Land Rover Repair: Range rover ignition, range rover hse, 2003 range rover hse

Question
2003 range rover HSE ignition won't turn.  Key will only turn to first position ( interior lights,dashboard and radio turn on.  That is as far as the keey will turn.  The steering wheel is totally locked.  We thought maybe lights were left on overnight and drained the battery.  Tried to charge battery...didn't work.  Tried new battery...didn't work.  Cannot engage the door locks or trunk hatch from inside car or key...windows are working.  I've Been reading forums and many suggest drained battery but we tried a brand new.  Could it be the key or maybe the ignition itself? If it is the ignition switch does that require a new key?  How costly of a repair is this?  Couldit be the steering lock?   Please help.  My rover is sending me to the POORHOUSE.

Answer
The most common cause of that problem is failure of the lock mechanism in the steering column.  There is a cable from the column to the center console where the key goes, and when the column fails you get the symptom you describe.  Replacement is a few hours of work but the column itself is pretty costly ($1000 more or less depending on equipment )  We do 3-4 of them a year here at Robison Service