By David Colman

Hypes: Sterling Motor, Show Car Looks, Plush Interior
Gripes: Odd Control Placement, Irritating Stop/Start

Evoque posses the kind of command presence other SUVs would kill to have. A purity of line instantly distinguishes this entry level Land Rover from all other luxury mini SUVs. Only Porsche’s new Macan comes close to captivating your attention with the kind of allure the Evoque generates. And even the Macan looks like something of a styling mash-up by comparison to the Evoque. The steeply sloping roofline meets the high beltline in a perfect example of diminishing single point perspective. Once you see your first Evoque you will never forget its charismatic design. With a base price of just $41,100, it’s hard to believe such visual excitement is so affordable.

Of course, our test Evoque upped the final ante to a still reasonable invoice price of $51,170, thanks to the usual bevy of ancillaries manufacturers include on press pool specimens. These included a $3,000 “Power Plus Package” that had nothing to do with upping the 245hp under the hood. Rather, it consists of powered leather seats with lumbar and memory, a fixed Panoramic roof with power blind, front fog lights and headlight washers, and 19 inch alloy wheels to replace the standard 18 inch rims. These optional wheels plant all season Continental Cross Conti 235/55R19 rubber at each corner. An extra $2,100 gets you the “Vision Assist Package” which upgrades headlamps from Halogen to adaptive Xenon, and provides blind spot monitoring with closing vehicle sensor. A surround camera system takes care of monitoring all quadrants. The navigation system adds $1,750 to the bottom line. Although the navigation responds to voice control, the pictures it generates on the 8 inch, high resolution color monitor look rudimentary and dated compared to the latest Google Earth derived images available elsewhere. Finally, a $1,300 “Climate Comfort Package” provides 3 stage seat heaters front and rear, plus a heated steering wheel and hot windshield washer jets. On recent cold East Bay mornings, the seat and wheel heaters were terrifically efficient and welcome.

An exceptionally lively turbocharged 4 cylinder aluminum alloy motor propels the Evoque with gratifying authority. This 240hp engine drives all four wheels through a 9-speed automatic gearbox that offers paddle shifts to control gear choice in manual shift mode. Programs for automatic operation in Normal or Sport mode remove shifting responsibility from your list of concerns. Although the direct injected turbo 4 is plenty responsive to throttle application, you can up the output this year by selecting a limited edition “Autobiography” edition, or “Autobiography Dynamic” version, which bumps punch to 285hp. The base engine also does a commendable job of fuel conservation, posting an overall figure of 24 MPG, quite respectable for a vehicle weighing nearly two tons and driving four fat footprint tires.

If there’s a downside to life with Evoque, it lies inside the cabin, where idiosyncratic design makes you wonder who was in control of switchgear placement. For starters – literally – the remote start button is inexplicably located high on the dash fascia, up by the tachometer face. A relocation to the center console would eliminate this perplexity. A second irritation in daily use is the fuel saving automatic engine shut-off, which kills the motor when you brake to a stop, then re-fires it when you remove your foot from the brake. The Evoque judders during each transition phase. Although you can delete the operation by depressing a small button on the center console, you must remember to do so each time you restart the Rover.

Despite its severely sloping roofline, the Evoque will just clear the head of a 5’8″ tall adult in the back seat. Even better, the back windows travel all the way down into the doors. The Evoque’s five door configuration facilitates use of the 25.5 cubic foot storage area. We made repeated pick up trips to Lowe’s and drop off trips to Goodwill during our week with the Rover, and found it to be adept at managing mundane transportation chores with more panache than you would expect from lesser SUVs. Now into its fourth year after introduction, the Evoque still makes a convincing argument for its purity of line, strength of engine, and distinctive rarity.

2015 Range Rover Evoque 5 Door

• Engine: 2.0 liter inline 4, turbocharged, direct injection, with twin variable valve timing
• Horsepower: 240hp
• Torque: 250lb.-ft.
• Fuel Consumption: 21 MPG City/30 MPG Highway
• Price as Tested: $51,170
• Star Rating: 8.5 out of 10 Stars

Review by: Francis Cebedo
Carreview.com

Earlier this summer, we had the opportunity to spend a week with the Land Rover Range Rover Sport Supercharged.  We had an event in Laguna Seca, Monterey, CA where we had to move a lot of people and a lot of cargo. We had to drive on open highways, twisty roads and the occasional dirt parking lot. In a nutshell, it was a perfect opportunity to get to know this vehicle.

What is it?

The Range Rover Sport is a driver’s vehicle. It handles like a sports sedan, has the room of a utility vehicle and can go offroad whenever called upon. The balance of handling vs. comfort vs. offroad ability is optimized like never before. Often, a driver has to pick just one but in the Range Rover Sport, all three are optimized.  The family  cruise in opulent comfort on the open highway, carve  up the mountain roads and roll with confidence on harshest winter roads by the ski lodge.  This attractive and roomy vehicle will handle your shortest trip or any excursion in stride.

