Those who love what the Range Rover stands for — being able to experience genuine off-roading surrounded by a luxurious cabin — will be absolutely thrilled with the latest generation of Land Rover’s flagship model. And the 2010 contains technology you can’t find anywhere else.
From the curb, the 2010 Range Rover is still as defiantly upright as ever. At first glance, it’s quite difficult to distinguish the new edition from the ’09 model. Alterations were executed with an admirably light touch: New headlamps, tail lamps, and side marker lights incorporate bright LED elements, and a revised mesh grille crowns a reshaped front bumper. Inside, yards and yards of finely stitched, seductively aromatic hide coddle occupants, and a radically revamped instrument panel greets the driver. A 12-inch high-resolution display replaces traditional analog gauge faces and needles. In addition to presenting a “virtual” speedometer and tachometer, this new display reports all manner of pertinent vehicle data, including system alerts, audio settings, trip information, and even the status of the Terrain Response system.
Doubtless the biggest news for 2010, however, lurks beneath that expansive hood: Land Rover’s brand-new 5-liter V-8. In the Range Rover, a normally aspirated version of the engine produces a stout 375 horsepower and 375 foot-pounds of torque, while a fearsome supercharged version (which also lands in the 2010 Range Rover Sport Supercharged and new Jaguar XFR) churns out 510 horsepower and 461 foot-pounds of torque, sufficient to launch the 5,800-pound off-roader to 60 mph in a mere 5.9-seconds. And thanks in part to a direct-injection system, fuel consumption and carbon emissions are down by about 7 percent each, compared with figures for last year’s 4.2-liter supercharged engine.
The 2010 Range Rover rolls into Land Rover showrooms this fall. Pricing hasn’t been finalized, but expect the top-trim supercharged model to start at about $95,500.
