by Ashwin Kumar, publisher
While you might not be scaling any snow-covered mountain roads this winter, we thought we should keep you properly prepared for any spur-of-moment off-roading you might fancy. In our first car review, Reply Magazine test drives the new 2010 Range Rover HSE.
When British Leyland first debuted the Range Rover in 1970, it was never intended to be a 4×4 luxury vehicle. Early Range Rovers were fairly boring with dull interiors, vinyl seats and plastic dashboards – all created to be easily washed down with the everyday garden hose after an intense, muddy off-road experience. Since then, Range Rover, which is produced by Land Rover, has changed ownership six times (British Leyland 1970-1986, Rover Group 1986-1988, British Aerospace 1986-1994, BMW 1994-2000, Ford 2000-2008, Tata Group 2008-present) and has introduced three major generations. But the change of owners hasn’t bogged Range Rover down; on the contrary, the latest of their third generation LSUVs is mind-blowingly astonishing.
Introducing the 2010 Range Rover HSE, the ultimate off-road luxury sports utility vehicle on the market today. This year’s model features the option for one of two 5.0 liter V8 engines developed by Jaguar. The normally aspirated engine produces 375 bhp and 375 lbs of torque. The supercharged version produces a phenomenal 510 bhp and 461 lb-ft of torque. At almost 3 tons, the supercharged engine can push the Range Rover from 0-60 mph in a mere 5.9 seconds.
For this test we were able to get our eager hands on the 375-hp version for a weekend. Splashed in a white-grey Ipanema Sand exterior color, the Range Rover sports a new grill, LED headlights, and a new front bumper. The stylistic changes to this year’s model give the Range Rover a more chic, not so boxy British look we are all used to seeing. In fact, the vehicle seems almost majestic and royal – the sort of car you would see outside the Ascot racecourse in England or in the driveway at the Rambagh Palace in Jaipur, India.
Aside from the upgraded exterior changes and powerful new engines, it’s the technology inside the vehicle that will make any gadget loving technophile feel like James Bond while driving the car. Inside, you’ll find the standard luxury amenities such as fine leather, wood trim and hand polished veneers. Optional goodies included a heated steering wheel and heated and cooled front and rear seats. Range Rover also provides plenty of headroom and space within the vehicle without giving you the impression that the car could tip over or roll at any moment – supported by Range Rover’s Dynamic Stability Control. Not impressed yet? We’re just getting started.
Sitting in the driver’s seat, you’ll notice the dials where the speedometer and odometer are traditionally, have been replaced with a new virtual instrument display panel with TFT-LCD (Thin Film Transistor) digital technology. This 12-inch display provides all the basic vehicle information plus front wheel direction, air suspension height settings, hill descent control settings, compass and terrain response feedback. Are we sparking your interest yet?
The centerpiece of the dashboard features a 7-inch touch screen – command and control for the Range Rover. From here you can access the hard drive disk based satellite navigation system, audio entertainment supported by 1200 watt Harmon and Kardon speakers, Bluetooth connectivity, DVD entertainment system, 4×4 information and surround camera system. Wait, camera system?
No, we aren’t kidding. Yes, it is amazing. Range Rover has fitted this vehicle with 5 cameras to provide the driver with a full 360-degree view on the touch screen. These cameras especially come in handy when you find yourself half-way up a heavily wooded, stony hill in the middle of the night and the only way back is reversing down the path you came (my colleagues will concur). Speaking of which, when reversing the vehicle, the rear-view camera switches on and provides the driver with an on screen collision-free drive path for you to follow. So the next time you are dropping your yacht off at the Mediterranean Sea for a trip to Sicily, remember that your Ranger Rover has plenty of eyes for you to safely guide the boat onto the boat ramp.
If all that techno-geek-ware wasn’t enough, here is the crème de la crème behind the Range Rover’s off road capabilities. The automaker has employed a unique Terrain Response® system via fingertip control dial on the centre console to adjust to different driving environments. The system works with the Adaptive Dynamic suspension system as the engine, transmission, suspension and traction settings are all reconfigured for optimal performance. Drive on sand, rough and rocky terrain, uphill or downhill and the car takes care of everything for you. When you use the Hill Descent Control, the Range Rover applies proper acceleration and braking pressure to move the vehicle downhill without losing traction as you gradually accelerate.
Driving the Range Rover is simply brilliant. It doesn’t feel like you are driving a big SUV or truck despite its size and it doesn’t feel like the vehicle’s engine is working hard to move all 3 tones. Even though the Rover is jam-packed with curious technology and buttons, they aren’t overly distracting to the driver, and are even easy to find and reach when needing to adjust the air conditioner or iPod. The ride is incredibly smooth even when driving down a steep rocky hill at 35mph.
With all the wow factors this LSUV has to offer, there are a few not so wow features. The Range Rover isn’t the friendliest green vehicle in the world with its V8 engine. Expect to receive a paltry 12mpg in the city and 18mpg on the highway – costing nearly $80 – $100 to fill the tank when empty. That’s enough to give our friends at Greenpeace a mild heart attack. The total price tag for our test vehicle was $79,525 with the fully-loaded supercharged version costing more than $100,000. Not cheap by any means.
We know not everything in this world is perfect. Sure the Range Rover has an incredibly powerful supercharged V8 engine but with incredibly low gas mileage. Sure it has enough luxury and technology to rival Bill Gates’ home but with a hefty price tag that requires you to shell out multiple gold bricks. Sure the vehicle will tempt you to find off-road experiences around the world from the deserts of the Sahara to the mountainous terrain of the Andes. But this latest Range Rover will sure make you think it’s the closest to perfection you’ll ever get.
Images via Courtney Lee and TopSpeed.com. Special thanks to Land Rover Houston.