Specifications

2012 Range Rover Sport specifications:
Base price: $60,500 (HSE; estimated). As tested $68,500 (estimated).
Engine: 5.0 liter V-8; 375 hp and 375 lbs-ft. of torque (w/o supercharger; 510 hp and 461 lbs. ft w/supercharger).
Transmission: six-speed automatic.
Length: 188.3 inches.
Width: 76.1 inches.
Wheelbase: 108.0 inches.
Curb weight: 5,487 lbs.
Luggage capacity: 33.8 cubic feet.
EPA fuel economy: 13 city/18 highway.
Where assembled: Solihull, United Kingdom.

Strengths
• About half the price of a Benz Gelandewagen (the only other  SUV that can compete with in curb appeal and off road prowess). Supercharged version is $30k less than a Porsche Cayenne Turbo.
• Acceleration is ‘spine-adjusting’
• Handles better, easier to park/maneuver than the most SUVs
•Tremendous off-road capability.
• Interior is comfortable, opulent and functional

Weaknesses
• No 33 MPG diesel versions for the US this year. We get 13 MPG.
• Headroom’s a little tighter for you giants
• Cruising range is rather short with the 23 gallon tank
• Electronics is a bit dated
• Folding rear seats have to be done in two stages to get them flat.

The Details

Based on the unibody-hybrid platform as the larger Land Rover LR4 the Range Rover Sport is a vehicle that sits more like a sports wagon than an off-road adventure vehicle.  It comes outfitted with either a naturally-aspirated 4.4-liter V-8 engine  or a supercharged 4.2-liter V-8 that was shared with the Jaguar XF and XJ for a time. Both versions offered a six-speed automatic transmission and a sophisticated all-wheel drive drivetrain and off-road-worthy suspension The “Terrain Response” system allowed drivers to select a four-wheel-drive mode based on conditions like snow, sand, or pavement, and tailored the Sport’s traction and stability control to match. In summary, this machine has a monster motor with 510 hp, an air-controlled suspension that can make 500 adjustments per second and an all-wheel drive system that has a brain trained by scientists.

Weight is hefty at 5900 lbs and fuel economy is unispired, at 12/17 mpg for the fastest Sport, but handling is as brilliant as many luxury sedans–the equal of BMW’s fine-handling X6–and off-road capability is as strong as necessary in such an expensive, attractive vehicle. The Dynamic mode brings new quickness to the steering and throttle, too. Something quite shocking is that this off-road capable beast is faster, more agile and corners just as hard as my Mini Cooper S. It sounds better too as mashing the accelerator down releases this guttural, throaty, rumble that make any muscle car fan jealous.  It is then followed by a force similar to a jet airliner taking off. One knows it’s not good for the mpg average but it’s one of the most satisfying thrills to be had.

So here we have a vehicle that bucks the trend of smaller engines and green, blue, mpg hypermiling. This is a Range Rover that sticks to its core values of styling, luxury, performance both on asphalt and off-road. It’s an all-out adventure car and rather than get the mileage 20 21 mpg, this vehicle just tells you to get a second commuter car.

Performance

The biggest aspect of the Sport’s refresh is a pair of completely new powertrains, and we were lucky enough to get the direct injected, supercharged 5.0-liter mill under the bonnet of our tester. With 510 horsepower and 461 pound-feet of thrust, our tester felt more like a supersized sportwagon than a massive SUV. Land Rover claims a 0-60 mph time of 5.9 seconds, and after one stab at the throttle, we can attest to the accuracy of that time. The Eaton-sourced twin-vortex supercharger is 16 percent more efficient than the booster it replaces, giving the RR Sport another 135 ponies (versus the naturally aspirated model) while still passing ULEV2 emissions regulations. The new engines figure to be more reliable, too, and they carry 15,000-mile service intervals, effectively doubling the amount of regal mud bogging between dealer visits. Land Rover went to ZF for its newest transmission, and the HP28 six-speed unit is a very smooth operator. Paddle-shifters were on-hand, but we had no desire to use them more than once thanks to the engine’s surplus of torque.

And just because the RR Sport weighs in at nearly three tons doesn’t mean that Land Rover has built a sloppy cornerer. LR hasn’t obliterated any longstanding laws of physics, but by adding adaptive vehicle dynamics, it’s helped bend some rules. The Landie’s DampTronic valve tech monitors and optimizes damper pressure 500 times per second, helping even first-time drivers feel confident and controlled behind the wheel. Steering feel has also been improved by stiffening the front suspension’s lower arm bushings.

