First Drive: 2003 Land Rover Range Rover
A Different Kind of Hybrid
When you consider how mediocre Land Rover products have been in recent years (and still are, by many counts), the fact that throngs of people continue to covet them speaks volumes about the power of their image.
The Range Rover was subpar until the mid-'90s, and since then it's been merely average, though the company's product now appears to be on its way up again. By the way, no matter what you see written about the new Range Rover here, or anywhere else, this does not improve the lamentable ergonomics of the Discovery, or undeniably make the Freelander worth its price of entry. So be warned.
There is no doubt, however, that the 2003 Range Rover that Land Rover will start selling in May is vastly superior to the model it succeeds. Every piece of evidence points to its improvement, from the rather confusing ownership situation of its parent company to its current management makeup; and from the vehicle's numerous upgrades to its assembly factory, to our experience driving it.
Until the mid-'90s, Land Rover was part of the woeful Rover organization, which was the last example of a major independent British car company. Then Rover was bought by BMW, which financed and managed the development of the new Range Rover.
When that star-crossed arrangement finally ended, BMW sold the Land Rover SUV division to Ford and pretty much paid a gaggle of British investors to take the Rover car division off its hands. So now you have an American firm building and marketing a German-designed and -engineered version of a quintessentially British product. Welcome to the global auto business.
For consumers who want to tap into the Range Rover mystique, the key part of this history will be that bit about the BMW design and engineering. They may be thinking that this will increase their chances of getting a solid product, and in this they are correct. The new Range Rover is very much a BMW, especially from the waist down, where it shares a great many components with the highly popular X5.
But it also benefits from being owned by Ford, since that firm's success with saving Jaguar suggests it knows how to deal with a factory full of ill-tempered English workers, which is no mean feat. All of this is preamble, of course, to testing the actual vehicle, and a few hours of plowing through the mud and knee-deep waters of the grounds of Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire, England, suggest the odd circumstances will pay off.
Land Rover promised that the new Range Rover would still be able to manage off-road situations that likely would foil most other SUVs, and it has delivered on that. Through a combination of technology and experience, the German-British development team has created a world-class vehicle in that regard. This off-road prowess is extremely important to everyone who buys a Range Rover, even the people who'd never dream of taking one off road. It's part of the fantasy associated with being in the landed aristocracy, don't you know? Even this staff, many of whom find the concept of off-roading eccentric at best, can appreciate the skill with which the new Range Rover acquits itself in hostile circumstances. During our brief period behind the wheel, it handled everything it encountered with a sense of aplomb, the likes of which we have rarely experienced in any other SUV.
More importantly for the day-to-day reality of owning a Range Rover, the new model is as comfortable and luxurious as any car in this price range, which would be $70,000 and up and includes some serious competition indeed. That was the intent when the vehicle was designed — to make it a natural competitor for such upscale cars as the Lexus LS and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, with the ability to go to as many off-road places as any four-wheeled conveyance in the world. This would make it the world's ''most competent'' vehicle, in the eyes of Land Rover.
That may be a moot point to most owners, but there's no denying that the advance from the previous model is great. The 4.4-liter V8 takes it from 0 to 60 in 9 seconds, and it will do a hot lap of the long and treacherous Nürburgring track in Germany approximately 30 seconds faster than the previous model, which means it handles better and has a truly useful powerband.
Interior space is way up, thanks to the stretched (by about 3 inches) wheelbase and the greater roof height. But the best thing by far about the new Range Rover is its instrument panel, which is one of the most beautiful in the market for any amount of money. It's a pleasure just to look at this combination of modern finishes and very traditional wood pieces that haven't been glossed up to within an inch of their life. Comfort levels have gone up substantially, thanks to the extra room and the great seats and the vastly improved highway ride, though our limited experience at elevated speeds forbids us from expounding on that point.
On balance, this is by far the best vehicle Land Rover has ever built, and if Ford can bring the quality issue under control, it would be a very pleasant vehicle to own. Given that lots of people were willing to spend vast amounts of money for the previous model, it's easy to imagine that they'll be even more willing to pay big bucks for something as good as the new Range Rover.
Very Sweet Vehicle, very expensive too!!!
