km/h in 5.4 seconds (0.8 seconds quicker than before) on its way to 250km/h when fitted with 22-inch wheels. At 322g/km, CO2 emissions are seven per cent lower.

Fifth-generation air suspension is fitted at all four corners of the latest Rangie and, combined with continuously variable damping, is claimed to improve ride quality by 20 per cent and handling by 25 per cent. Body roll is vastly reduced due to the fitment of the Range Rover Sports Active Lean Control, with the addition of independent front/rear control.

Although the new SUV’s breakover angle is slightly reduced at 28.3 degrees, all other off-road performance statistics are up, including a 34.5-degree approach angle, 29.5-degree departure angle, maximum ground clearance of 296mm (up 13mm; rear axle clearance is 310mm) and a 900mm wading depth – up 200mm.

The upgraded Terrain Response 2 system still features five drive modes, but adds a fully automatic setting, which measures a range of parameters 100 times per second to deliver optimum traction. Off-road capability is claimed to have improved in all areas including on wet grass, dirt roads, mud/ruts and rocks, but particularly on snow/ice and soft sand.

Towing capacity is best-in-class at 3500kg and the Rangie features a full electric deployable towbar for the first time.

At 4999mm long overall it is just 27mm longer than before but remains shorter than an Audi A8 and looks smaller thanks to rounder front- and rear-ends, a ‘faster’ windscreen and a slightly lower roof, which also improve aerodynamics, to 0.34Cd for the base TDV6 (10 per cent better than before), rising to 0.36Cd for the 5.0L supercharged petrol flagship.

Naturally, iconic Range Rover design cues continue, including the ‘floating’ roof (via gloss-black pillars), ‘clamshell’ bonnet and horizontally split tailgate, but shorter overhangs, a rising shoulder line and wedge-shaped glasshouse make the new Rangie look altogether sportier and less boxy.

Despite this and new surface details like the wrap-around headlights and tail-lights – and the side gills that move from the front guards to the doors – the new Rangie remains instantly recognisable. 

Other new design features include LED tail-light strips, camera lens-style bi-xenon headlight beams, contrasting roof colour options for the first time, a full-width LED stop light hidden beneath the subtle roof spoiler, a hidden rear wiper and what’s claimed to be the world’s largest panoramic roof (including a tilt/slide front panel) on an SUV.

Both the upper and lower sections of the tailgate are now powered and the load height of the lower door has come down but is still designed to be used as “a standing platform for outdoor events”.

Land Rover conducted 1.5 million computer-simulated tests and built more than 300 prototypes that were tested in temperatures ranging between -40 to +52 degrees C. It says it invested more than 40,000 man hours to perfect quality, which is evident in the near-flush glazing, soft-close door mechanisms and narrow, consistent panel shut lines.

Inside, the new Rangie presents an all new, simplified but more luxurious cabin that is dominated by a strikingly elegant horizontal dashboard intersected by a vertical centre stack and features 50 per cent fewer switches.

Land Rover says the driving position is even higher than before and at least 90mm higher than its most direct rivals, despite a roof height that is 20mm lower. Rear legroom increases by 120mm, with rear knee room up 50mm.

The lighter yet more rigid alloy bodyshell is complemented by a comprehensive system of airbags and restraints, comprising twin front airbags, side curtain and thorax airbags (including the world’s largest curtain airbag) and active front seatbelts linked to the vehicle’s emergency braking functions.

Vehicle crash performance was verified by 70 full vehicle crash tests and over 20 sled tests and Land Rover says the vehicle comes with the most extensively developed pedestrian safety package of any Range Rover, including a raised bonnet A-surface, bonnet and bumper profiles optimised for energy absorption, and attention to under-body structure placement.

Despite being up to 420kg lighter than before, braking is via larger Brembo six-piston aluminium front callipers, plus 380mm ventilated front discs and 365mm rear rotors, while an electronic parking brake is fitted and wheel sizes range between 19 and 22-inch. The Range Rover is also available for the first time with Intelligent Emergency Braking, which comes standard on vehicles fitted with Adaptive Cruise Control. 

The long list of standard safety features includes Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Roll Stability Control (RSC), Electronic Traction Control (ETC), Trailer Stability Assist (TSA), Hill Descent Control (HDC), Gradient Release Control (GRC), Hill Start Assist (HSA), Engine Drag torque Control (EDC), Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Emergency brake lights (EBL), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA) and Corner Brake Control (CBC).

At the same time, Land Rover says it engineered the latest Rangie to be as refined and luxurious as the world’s finest German limousines, including the significantly pricier Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7 Series and Audi A8.

Land Rover says wind, road and engine noise and harshness levels have all been reduced, making the Rangie quieter inside at 160km/h than all but the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, including the Porsche Cayenne (by 29 per cent), BMW X5 (by 16 per cent) and Audi Q7 and A8.

