The amazing capabilities of the new Range Rover are explored in the second episode of this four-part series

Land Rover Opens Customer Handover Centre

Land Rover has opened a brand new purpose-built customer handover centre.

The site, which is located close to the firm’s plant in Solihull, was designed with a ‘luxury boutique hotel’ feel in mind, and is said to provide customers with the ‘bespoke personal experience expected’ by Range Rover buyers.

The high-tech building sits proudly at the entrance to the Land Rover plant, and customers are met by a personal concierge as soon as they arrive in the dedicated parking area.

They’ll then be taken to the ‘VIP lounge’, where they’re immersed in high quality fixtures and fittings, before being shown an introductory brand video in a ‘cinema-style theatre’.

Finally, customers will reach the ‘unveil room’ – featuring ‘dramatic’ light shows, and a 3D visualisation of their chosen specification projected directly onto their very car. They’ll then have the option of a factory tour and/or a drive of their new car across the Land Rover Experience off-road course.

‘My wife and I have really enjoyed our day here, the unveil was spectacular and it’s a very special place to be handed the keys and have an introduction to our new cars,’ said Denys Shortt OBE, the first to pick up a Range Rover from the facility.

‘It’s made the whole buying experience really personal and we are looking forward to touring the factory and driving an All-New Range Rover on the off-road course. We like supporting British manufacturing and Land Rover is such a great British brand.’

Jaguar Land Rover’s global brand experience director Mick Cameron said: ‘This facility has been designed to provide customers with the opportunity to come into direct contact with our brand. It offers an intimate setting while delivering bespoke and premium experiences using the latest technologies to offer the very highest levels of customer service.’


Courtesy of Car Dealer Magazine

True Luxe, Four-up

The Aston Martin Rapide, Bentley Mulsanne, Ferrari FF, Land Rover Range Rover, and Roll-Royce Phantom are an incredibly diverse quintet, with priorities ranging from ultimate performance to overt opulence. However, one thing these high-end luxury vehicles all have in common is that they can accommodate four passengers. We drove them in England, on real roads and in real traffic, on wet and dry pavement, to find out whether the newest member of the group, the brawny 2013 Range Rover, can challenge and possibly eclipse its even more expensive rivals. In this group test, we are looking not only for speed, space, traction, roadholding, street cred, and the latest technological wizardries. What counts more than any individual strength is the blend of all-around ability and appeal. That includes appearance and ambience, whether your eyes light up when they spot a series of corners, how these cars perform when pushed, and the overall feel-good rating that, even in a four-seater, is defined not only by packaging and functionality but also by style and craftsmanship.

Range Rover Supercharged

A relatively affordable attempt at creating the best of all worlds.

Visually, the new Range Rover is an evolution rather than a revolution, although it does have more bling than its charmingly stiff, upright, and royal predecessor. The only debatable detail is the trademark gills that have been moved from the front fenders -- where they made some sense -- to the doors, where they don't. The tailgate is again split horizontally, and both parts are power operated. The lower one is now less deep, so a person no longer needs a telescoping torso to reach into the cavernous luggage bay. When you opt for the Autobiography trim level and the Executive Class package fitted to our test car, you get two bucket seats that can, with the push of a button, trade rear-seat recline for cargo space. Despite the combed-back windshield and the ten-percent more slippery shape, the Range Rover still faces the wind with the posture of a brick mansion.

Modern luxury surrounds the driver. Like the exterior, the interior is evolutionary, but this time the motto was "less is more." Less as in fewer knobs and buttons; a bigger and easier-to-read touchscreen flanked by eight intuitive keys; more straightforward climate controls; a restyled multifunctional steering wheel; and the same rotary gear selector we know from other upper-class Tata models. So far, so good.

The new model from Solihull managed to do what few of us can: it lost weight. Depending on the powertrain, between 750 and 850 pounds have been jettisoned, which is a lot but is only about a fourteen-percent reduction of the still-substantial grand total. At 5137 pounds, the supercharged variant is no Lotus Elise, but at least it now compares very favorably with the BMW X5, the Audi Q7, and the Mercedes-Benz M-class. The switch to the Premium Lightweight Architecture (PLA) codeveloped with Jaguar transforms the SUV's handling. Forget everything you disliked about Range Rovers: submarine-inspired understeer, Queen Mary-esque body roll, anteater brake dive, and steering that left school before the cornering lessons started. The 2013 Rover not only feels less top-heavy, it also shed pounds in the chassis department, where aluminum subframes and suspension elements create a playful light-footedness. The engineers are particularly proud of two new features, Terrain Response 2 and Dynamic Response. TR2 is standard and denotes an additional mode that autonomously selects the appropriate drive program from an unchanged choice of five settings; DR is Land Rover-speak for self-acting, switchable antiroll bars and comes on all supercharged models. Driver intervention is still required to dial in low range and hill-descent control.