All Info from Edmunds.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Different Kind of Hybrid
When you consider how mediocre Land Rover products have been in recent years (and still are, by many counts), the fact that throngs of people continue to covet them speaks volumes about the power of their image.
The Range Rover was subpar until the mid-'90s, and since then it's been merely average, though the company's product now appears to be on its way up again. By the way, no matter what you see written about the new Range Rover here, or anywhere else, this does not improve the lamentable ergonomics of the Discovery, or undeniably make the Freelander worth its price of entry. So be warned.
There is no doubt, however, that the 2003 Range Rover that Land Rover will start selling in May is vastly superior to the model it succeeds. Every piece of evidence points to its improvement, from the rather confusing ownership situation of its parent company to its current management makeup; and from the vehicle's numerous upgrades to its assembly factory, to our experience driving it.
Until the mid-'90s, Land Rover was part of the woeful Rover organization, which was the last example of a major independent British car company. Then Rover was bought by BMW, which financed and managed the development of the new Range Rover.
When that star-crossed arrangement finally ended, BMW sold the Land Rover SUV division to Ford and pretty much paid a gaggle of British investors to take the Rover car division off its hands. So now you have an American firm building and marketing a German-designed and -engineered version of a quintessentially British product. Welcome to the global auto business.
For consumers who want to tap into the Range Rover mystique, the key part of this history will be that bit about the BMW design and engineering. They may be thinking that this will increase their chances of getting a solid product, and in this they are correct. The new Range Rover is very much a BMW, especially from the waist down, where it shares a great many components with the highly popular X5.
But it also benefits from being owned by Ford, since that firm's success with saving Jaguar suggests it knows how to deal with a factory full of ill-tempered English workers, which is no mean feat. All of this is preamble, of course, to testing the actual vehicle, and a few hours of plowing through the mud and knee-deep waters of the grounds of Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire, England, suggest the odd circumstances will pay off.
Land Rover promised that the new Range Rover would still be able to manage off-road situations that likely would foil most other SUVs, and it has delivered on that. Through a combination of technology and experience, the German-British development team has created a world-class vehicle in that regard. This off-road prowess is extremely important to everyone who buys a Range Rover, even the people who'd never dream of taking one off road. It's part of the fantasy associated with being in the landed aristocracy, don't you know? Even this staff, many of whom find the concept of off-roading eccentric at best, can appreciate the skill with which the new Range Rover acquits itself in hostile circumstances. During our brief period behind the wheel, it handled everything it encountered with a sense of aplomb, the likes of which we have rarely experienced in any other SUV.
More importantly for the day-to-day reality of owning a Range Rover, the new model is as comfortable and luxurious as any car in this price range, which would be $70,000 and up and includes some serious competition indeed. That was the intent when the vehicle was designed — to make it a natural competitor for such upscale cars as the Lexus LS and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, with the ability to go to as many off-road places as any four-wheeled conveyance in the world. This would make it the world's ''most competent'' vehicle, in the eyes of Land Rover.
That may be a moot point to most owners, but there's no denying that the advance from the previous model is great. The 4.4-liter V8 takes it from 0 to 60 in 9 seconds, and it will do a hot lap of the long and treacherous Nürburgring track in Germany approximately 30 seconds faster than the previous model, which means it handles better and has a truly useful powerband.
Interior space is way up, thanks to the stretched (by about 3 inches) wheelbase and the greater roof height. But the best thing by far about the new Range Rover is its instrument panel, which is one of the most beautiful in the market for any amount of money. It's a pleasure just to look at this combination of modern finishes and very traditional wood pieces that haven't been glossed up to within an inch of their life. Comfort levels have gone up substantially, thanks to the extra room and the great seats and the vastly improved highway ride, though our limited experience at elevated speeds forbids us from expounding on that point.
On balance, this is by far the best vehicle Land Rover has ever built, and if Ford can bring the quality issue under control, it would be a very pleasant vehicle to own. Given that lots of people were willing to spend vast amounts of money for the previous model, it's easy to imagine that they'll be even more willing to pay big bucks for something as good as the new Range Rover.
Very Sweet Vehicle, very expensive too!!!
All Info from Edmunds.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