While we certainly couldn’t verify Land Rover’s claim of 500x per second damping pressure monitoring, we can tell you that the sporty Range Rover feels very surefooted in a wide variety of driving conditions and during aggressive driving. We were pleasantly surprised at how flat this beast is under hard cornering – it’s like Land Rover built a tank that was specifically designed for slaloms. Actually, tank-like is a great way to describe the feeling we got when behind the wheel, but not in a laboring, trench warfare way. More like, this is as close as the English could come to duplicating the Abrams Tank while still retaining the driving dynamics of a vehicle much smaller than it really is. The steering is nicely weighted and has some level of feedback, though it won’t be confused with a Porsche Cayenne any time soon. The Range Rover’s five spoke, 20-inch wheels fill out the wells just fine, and the 14.2-inch ventilated rotors up front and 13.8-inch stoppers at the rear provide enough fade-free stopping power to keep your Land Rover from dancing with bumpers or boulders.

The Land Rover Sport may have the heart of an on-road athlete, but it is constructed to excel off-road even more than it does on pavement. Every Range Rover Sport comes with Land Rover’s Terrain Response system; a dial with six settings for varying driving conditions. The driver can select from settings including general driving, sand (new for 2010), rock crawl, mud and ruts, and grass/gravel/snow. The other all-new setting, which is only available on the supercharged model, is Dynamic Program, which tightens steering and body control while also reconfiguring the stability control system for snappier responses. Select this option and Land Rover promises that you’ll enjoy a more athletic on-road driving experience. We found Dynamic Program to have improved steering and throttle response, but a single performance-inspired setting does not a 3 Series-fighter make. It does, however, result in a confident-handling luxury SUV. Our favorite setting was the winter detent, because Southeast Michigan received about two inches of snow right when we took delivery of our tester. While the settings didn’t cut out sliding and slipping altogether, it did a fantastic job of keeping us on the straight and narrow.

The Interior

A veritable house of luxury, the Range Rover Sport offers about as much pampered refinement as we can imagine. Top notch materials wrap every surface, including the fine leather on the captain’s chairs. Sheen-free-finish wood trim looks like it could have come out of the library in a castle in rural England. In short, this is an exceedingly comfortable place to whittle away the miles.

The 2010 refresh brought with it a much more upscale design than before, although the Sport still remains a little surprisingly low on luxuries. Don’t go looking for goodies like ventilated seats or a power liftgate, but at least the atmosphere is top notch. At least there is a rockin’ Harman/Kardon audio system, an intuitive trip computer and, of course, those acres and acres of fragrant leather. Too bad the navigation and infotainment is clunky and dated, with a map that proved rather outdated both in its design and its recognition of streets we didn’t even think were that new.

Rear seat passengers get plenty of leg room with easy ingress and egress thanks to the height-adjustable air suspension. The slab-sided body offers up no shortage of cargo space behind row two. We especially like the rugged-feeling loop carpet, which serves as a pleasant reminder of the Sport’s history.

Bottom Line

Land Rovers are known for their brawny mountain-climbing abilities, and Range Rovers are known for their sumptuous interiors. The Range Rover Sport combines both qualities with fun driving dynamics. Though it’s not quite as capable over hill and dale as the Land Rover LR4, test drivers say the Range Rover Sport is plenty capable of fulfilling most of the tasks that Range Rover buyers will ask of it. This Range Rover is an athlete and it will play on all surfaces.  It is the one car that satisfy you in all conditions and adventures. It doesn’t pretend to be eco-anything though so get that second commuter car and use this one for all the great adventures.

Pros

• Awesome acceleration for a SUV that weighs like an elephant
• Intelligent cruise control basically drives the car itself
• High driving position provides commanding view of the road
• A sense of superiority comes standard

Cons

• Great power comes at a cost- paltry MPG makes operating expensive
• Steering is a bit too loose at highway speeds
• The styling is getting a bit dated

Click here to view the embedded video.

I have always wanted to drive a Ranger Rover, having grown up in the 80s where a Jag and a Ranger Rover in the garage means you’ve arrived. Now I know perfectly well that the Range Rover Sport does not sit on the same platform as the Range Rover, which was developed while Land Rover was still owned by the Germans. The Range Rover Sport is based on the newer LR4 platform, so the way I see it: it looks like a Range Rover, smells like a Range Rover, runs faster than a Range Rover, makes me feel superior than every other driver on the road like a Range Rover. Hence, it’s a Range Rover.

Driving Impressions

The LR-V8 5.0 liter supercharged petrol engine delivers 510 hp and 461 lb-ft torque. It can get to 60 MPH in 5.9 seconds. That’s right, you read correctly, 510 horses. Unfortunately, the gross vehicle weight is 6,889 pounds on the RRSS. Acceleration is simply marvelous, but you definitely feel the weight of the SUV and can hear the supercharger working hard. Off-the-line acceleration is great at stop lights. People simply don’t expect this hunk of metal to move that fast. Stopping power is also impressive, the Range Rover Sport comes with high performance brakes developed jointly with Brembo.

