Lighter, leaner and more efficient Range Rover revealed
Official pictures of the all-new Range Rover have finally surfaced, and the big news is that the fourth-generation model is the world’s first SUV with a revolutionary lightweight all-aluminum monocoque body structure that’s 39% lighter than the steel body in the outgoing model, enabling a massive emissions reduction and a weight saving of around 420kg.
Engineered from the ground up, new Range Rover will benefit from a refined 5-liter supercharged V8 petrol, and two diesel options: a 3-liter TDV6 and a significantly updated 4.4-liter SDV8. Land Rover says that the engines combine responsive performance with outstanding CO2 emissions, but all other details – including emissions output, fuel economy and performance figures – is being kept secret until the Paris Motor Show next month. On the transmissions front, it’s thought there won’t be a manual option, with the ZF eight-speed automatic being used across all models.
In addition to the strong and rigid lightweight body, an all-new aluminum front and rear chassis architecture has been developed with completely re-engineered four-corner air suspension.
Discussing the new model, John Edwards, Land Rover global brand director, said: “The new Range Rover preserves the essential, unique character of the vehicle – that special blend of luxury, performance and unmatched all-terrain capability. However, its clean sheet design and revolutionary lightweight construction have enabled us to transform the experience for luxury vehicle customers, with a step change in comfort, refinement and handling.”
Amongst the many new innovations is a groundbreaking next-generation version of Land Rover’s terrain response system, which analyses current driving conditions and automatically selects the most suitable vehicle settings for the terrain.
Land Rover says new Range Rover has been subjected to a punishing on- and off-road test and development regime, with a fleet of prototype vehicles covering millions of miles over 18 months of arduous tests in more than 20 countries with extremes of climate and road surfaces.
Designed and engineered at Land Rover’s development centers in the UK, the new Range Rover will be produced in a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Solihull, UK. The SUV will be available to order from September with customer deliveries scheduled to start from early 2013. The new Range Rover will eventually become a global product, with Land Rover planning to launch it in 160 markets worldwide.
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