First Drive Review
Introduced at the New York auto show last April, the 2010 Land Rover Range Rover showed off a few subtle tweaks to the interior and exterior styling. We took in the changes, admired Land Rover designers for enhancing an already class-leading interior, and then asked ourselves the most important question, “What will the Range Rover be like with the new engines?”
Now that we’ve sampled the Range Rover and the Range Rover Supercharged in Spain, we can say that the upgrades to the interior pale in comparison to the upgrades that went under the hood.
The base Range Rover, which starts at $79,525, costs $750 more than the 2009 model. But the extra money yields not only the many subtle design changes and the Rolls-Royce–grade interior but also 75 extra hp from the 5.0-liter direct-injection V-8. Acceleration in the previous Range Rover could be described as stately—if you were being kind. With the extra 75 horses, the naturally aspirated Range Rover is nearly as quick as the previous Range Rover Supercharged. The increase in torque and hp over the smaller 4.2-liter is immediately apparent. Land Rover predicts a 0-to-60-mph time of 7.2 seconds,
and we have no reason to doubt that claim.
Keeping Up When the Hunt Turns to a Chase
What the lord of the manor will truly be interested in are the Supercharged models that move from 400 horses to 510, courtesy of the new Jaguar/Land Rover 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 with direct fuel injection. The price comes in at $95,125, an increase of only $950. A Roots-type supercharger sits in the valley between the cylinder banks and makes far less whine than the previous Range Rover Supercharged when called on to create maximum boost. The sound from the driver’s seat is more V-8 rumble, which adds a large dose of civility to the quickest of the Range Rovers, but we have to admit that we did like the antisocial sound of a supercharger on one of the world’s most luxurious objects.
Land Rover claims a 0-to-60 time of 5.9 seconds, which seems believable considering how the Range Rover Supercharged rears up onto its back tires under full throttle. Accompanying the extra power are six-piston calipers that clamp larger brakes than last year’s. No fade emerged in our mountain drive.
Other changes to the ’10 Range Rover include electronically controlled shock absorbers that continually respond to driver inputs and try to adjust the damping accordingly. Bent around corners, the new Range Rover exhibits a greater sense of control. The ride feels smoother and less choppy, but the difference is minute.
Although most owners will use the Range Rover as an alternative to a BMW 7-series or Mercedes-Benz S-class, the adjustable airbag suspension remains and offers the possibility of lifting the Range Rover high to clear obstacles or ford streams when off-roading. The Range Rover has no problem becoming a luxury car, but to use it solely as one is to ignore its roots and its do-anything capability.
A Go-Anywhere Drawing Room
The interior of the Range Rover has never drawn complaints, and the new one will continue that tradition. Instead of gauges, there is a TV-like TFT (thin-film transistor) screen on which the gauges are projected, like the system used in the S-class. Other information, such as off-road settings, also appears in the display, which remains easy to read even in direct summer sunlight.
Our only gripe with the Range Rover is that self-closing doors are unavailable. In the Range Rover’s segment, nearly all the other players offer doors that pull themselves shut the last fraction of an inch. The Range Rover in particular would benefit from these because its heavy-duty seals and lightweight aluminum door construction require a slam. We also experienced a few electrical glitches that illuminated warning lamps on the TFT display. They only lasted a few seconds, but if potential owners saw the blinking warning lamps and the full-Christmas-tree hiccup on our dashboard, they might think twice about writing a nearly six-figure check.