The RRSS also comes with a slew of advanced systems such as Adaptive Dynamics, Dynamic Response and the Terrain Response systems, making this one of the best handling SUV in production. Oh sorry I was just reading the press release. The truth is, the RRSS handled really well on surface streets, the steering felt fairly tight at local speeds and the SUV cornered well. Handling on the freeway was a different story. The steering felt too loose and there was too much give at highway speeds for my comfort.

An awesome feature on the highway is the adaptive cruise control (ACC). You just set it, and forget it! Well, you still have to steer, but the Range Rover Sport Supercharged basically drives itself, keeping a preset distance from the car in front of you. You can also select from three distance settings, depending on the prevailing speed at which traffic is moving on the freeway. It is really cool to experience the car brake on its own when using the ACC. It’s almost like that Lexus prototype in the creepy futuristic movie where Tom Cruise is trying not to overwhelm even himself with his great acting.

Styling

The Range Rover Sport Supercharged has a number of styling cues that set it apart from the lesser HSE and the base model, but overall the styling has not changed much at all since Land Rover first introduced the Sport. The headlamp units look more sophisticated and the new more sophisticated corporate grille give the RRSS a more stately presence. From far away, it’s hard for one to tell the RR Sport from the taller Range Rover. The raked rear window gives it a sportier look and feel, and the streamlined port holes also set the Sport apart from the top of the line badge wearer. I’m not a super big fan of the raked rear window, however. Land Rover should have made the front windscreen (is that what they call it in the UK?) more aerodynamic as well like the new Evoque. The thick bonnet on the Range Rover is also signature and works well on the Sport. The Supercharged version also has curvy skirts under the sides of the car that make the SUV look lower, even without you lowering the ride height using the air suspension control. It’s pretty cool to feel the vehicle height lower and rise, by the way.

Interior Comfort and Ergonomics

The 2010 Range Rover Sport has a revamped and upgraded interior to bring it closer to its more expensive sibling. The materials feel expensive for the most part but the actual controls, buttons and knobs feel plasticky for a $80k+ car. The steering wheel controls provide an extensive set of controls, from phone controls, voice commands, cruise control and adaptive cruise control, to stereo and info menu controls, it’s all right there at your fingertips. And then you find the paddle shifters behind the wheel. I must admit, these are kind of awkward on a SUV this size. Plus the 6-speed transmission with CommandShift responds to driving style and conditions and dynamically changing shift patterns, so you don’t really need to use the paddles.

The Range Rover Sport has a lot of interior room. Not as much as the exterior dimensions would suggest, however, but ample room for all five passengers. The center armrest opens up to reveal a refrigerated cooler. Luxury! The rear passengers are treated to dual LCD displays with wireless headsets to enjoy DVDs and music. Splendid! Did I mention that the tester RRSS comes with the optional extended leather package that wraps the entire dashboard, the armrests and the top of door panels in premium Windsor leather. It’s all very bourgeois. Or is that too pedestrian a word to describe the feeling you get from driving a Range Rover?

Value

At over $80k, the Range Rover Sport Supercharged is no bargain. You can get a base Range Rover for that much money. Compared to a BMW X6 M, however, the RRSS is a bargain. Not only do you get more luxury for your money, you also get an extra dose of class that comes only with the venerable British SUV marquee. You can’t get a luxury SUV that’s more unabashedly square, with in-your-face traditional styling that says I come from a more noble birth than you than the Range Rover. Getting the Sport Supercharged just means you’re not old enough to drive the range-topping Range Rover yet.

Conclusion

So if you’ve got $80 grand sitting around and you’re looking for a luxury SUV that says you’re better than everyone else, and you’re not sure whether there’s an off chance that you might one day buy your own plantation with dirt roads, the Range Rover Sport Supercharged is for you. I recommend you buy a pair of black riding boots and a tall hat to go with the ride. A smoking jacket and a fake British accent would also go well with the new ride. God save the Queen!

2010 Range Rover Sport Photo Gallery	2010 Range Rover Sport Supercharged Specs
The official website of Land Rover – www.landrover.com

Click here to view the embedded video.

Pros:

• Legendary Range Rover all-terrain capability
• Same adaptive damping system as a Ferrari provides excellent ride quality
• Buttery-soft leather seats for all-day comfort
• Extensive list of customizable options
• Roomy for a small SUV
• Tiny 2.0 engine is efficient, powerful and torquey from 1750 rpm
• Excellent driving position and fun to drive with great balance of on road and off road handling

Cons:

• Oversized outside view mirrors
• Small number available worldwide for its first year of production
• visibility out of side rear windows is less than normal

The 2012 Range Rover Evoque is a compact, luxury crossover that offers premium levels of craftsmanship, luxury, performance and renowned Land Rover all-terrain capability. Available as a coupe or 5-door model, the Evoque will be in high demand as only 2200 units are being built and sold worldwide in its first year of production which begins this summer.

