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The future of Britain's two best-loved car brands is wrapped inside the lightweight skin of the all-new Range Rover.
The next-generation SUV flagship is a full 420 kilograms lighter thanks to the aluminium platform that will be shared between everything that Jaguar and Range Rover builds for the next decade.
The new look of the luxury SUV headliner is previewed ahead of Australian sales in the first quarter of 2013, reflecting a Range Rover that retains its familiar style despite a bigger and bolder body that will also be stretched - eventually - into a long-wheelbase model.
Introduced as the “the most capable and most luxurious Land Rover yet", it brings everything from a new high-tech suspension system to petrol and diesel engines with dramatically better fuel economy and CO2 emissions.
Australian insiders say development of the new Range Rover reflects a new can-do attitude under the Indian ownership of billionaire Ratan Tata. “In the past we asked for a list of things and got one or two. This time we got everything we wanted," he reveals to Carsguide.
Testing of the new Range Rover has run for millions of kilometres over the past 18 months in more than 20 countries. The emphasis has been on improving the vehicle's dynamic ability while boosting luxury and technology.
The bigger new cabin includes 118 millimetres of extra legroom in the back, while there is acoustic lamination of the side glass to cut noise levels. Mechanically, the highlight is a second-generation Terrain Response system that analyses driving conditions and automatically selects the most suitable vehicle settings for the terrain.
The head of Jaguar Land Rover in Australia says the 2013 Range Rover also has the green credentials to finally end jibes about Toorak tractors. “This car is now, I think, at the cross-hairs of utility, practicality and the experience people are looking for in our world. Our products are delivering into the SUV sweet spot,” David Blackhall tells Carsguide.
“Three or four years ago there were people in London spray painting windscreens and running keys down the sides of cars. That's over now." Blackhall says the all-alloy platform and body panels of the new Range Rover shows the direction JLR is taking with its upscale SUVs and cars.
"It's the first an all-new one for 10 years. This is the first really dynamic demonstration of our commitment to the new platform. That becomes the donor platform for everything over the next 10 years or so." Full details of the new Range Rover will be released in Britain in a fortnight and Carsguide will be there, as well as reporting the first drive from Morocco in November.
Blackhall refuses to discuss pricing of the new Range Rover - the current model starts at $160,500 - but says full-scale deliveries in Australia will begin in the first quarter of next year. "Most importantly, the product stands up and does what a Rangie has always done," he says.
