The Range Rover to be Overhauled

The rumour mill has been churning and word has it... there is a new Range Rover on the way. The earliest estimate is as early as the end of 2017. Way sooner than recent buyers will have expected and they’re bound to be disappointed. This is going to be the biggest change to the Range Rover since they put the old boxy 2002 Vogue, Vogue SE and Autobiographies on a diet, scrapping the clunky, inefficient engines and sticking xenon’s on the front. Enter, a new, Range Rover-Lite.

These changes meant the new model in a measly 3.0l had the same power to weight ratio as the old 4.4 and was more fuel efficient, more reliable and much, much, more fun to drive. If I was trying to predict, before any official announcements, the future of the Range Rover (which, coincidentally, I am) the first and most logical place to look would be at Range Rover’s new Velar.

You can expect Land Rover to follow suit with their new products, it helps with continuity across the line up and one imagines it also helps with the cost and forecasting of parts during production. Well they do have to maintain those margins somehow. So, what’s new about the Velar? What does it have that neither the Evoque, Sport or Range Rover contenders can provide? Well, first and foremost its billed as “the avant-guarde Range Rover”, and frankly I have no idea what that means. It does, however, have a striking new grill, never-before-seen body work as well as brand-new headlights. By my reckoning these are the features we shall see, in even larger, more glorious form on the new Vogue, Vogue SE and Autobiography.

So that’s great, but wait. There’s more. Again, working under the assumption they follow the Velar suit there’s a whole new interior in store for ‘The Big One’. For those of us that went to the launch of the Velar and read the literature as it came out, I can safely tell you that without doubt the all-new Range Rover interior was the most anticipated part of the whole reveal. We all know Range Rover have been stuck in the 90s when it comes to cabins. Yes, they can insulate the hell out of a door and use more cows for a single seat than McDonald’s go through in a year but the design of the cabin has never been exactly ground breaking. Let’s face it. All of this is about to change, the forthcoming design and technology is what dreams are made from. We’re talking not one, not 2 but 3 screens in the front as standard means they’ve completely done away with buttons. Finally! With 2 10” integrated screens for the infotainment and controls and another for the speedo and navigation its reminiscent of PC World. Not the inside of The King of SUVs. The materials, as you’ve come to expect from Range Rover, are second to none and the remaining dials and controls seamlessly materialise from the glass. The whole thing has a clean and modern feel as well as the luxury you want from a Range Rover product, we’re in Tesla territory now guys

Never one for trend setting per se but never behind the times Range Rover is a consistent, quality and timeless product that how has something to offer everyone. Modernising the Range Rover should ensure Range Rover keeps its crown as The King of SUV’s and further magnify it’s record breaking sales figures.