The new Range Rover – only available locally from mid-2022 – has been launched in Europe and the words ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ tell an apt tale of the levels of tech and luxury that are incorporated in the latest iteration.  

With a suite of powertrain options – and a pure-electric Range Rover set to join the line-up in 2024 – plus a choice of four, five or seven-seat interiors available across Standard and Long Wheelbase body designs, the New Range Rover is at home in any environment.

Thierry Bolloré, Chief Executive Officer, Jaguar Land Rover, says: “The New Range Rover is a superb manifestation of our vision to create the world’s most desirable luxury vehicles, for the most discerning of customers. It writes the next chapter in the unique story of pioneering innovation that has been a Range Rover hallmark for more than 50 years.”

Land Rover’s new flexible Modular Longitudinal Architecture, MLA-Flex, underpins every aspect of this luxury SUV that will be available in South Africa in a choice of HSE and Autobiography models.

A First Edition will be available throughout the first year of production, based on the Autobiography and featuring a unique specification. It is exclusively available in a Sunset Gold Satin finish, among a choice of five exterior colours. Both Standard (SWB) or Long Wheelbase (LWB) body designs are available with five seats, while the New Range Rover LWB model is available with a third row for extended comfort for up to seven adults.

The surfaces provide a clean and contemporary appearance – and contribute to a drag coefficient of 0,30, making this possibly the most aerodynamically efficient luxury SUV in the world.

The luxurious interior is underpinned by modern, intuitive and relevant technologies, designed to work harmoniously with the finest materials and wellbeing innovations to create a calm sanctuary for all occupants – turning every trip into an experience to savour.

Nick Collins, Executive Director Vehicle Programmes, Jaguar Land Rover, says: “The New Range Rover takes the lessons learned over 50 years of evolution and combines them with cutting edge technologies to deliver supreme refinement, comfort and wellbeing. It does this through pre-emptive suspension that primes the vehicle for upcoming corners, next-generation noise cancelling with new headrest speakers and clean air technology that can help significantly reduce odours and viruses – creating one of the quietest, most relaxing, modern luxury travelling experiences imaginable.”

The Range Rover was the first luxury SUV to feature Electronic Air Suspension, in 1992, and the New Range Rover continues this pioneering approach with Dynamic Response Pro and pre-emptive suspension that uses eHorizon Navigation data to read the road ahead and prime the suspension to provide perfect responses.

The intelligent technology also works in conjunction with the Adaptive Cruise Control with Steering Assist to smooth out body movements resulting from sudden changes in speed. Fully independent suspension underpins the luxurious ride and features Land Rover’s first ever five-link rear axle, which isolates the cabin from surface imperfections more effectively than ever using advanced air springs.

Advanced hazard detection means the doors can automatically pause until the sweep of the door is cleared.

Drivers can even control the new Range Rover from outside the vehicle using Remote Park Assist, which is operated using a smartphone app. It allows the luxury SUV to manoeuvre into and out of parking spaces while the driver monitors progress nearby – perfect for entering or leaving narrow city spaces or negotiating rural gates.

Every New Range Rover features All-Wheel Steering for an effortless drive with heightened high-speed stability and improved manoeuvrability at low speeds.

The electrically operated rear axle provides up to seven degrees of steering angle and, at low speeds, turns out-of-phase of the front wheels, giving the New Range Rover a turning circle of less than 11 m– the smallest of any Land Rover. At higher speeds the rear axle turns in phase with the front wheels for enhanced stability and comfort.

The New Range Rover is also the first Land Rover to feature Dynamic Response Pro. The powerful new active 48-volt electronic roll control system is faster-acting and more efficient than a hydraulic set-up, with a torque capacity of up to 1 400 Nm fed into the anti-roll bars to keep body movements under control.

The intelligent All-Wheel Drive (iAWD) transmission is controlled by Land Rover’s Intelligent Driveline Dynamics (IDD) system, which monitors grip levels and driver inputs 100 times a second to predictively distribute torque between the front and rear axles, and across the rear axle, for optimum traction on and off-road.

In South Africa the New Range Rover will be available in a choice of new Extended Range Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) powertrains, the P440e and P510e, and the Ingenium diesel D350 engine. A powerful new petrol flagship – the P530 Twin Turbo V8 – delivers increased refinement and performance and is 17% more efficient than the previous Range Rover V8.

The New Range Rover is the first Land Rover to be powered by a new 4,4-litre V8 engine, which deploys two parallel twin-scroll turbos – one for each cylinder bank – to minimise turbo lag and optimise efficiency.

The new engine produces 390 kW and 750 Nm of torque, and powers the New Range Rover from 0-100 km/h in 4,6 s with Dynamic Launch engaged, and to a top speed of 250 km/h.

The D350 diesel produces 257 kW and 700 Nm of torque, and powers New Range Rover from 0-100 km/h in 6,1s.

The new Extended-Range PHEVs combine the in-line six-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine, in a choice of 323 kW or 375 kW outputs, with a 38,2 kWh lithium-ion battery – with usable capacity of 31,8 kWh – and a 105 kW electric motor integrated with the transmission. Together, the powertrain provides up to 100 km of near-silent pure-electric driving. With instantaneous electric torque the new P510e (375 kW) accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 5,6s.

The PHEVs can reach up to 140 km/h allowing customers to enjoy the New Range Rover as an EV-only model for most journeys in town and country, with overall CO2 emissions lower than 30 g/km9. Typical Range Rover customers will be able to complete up to 75% of trips using electric power onlyif they begin each journey with a full charge.

The New Range Rover will be produced exclusively at the Solihull Manufacturing Facility in the UK, using a state-of-the-art production line housed in the building used to produce early Series Land Rovers. The historic building is the spiritual home of Land Rover and its reimagining as a new, ultra-modern centre for Range Rover production showcases the way the company protects its heritage.