Shod with optional 275/45WR-21 Goodyears, our Range Rover doesn't ride all that well around town, where the stiff sidewalls and the firm air springs make for bobbing headlights and tap dancing over drainage grids. Above 40 mph, however, all that goes away, and instead, a cushy comfort zone prevails. Unlike its ancestors, which were all over the place when pushed hard, the new Range Rover is in total command. The steering in particular is a real gem. It holds a straight line even on bumpy off-camber blacktop, provides exactly the right measure of turn-in support, is incredibly precise, and executes sudden changes of direction without undue weight and effort. True, the turning circle is vast, and some might prefer lighter steering effort at parking speeds. The brakes combine strong initial bite with plenty of stamina and an easy-to-modulate pedal. It's only on the last few yards before standstill that a heavier-than-expected effort is required to squash that ambitious kinetic energy.

The supercharged V-8 runs smoothly and quietly unless you really push it, but its thirst is enormous and those 510 horses take a little longer than they should to pool their energy and beam the vehicle toward the horizon. With the throttle fully depressed, the SC roars from 0 to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds, according to its maker. Forward thrust expires at a comparatively tame 140 mph. The maximum torque of 461 lb-ft provides an addictive measure of mid- to top-end grunt, making passing maneuvers exceptionally easy. This is sports car swiftness dressed in a traditional SUV silhouette.

Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged
BASE PRICE: $99,950

POWERTRAIN
ENGINE: 32-valve DOHC supercharged V-8
DISPLACEMENT: 5.0 liters (305 cu in)
POWER: 510 hp @ 6000-6500 rpm
TORQUE: 461 lb-ft @ 2500-5500 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic
DRIVE: 4-wheel

CHASSIS
STEERING: Electrically assisted
FRONT SUSPENSION: Control arms, air springs
REAR SUSPENSION: Multilink, air springs
BRAKES: Vented discs, ABS
TIRES: Goodyear Eagle F1 SUV-4x4
TIRE SIZE: 275/45R-21 110W

MEASUREMENTS
L x W x H: 196.8 x 87.4 x 72.3 in
WHEELBASE: 115.0 in
TRACK F/R: 66.5/66.3 in
WEIGHT: 5137 lb
CARGO CAPACITY: 32.1/71.7 cu ft(rear seats up/down)
EPA MILEAGE: 13/19 mpg (est.)
0-60 MPH: 5.1 sec
TOP SPEED: 140 mph
 
 The Results

5 Bentley Mulsanne
How can such a sumptuously equipped and amazingly well-built status symbol be so strangely soulless to drive? The Bentley goes really well, handles OK, and is not even excessively thirsty. But, somehow, it lost the charm of the otherwise-outclassed Arnage that it replaced. The ride is too firm, the steering too heavy, and the substantial curb weight can be felt in every move it makes -- even though the magical 6.8-liter V-8 has been improved almost beyond recognition. The Mulsanne is a luxury car at a crossroads: not sufficiently advanced to change the rules, too Germanic to woo the traditionalists, a fine automobile in need of a more focused mission.

4 Ferrari FF

The same money will nearly buy a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, although that car lacks four-wheel drive and rear seats. The question is: do those two items make the FF more desirable? In this context, the answer is both yes and no. Yes, because you can actually carry two extra heads, and there are weather conditions and terrain where rear-wheel drive won't do. But let's face it, when rear seats do matter, a Ferrari is unlikely to rank high on the shopping list. Conversely, when it's a hard-core car you're after, four seats are rarely a requirement. The FF is a wonderful driving machine and a highly emotional choice, but it is a poor four-seater, and it isn't a compelling luxury car, either.

3 Rolls-Royce Phantom

The extended-wheelbase Ghost would have had a better chance of winning this test. It is more conveniently sized, more up-to-date, and more involving to drive than the Phantom. The big Rolls needs a more convincing rear-seat compartment, and it needs engineering updates that only the next-generation model can provide. Meanwhile, the priciest car in this group spoils us with the most charismatic personality, the best ride by a long shot, and a presence that is second to none. The Phantom is silent, splendid isolation at its best. In addition, the precise, responsive, and swift Roller is surprisingly rewarding to drive.

