Land Rover has unveiled the all-new fourth-generation 2013 Range Rover at an event at the Royal Ballet School in Richmond Park.
Land Rover has unveiled the all-new fourth-generation 2013 Range Rover at an event at the Royal Ballet School in Richmond Park. At the event, the all-new Range Rover was unveiled by wading through a water pool that was almost a meters deep and then climbing a rocky causeway before coming to a stop in front of White Lodge – a formal royal residence and home to the Royal Ballet School.
The biggest news for the new 2013 Range Rover is that it is now up to 926 pounds lighter (700 in the US) than before thanks to an all aluminum body. The aluminum unibody is 39 percent lighter than the steel body on the old model. This translates to improvements in performance and fuel economy.
John Edwards, Land Rover Global Brand Director, said: “The new Range Rover preserves the essential, unique character of the vehicle – that special blend of luxury, performance and unmatched all-terrain capability. However, its clean sheet design and revolutionary lightweight construction have enabled us to transform the experience for luxury vehicle customers, with a step change in comfort, refinement and handling.”
Inside the new Range Rover has over 4.7-inches more legroom. The interior is covered in leather that is applied to almost every surface from from the seats and instrument panel to the doors and headlining. The new Range Rover features two primary high-resolution display screens – a 12.3-inch display for the main instrument cluster, and an 8-inch touchscreen unit for infotainment and secondary functions.
“Designing the next generation Range Rover, following over forty years of success, came with a huge responsibility to protect the DNA of such an icon,” said Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Design Director and Chief Creative Officer. “Our design team worked incredibly hard to capture the elegant proportions and pure surfaces which have been a feature of the best Range Rover designs.”
In the US buyers will be able to choose from two V8 engines, a 375 horsepower 5.0L V8 and a 510 horsepower supercharged 5.0L V8. The naturally-aspirated model reaches 0-60 mph in 6.5 seconds, while the supercharged Range Rover will reach that speed in 5.1 seconds. Each engine is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
It’s also been confirmed that Land Rover will release a new diesel hybrid version that will pair a 3.0L V6 diesel engine to an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery. It looks like the Range Rover hybrid will only be offered in Europe and Asia.
The all-new 2013 Range Rover will be available in over 170 markets worldwide, with North American customer deliveries scheduled to start in December 2012.