CarReview was invited to test drive the new Evoque on the city streets of San Francisco. Granted, the potholes and broken asphalt of a concrete jungle are not considered a true test of the Evoque’s off-road capabilities, but it was a good proving ground to show off how well the Evoque can maintain a comfortable ride on roads that could qualify on the list of top ten worst maintained roads in the U.S.

Fortunately, our cars were equipped with the optional MagneRide™ adaptive damping system, which is almost the same hardware used in Ferraris. Essentially, the damping system quickly reacts to conditions so that big bumps and frenetic cornering are handled with superior finesse, but also loosens to allow the ride to stay cloud-soft when conditions are not so demanding. When in action, harsh ridges and potholes are smothered with luxury-car quietness.

Scooting around the city, we found outward visibility is very good for the driver. The opera windows on the C-pillar aid the driver when changing lanes or maneuvering in tight spots. The only thing hindering visibility is the overly large outside mirrors which can block your view at the 11 o’clock position.

Power comes from a 2.0-liter direct-injection turbocharged 4-cylinder engine which pumps out a prodigious 240 horsepower and can giddy-up from zero to 60 in 7.1 seconds. Not bad for a crossover that has all-terrain capability and can wade through water up to 19 inches without suffocating.

Combined city and highway fuel economy for the turbocharged gas engine is 27 mpg overall. EPA estimates have not been released, yet. Premium gas (91 octane) is recommended to keep the peppy 4-cylinder engine happy.

Hits:

• Classic rugged styling
• Foot in the country club door
• Half the cost of a Range Rover, but not half the car

Misses:

• Niggling annoyances from horn button to tailgate to seat latch
• Thirsty for premium fuel
• Third row seats more appropriate for monkeys and other agile creatures

In terms of the country club pecking order, the LR4 will get you onto the same putting green as the Range Rover, but you’ll be further from the cup than you might like. At close to a hundred grand, the Range Rover is a hole-in-one for the horsey set. The half-as-costly LR4 may be a two-put for par, but shares enough virtues with big brother to make it worthy of the family name. Both enjoy the same 375hp, all aluminum V8, the same two-speed electronic transfer gearbox for sublimely competent off road abilities, and similarly airy cabin space. The difference lies in price and attention to detail. If you can make do with simplified leather, lack of wood trim, and tighter packaging, than the all new LR4, base priced at $47,850, is a bonus bargain worthy of Costco.

The LR4 has come a long way from the Discovery that Rover marketed as its first entry level offering. Where the Discovery, and its successor, the LR3 seemed insubstantial and cheap, the LR4 seems more like a de-contented version of the Range Rover. Its appearance is considerably up market compared to the Discovery and LR3. The front corners contain a bevy of headlights that resemble crown jewels. Likewise, the rear corners are bejeweled with LED tail light clusters that look like they were stolen from Tiffany showcases. The slab-sided and heavy weight five-door body has the same regal presence as the Range Rover. In fact, the LR4 actually weighs 6 pounds more than its sibling (5,703 lbs. to 5,697 lbs.).

There’s no mistaking the LR4’s parentage once you’ve climbed behind the wheel. The front seats feature characteristic Rover fold-down center arm rests, with knurled height-adjustment rods concealed beneath them. The steering wheel lacks a central horn pad in favor of two vertical aluminum bars to honk. Finding these in a pinch can be disconcerting. Instrument dials and vent orifices are done in subdued matte-finished aluminum trim that is characteristic of Rover understatement. The LR4’s interior is graced with no less than 3 skylights and 8 large windows. The front sunroof is the only one that opens, and since it lacks a pop-up windscreen, it’s noisy at speeds above 45mph. The tailgate features a double door arrangement that requires you to pop the upper lid, then drop the lower gate. Sometimes the button to drop the lower gate fails to activate, and sometimes the upper gate fails to latch on the first try. A single door would be an improvement here.

By contributing editor David Colman

Hits

• Pedigree styling, build, and finish unsurpassed by few
• Masterful off-road abilities
• Plush interior with lots of cabin tech
• Tall carriage, lots of window area, and spacious cabin combine for a 360 degree view of the world

Misses

• Thirsty V8 engine
• Poor reliability history

Tasteful elegance distinguishes the latest Range Rover from all other SUVs. You can put the HSE Rover up against BMW’s X5, Porsche’s Cayenne, Cadillac’s Escalade, Mercedes’ GL and Lincoln’s Navigator, and come away convinced the Rover is best in class when it comes to appearance, finish and fit. Of course, the Brits that build the Rover have had lots more time to perfect their product than the other manufacturers, since Rover basically invented the luxury sports utility niche when they introduced the first Range Rover in 1970.