2 Aston Martin Rapide

Design. Sound. Performance. Driving pleasure. Like the FF, the Rapide is only a half-hearted four-seater. But at least it has four doors, which makes it a lot easier to put stuff on the back chair, transport the dog, or pack up the twins for their short ride to school. This is the most practical Aston by a long shot. It also is one of the prettiest four-door cars on the planet, and the noises it makes aim right at your heart. More to the point, the Rapide is fun to drive in a basic, almost old-fashioned manner. It has telepathic steering, a raw and raucous V-12, a chassis designed for optimum weight distribution, and sensational brakes. This 100-proof sport coupe is free of filters, artificial flavoring, softeners, and diluting agents.

1 Range Rover Supercharged
Even the most expensive, fully loaded Range Rover ($152,000) costs significantly less than any of these rivals, and it's the only one in this group that can venture off-road. It also offers the most complete assortment of state-of-the-art driver-assistance systems. The other cars may be faster, more stylish, sharper at the limit, and later on the brakes, but the Range Rover is not far behind. It is dynamically pretty much on par with the best, and it is easy to operate, quick, and slick. The final decider is the back seats. In Executive Class trim, you get a five-mode massage function, heating and ventilation, reclining backrests, four-zone A/C, eight-inch video monitors -- you name it. So the Range Rover wins. Still not quite enough rear legroom? Then wait for the long-wheelbase model coming soon.





Courtesy of Automobile Magazine

Follow along with Land Rover and Men's Journal as they go on their next luxurious adventure!

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An adventure expert from Men's Journal takes his Land Rover to the most secluded and luxurious hideaways...next stop, Montana!

Land Rover Adds Sicilian Yellow Limited Edition Evoque Crossover To Line Up

Land Rover has announced that it will be producing a limited edition model of its highly successful Evoque.

Selling over 100,000 models in its first year, the Mrs Beckham-influenced crossover has won fans for its high levels of individualization – but you haven't been able to spec a yellow version, until now.

The appropriately titled ‘Sicilian Yellow Limited Edition Evoque’ is set to be unveiled at the January 2013 Brussels motor show. Another debutant aspect making an appearance is the ‘black design pack’ fitted to this limited edition model. Prices are expected to start at around £44,000, with UK sales expected to start in May - a £6,000 premium over the Dynamic trim level it’s based on.


Courtesy of Auto Spies

Come test drive one of our pre-owned Range Rover Sport's and start your year off right!

We have some excellent choices in our pre-owned inventory that would make a perfect new car for you. Click here to see what we have in stock...all have low mileage and amazing features!

The remarkable and stylish Evoque has been the recipient of over 120 awards!

Tomorrow marks the beginning of a grueling race...we are rooting for the team sponsored by Land Rover!

 

Land Rover set to tackle Dakar with the Race2Recovery team

Eighteen months ago, a fledgling Dakar Rally team calling itself Race2Recovery consisted of a handful of team members, mostly combat-wounded British soldiers, and a single Land Rover Freelander (our LR2) race vehicle.

At tomorrow’s Dakar Rally start, a much more dynamic Race2Recovery Team will set off on a 20-day, 8,500 mile quest to finish what has traditionally been billed as one of the most grueling rally events in the world.

The Race2Recovery team now consists of 28 team members, four Bowler Wildcat race trucks and  a fleet of support vehicles essential for success in the Dakar Rally. Winning the event isn’t really the goal, since the team knows it’s up against competition with better funding and far more experienced drivers.

Instead, Race2Recovery’s real mission is raising awareness of and funding for Tedworth House Personnel Recovery Center, one of six such facilities in Britain established as part of the Defense Recovery Capability to treat injured British soldiers. The team’s motto of “Beyond Injury - Achieving The Extraordinary” dovetails well with the facility’s mission.

Captain Tony Harris, a below-the-knee amputee injured in Afghanistan, is one of the team’s drivers. Warrant Officer Andrew Taylor, injured by a suicide bomb attack during his time in the Royal Medical Corps, serves as the team manager. The message for those with traumatic injuries is clear - despite your limitations, it’s still possible to achieve the extraordinary.

In addition to public donations, the team has received support from Land Rover and from Royalty; in November, it became the first recipient of a grant from the Endeavor Fund, established by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

 

Courtesy of Motor Authority

 

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