It claims road noise at 120km/h is lower than the Cayenne, X5 and Q7, as well as some of the world’s finest luxury limousines like the Lexus LS, Mercedes S-Class and Bentley Continental Flying Spur.

Land Rover says that although the Range Rover has no direct rival, it used the outgoing Rangie as a baseline and benchmarked a number of other luxury SUVs to deliver 17 best-in-class attributes in areas including weight, aerodynamics, efficiency and safety.

The new Rangie’s body is 85kg lighter than the much smaller Audi Q5’s body and 23kg lighter than the BMW 3 Series’ body, yet stiffer than before. New double wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension systems are mounted in new alloy subframes for the first time in a Land Rover, producing 30 per cent stiffer attachment points and delivering front and rear wheel travel of up to 597mm – more than the Mercedes-Benz GL (480mm), VW Touareg and Audi Q7 (465mm), and BMW X5 (390mm). Most sedans offer about 200mm of wheel travel.

With a class-leading 3500kg towing capacity, it’s no surprise that more than 90 per cent of Rangie buyers in Australia regularly tow – most likely boats or horse floats – even if less than 25 per cent of them put its outstanding off-road credentials to the test more than once a year.

True to its objective to offer the widest breadth of ability of any vehicle, the fourth all-new Rangie in as many decades promises even greater off-road capability and on-road handling dynamics, and to prove it Land Rover let motoring media at the global launch loose in its all-new flagship over more than 400km of harsh Moroccan roads in northern Africa.

Proving more capable than ever away from paved surfaces, the world’s first all-aluminium SUV easily churned up the deep, soft sand on the sizeable beach dunes south of Essaouira on the Atlantic coast and effortlessly tip-toed over razor-sharp rocks at the bottom of an ancient Atlas mountain ravine after monsoonal rains the previous week.

Not content with fitting even more wheel travel to both ends, Land Rover has also built in an apparently fool-proof automatic mode for the Rangie’s tried-and-proven Terrain Response system, in the process taking its off-road capability beyond all of its rivals except perhaps the Toyota LandCruiser-based Lexus LX570.

But given the outgoing model was already the off-road SUV yardstick, we expected it would continue to tread where less than a quarter of all Range Rover buyers will ever dare to travel.

What we didn’t expect was the agility with which its lighter, stiffer, yet slightly larger and sexier new body now steers into corners on the road, or the limousine-like quietness of its classy cabin regardless of how inhospitable the terrain outside becomes.

No, despite shedding a hefty 420kg, the first V6 diesel Rangie still doesn’t match the on-road handling prowess of the BMW X5 or Porsche Cayenne, which remain at least 100kg lighter at base level, but the vast reduction in ‘head toss’ in bumpy bends and the steering’s new-found precision and high-speed stability bring it a big step closer.

Not surprisingly, the Rangie feels lighter on its feet in all circumstances, and selecting Sport mode further sharpens the responses of key vehicle systems, including its eight-speed transmission, its new electric steering, its active suspension damping system and, in V8 models, its highly effective bodyroll control system.

That Land Rover was able to achieve worthwhile reductions in fuel consumption and increases in performance from all variants – including the V6 and bahnstorming twin-turbo V8 diesels and the ballistic supercharged petrol V8 range-topper – while significantly increasing rear-seat space, standard equipment and overall luxury levels is quite a feat.

Although it’s a shame few owners will ever put the full extent of the Range Rover’s outstanding off-road dexterity to the test, many will appreciate its class-leading 3500kg towing capacity and the vast strides in quality, refinement and dynamism.

So this symbol of landed British aristocracy has always gone further off-road than any other luxury SUV and now it goes even further. Thanks to their standard low-range gearing, only the LX and Mercedes’ equally hulking GL can come close to its mountain climbing ability.

But while both rivals offer the added flexibility of third-row seating, they now fall even further behind the Rangie on the road, where latest technologies like radar cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and a cracking 29-speaker 1700W Meridian sound system make it feel as high-tech as any executive German saloon.

The V8 diesel we drove did develop a sunroof rattle and squeaky brakes after 5km of torturously hard-core riverbed rock-hopping, and other vehicles suffered punctures and malfunctioning massaging seats.

But few luxury SUVs would have emerged from that Moroccan mountain canyon unscathed, let alone with the ability to scythe back down a twisting Atlas mountain pass with sports sedan-style aplomb, then crack 220km/h in limousine-like comfort and stability on the highway.

Of course, you’d expect all this for a $170,000 admission price that’s somewhere between Mercedes’ top-shelf CLS- and S-Class sedans and at least $60K higher than its key German rivals, even if the supercharged flagship undercuts its sharper, quicker M, AMG and Turbo competitors by at least $23K.

Believe the hype: Land Rover’s latest Rolls-Royce of SUVs can now cover more terrain in more comfort than any vehicle ever produced, and offers more luxury than any other SUV.

Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site…