That long-term breeding shows in every facet of the HSE’s comportment, from engine performance, to gearbox manipulation, to off-road prowess, to interior quietude. The Range Rover surpasses expectations in all these particulars. The Jaguar-derived 5.0 liter V8 is powerful enough to squirt the 5,670 pound Rover through openings in traffic without hesitation. The newly redesigned sport shift linkage helps you select the right cog (of 6) to keep the V8 on full boil. But when you factor the Rover’s substantial weight into the high horsepower equation, the bad news is poor fuel economy. With a high of 18 MPG and a low of 12 MPG, the best you can expect is about 14 MPG. 27.5 gallons of supreme lasts less than 300 miles in around-town driving.

If there’s a payoff for spending $87,000 on an SUV when far less expensive competitors will get the same job done at half the price, the jackpot comes when you open a door and slip inside the HSE cockpit. Rover has managed to surround you with a level of finesse unavailable in flashy American SUVs or austere German SUVs. There’s no substitute for refinement, and in that department, Rover has it all over the competition, especially if you opt for the “Luxury Interior Package.” This sybaritic, $4,600 amendment to the basic interior festoons front seats, door pulls and console lid with a superior grade of Oxford Leather worthy of a Prada handbag. Because those front thrones are also heated, cooled, and 14-way adjustable, they are exceptionally inviting and comfortable. In addition to the seat upgrade, the package adds 20 inch alloy wheels. You know these wheels are bespoke because a spoke on each rim is engraved “Range Rover.” 255/50R20 Michelin Latitude Diamaris rubber graces each traction-filled corner.

The airy Range Rover cabin continues to afford its driver supreme 360 degree vision. Whenever you engage the engine start button, the standard air suspension majestically lifts your carriage high enough to see over all lesser traffic. The “Terrain Response” suspension system is a work of art unto itself, with enough available settings (grass/gravel/snow, mud ruts, sand, rock crawl) to insure safe trekking through the Gobi Desert or the Himalayan Mountain Range.

The dashboard is a refreshing compendium of old and new, with enough gauges and buttons to make you feel like the pilot of a Supermarine Spitfire fighter plane during World War II. But just when you start to think the Rover is nothing but a vestige of faded British grandeur, you pause to marvel at the two large instrument faces directly in front of you. Both the 150 mph speedometer and the 6,000 rpm tachometer are brilliantly illuminated virtual instruments that use Thin Film Transistor (TFT) LCD backlighting. Even their pointers are just pictographs. So the staid old Range Rover, stepchild of the Seventies, continues to surprise and amaze with a video game for a dashboard.

Click here to view the embedded video.

2011 LAND ROVER RANGE ROVER HSE

• ENGINE: 5.0 Liter Aluminum Alloy V8
• HORSEPOWER: 375 hp
• TORQUE: 375 lb-ft
• FUEL CONSUMPTION: 12 MPG CITY/ 18 MPG HWY
• PRICE AS TESTED: $87,085

###

David Colman has been writing vehicle tests for 24 years. His work has been featured in AutoWeek, the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner, and Marin Independent Journal. In 1987, he helped start Excellence, The Magazine About Porsche, which he edited for many years. He has been an active participant in racing and Solo events since 1961. More car reviews written by Colman can be found at autoeditor.com

2011 Land Rover Range Rover Photo Gallery	2011 Land Rover Range Rover HSE Specs
The official website of Land Rover – www.landrover.com

By Bill Clark

Pros:

• ‘Swiss-army’ versatility
• Smooth ride
• Luxurious cabin

Cons

• T-rex size gasoline appetite
• Minor electrical issues
• You gotta pay to play

There’s nothing like some unexpected treats for the holidays. Family coming from Florida – expected.  Floridians wanting to go see the snow – expected. A freak snowstorm during an El Nina year two days before our Tahoe trip – slightly unexpected, but much appreciated.  Getting an email from my Editor, as we sat waiting for family at the airport, asking if anyone is in need of a Land Rover Discovery LR4 for the week – unexpectedly awesome!  What can I say, the sports car wasn’t going to do the trick and the sedan is in need of some repairs. I couldn’t imagine a better opportunity at a better time to test the latest premium SUV from the brand that practically invented the go anywhere, do anything vehicle.

Interior Comfort and Ergonomics

I have to say that the Brits left no stone unturned for the 2011 LR4. Our test car was the well-appointed HSE model with the vision-assist package (Xenon headlights and auto high-beams), the third-row jump seats, climate comfort pack (a must-have for snow lovers with heated windshield and washer jets, heated seats, and heated steering wheel). Oh, and don’t forget the 480-watt Harmon/Kardon Logic 7 stereo, or three sunroofs. This car is so loaded there’s almost too much to keep track of!

We used the LR4 to transport five full-sized adults for a five-hour drive to Tahoe for snowboarding in complete comfort. Two of our three rear seat passengers were over 6-feet tall – 6’4”, 270lbs; 6’1”, 180lbs to be exact. They sat abreast in the second row and no one appeared wanting for more room. The tallest still had three inches of headroom to spare! With ample room and Land Rover’s handle-anything reputation I had complete peace of mind driving the LR4 to the snow.

The folding third-row seats are noteworthy too. They fold up and disappear completely into the rear floor and I assumed they were only useful for pre-teen munchkins (like most other SUV’s), yet useless for adults. I was pleasantly surprised that they were actually comfortable for my 5’5” frame with more legroom than I needed. With the third-row seats in use, cargo room is cut to two half-filled paper grocery bags between them and the rear hatch, but you could easily carry 7 adults if you needed to and versatility is what the LR4 is all about.

Following the snowboard trip, I had an appointment in downtown San Francisco.  Being directionally challenged, I usually stay away from that area. As it turned out, the LR4 has the best factory navigation I’ve used in any vehicle. The visual display and voice prompts did a perfect job of letting me know where I was and where the next turn was as well as which lane I needed to be in. It never left me guessing and I didn’t miss a single turn. I drove to the destination in complete confidence like I’d been there a hundred times.  What a treat!

The center touchscreen display provides a ton of technological information, beyond the navigation.  It serves as the display for five proximity cameras (three of which were on the fritz on our test car), compass, wheel articulation, front wheel steering angle, audio data, etc.

The baby-smooth steering wheel has a very comfortable ergonomic profile and it’s perfectly heated. The button to turn on the wheel’s heating element is placed within effortless, fingertip reach without letting go of the wheel. Nothing beats getting into the cold car and having a toasty warm wheel within a minute. The seats are soft yet supportive, the buttons and knobs can be easily operated by large and small hands, with gloves on or off, and the climate control knobs are nicely rubberized. You can even adjust the angle of the front-seat arm rests.

Build quality on the LR4 is top-notch too. Fit and finish is as good as it gets. Everything fits well with zero squeaks, rattles, or suspension noise. You can tell that the engineers carefully selected materials for each part of the vehicle that you touch and even considered how you might touch them.

I was disappointed that three of the five proximity cameras were inoperative – including the back-up camera, but with the rear proximity sensors and excellent visibility, it was only a minor inconvenience. I’m sure a trip to the dealership would take care of that, but the car barely had 3k miles on the odometer.

Performance

Despite the 5,800 pound curb weight, the 5.0 liter V8 (rated at 375hp/375 lb-ft of torque) packs enough punch to propel you to 60 MPH in about 7.5 seconds (Manufacturer’s claim). The close-ratio 6-speed automatic transmission makes sure that you are always in the power band and it doesn’t hesitate to downshift when you need it.

The LR4 features Land Rover’s Terrain Response system, which lets the driver select from 5 different surfaces, including tarmac, grass/gravel/snow, mud and ruts, sand, and rock crawl. Depending on the terrain mode selected, the air suspension lowers and raises the static ride height and the computer adjusts power delivery, shift response, and locking action of the differentials.

At 6:30 PM we were the last car to leave the ski resort and by that time, the empty, slushy parking lot surface had turned to ice. Not one to let an opportunity pass me by, I put the terrain selector in “snow” and stomped on the gas! The car’s electronics decided I was an idiot and took over acceleration duty for me. It accelerated carefully, based on traction available to any of the four wheels at any given time. From the cabin, this operation was very smooth and uneventful. The same goes for the ABS, which helped me come to a stop at a particularly slick, icy intersection in a calm, understated fashion not alerting any of the passengers.

(Continued on page 2)

The first official picture of the all-new compact Range Rover was released, following an exclusive preview in London for guests attending a 40th birthday celebration of Range Rover held in partnership with VOGUE magazine (watch video below). Named the Range Rover Evoque, this all-new coupé will join the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport line-up in the fall of 2011.

Dr. Ralf Speth, CEO, Jaguar Land Rover said, “These are exciting times for our business as we continue to widen our portfolio with this all-new addition to the Range Rover line-up. Not only will the Range Rover Evoque increase our worldwide market share, it demonstrates our commitment to building sustainable, yet highly desirable products.”

The 2012 Evoque is the lightest and smallest SUV in Range Rover’s portfolio. The model, which will be formally unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, features a 240 bhp 2.0-liter turbocharged gas engine.

The engine is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission which feeds power to a full-time all-wheel drive system.

Baby Range Rover is a fitting name for the new Evoque. With it being smaller at a 171 inches (434cm) it is 17 inches (432mm) shorter and 7 inches (178mm) lower than Range Rover Sport models

The crossover will be available not only as a four-door but also as a two-door.
Buyers will have the option of three exterior design themes; Pure, Prestige or Dynamic. The interiors are inspired not only by the Range Rover Sport but by Jaguar as well and appear to be plush and feature rich.

Being sensitive to the environment is of the utmost importance, especially when you are traveling about in an ultra-expensive, luxury SUV. Land Rover steps forward with technologies to reduce the Evoque’s CO₂ emissions by using Electric Power-Assisted Steering (EPAS), smart regenerative charging and optimized transmissions. A front-wheel drive version, which reduces weight and minimizes driveline losses, is being built, but Land Rover hasn’t announced any plans to sell it to the U.S. market.

The Evoque will be built in the U.K. and sold in 160 countries including the U.S. starting fall 2011. While pricing has not yet been announced the Evoque is expected to be the most affordable SUV in Range Rover’s current model portfolio.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Pros

• Engine – Smooth as silk
• Ride comfort
• Navigation system
• Status

Cons

• Cartridge changers for CD’s and DVD’s (so 90’s)
• Wind noise
• Gas mileage
• Rear-camera visibility (especially at night)

Vanilla Ice had his 1990’s hit “Ice Ice Baby” referencing his 5.0-liter Mustang in his lyrics: “Rolling in my 5.0 with my rag-top down so my hair can blow; the girlies on standby waving just to say hi …” As funny as those lyrics are, that Mustang engine topped out at 225-hp. Fast forward 20-years and Land Rover’s “5.0” iteration represents the latest in technology and performance incorporating direct-injection and supercharging. 510 hp makes that 1990 Mustang’s output look like a sport compact’s output from today. Just as I loved the Vanilla Ice song (yes, I admit it) from 1990, I loved “rolling” in the Range Rover Autobiography.

Driving Impressions

Loaded already with many standard features found on luxury SUV’s and cars, the only additions were the Autobiography package ($14.5k), Surround Camera system (5 cameras total around the perimeter, $800), and a beautiful wood/leather steering wheel ($1k).

As the most expensive trim, the Autobiography added Aniline leather seats as well as more leather throughout the cabin, wood accents, a 4-zone climate control and special climate glass, Autobiography badging (sill plates, rear, and interior), unique 20” alloys, rear entertainment and HD radio, and adaptive cruise control. What more could you need?

Driving around on either the local streets or on the 101 to Carmel, I was treated to a luxurious ride insulated from road noise. Steering effort is light regardless of the speed. With direct injection and a supercharger, acceleration is linear and instantaneous which proved to be a great attribute entering freeways.

As helpful as all of the camera’s can be during the day, the rear lighting at night provides a somewhat hazy view of the area behind you when backing up.

As noted, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) is included, and was used consistently during long stretches of freeway driving. It’s Land Rover’s 3rd generation of ACC and has “12-beams to scan the road ahead ten times every second.” By far, their system is the easiest and least intrusive systems I’ve used accelerating and decelerating seamlessly while maintaining safe distances. You can easily set the distance you would like to maintain between you and the car ahead.

Land Rover Driving Experience School

You can always see Land Rover Discovery’s tearing across sub-Saharan Africa on the TV, but until I actually drove one, I had no sense of a Land Rover’s off-road capabilities. We were given the opportunity to spend a few hours with Mike Igo (Land Rover Driving Instructor) at the Land Rover Driving Experience School at Quail Lodge in Carmel, California.

Land Rover has a total of four Driving Experience schools, located near plush resorts, with three in the US and one in Canada. The Driving Experience schools are a great opportunity where you’ll learn to properly navigate steep ascents and descents, pick the right line on side tilts, and maintain vehicle control on log bridge crossings. Whether you are an avid enthusiast, seasoned adventurer or curious novice, each lesson is customized to your individual skill level.

Believe it or not, Jaguar and Land Rovers have never been officially sold in the Indian market. That’s about to change, officially, and it has everything to do with the fact that, business-wise, Jag and Landy are now Indian brands. As most of you know, Jaguar and Land Rover were acquired not to long ago by Tata, one of India’s largest automakers. Dubbed the “Jaguar Land Rover” premiere car group, they will enter the Indian market for the first time later this year. The first showroom scheduled to be open in Worli, Mumbai, in June this year. Initially only the Jaguar XF and XK, and the Land Rover Discovery and Range Rover models will be offered.

“We are delighted to be formally entering the Indian market, an economy which is still growing appreciably, and able to offer our premium products to a whole new group of customers. It is an important strategic move for Jaguar Land Rover and will enable us to realize our competitive potential in this significant market,” said David Smith, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover.

Well for once, the corporate speak rings true. India has not been as adversely effected by the world economic downturn as other markets (yet), and there’s probably enough well healed Indians out there that to covet and afford a new Jag or Landy. Also, there’s going to be no major retooling for the Indian market. Since they started out as British brands, they’re right hand drive to begin with, which is how Indian rides are laid out.

Now what I’m waiting for is the first shot of a Jag stuck in Mumbai traffic.

Source: CarScoop