[Omkar]

Mod Note: Our 2023 Range Rover Review has been taken live at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!

2022 Range Rover Preview

Introduction

The first Range Rover was introduced about 50 years back with a V8 engine and a permanent 4WD. Back then, it was a purely functional and rugged SUV, but soon it moved into the luxury space. Now, it's the pinnacle of luxury, even stealing some sales from luxury sedans. What do you do when you have a proven product? You don't reinvent the wheel and that's exactly what Land Rover has done. They have built an SUV that does everything the previous car did and made it better.

The 5th generation Range Rover is based on Land Rover's new flexible Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA-Flex). In India, the car will be offered in standard and long wheelbase versions with the option of 7 seats on the long wheelbase version. There are 4 variants on offer - SE, HSE, Autobiography and First Edition (not available in the 7-seater variant).

Engine options include 3.0-litre, 6-cylinder petrol and diesel engines with a 48V mild-hybrid system. The petrol engine puts out 394 BHP & 550 Nm, while the diesel engine delivers 346 BHP and 700 Nm. There's also a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol engine (shared with BMW) that churns out 523 BHP and 750 Nm.

Prices start at Rs 2.39 crore for the 3.0L diesel or petrol SE variants and go up to Rs 3.51 crore for the 4.4L petrol LWB First Edition variant.

Check out our reports on the 4th generation Range Rover here - 2012 Range Rover & 2019 Range Rover Vogue LWB

Exterior

Changes to the front are subtle but noticeable. The radiator grille is slimmer and the air dam at the bottom is redesigned. The characteristic clamshell bonnet lets you know that this is the flagship of the Land Rover family:


The rear has gone through a big change and the designers have taken a more minimalistic approach here. You still have the split tailgate and the design is pretty clean:


The proportions and body lines are true to the Range Rover DNA. The MLA-Flex body is up to 50% stiffer and the Range Rover has a drag coefficient of 0.30, which is claimed to be the lowest of any luxury SUV:


The car that you see here is the long wheelbase version, where the wheelbase measures 3,197 mm (standard version's wheelbase is 2,997 mm). The Range Rover measures 5,252 mm in length, 2,209 mm in width and 1,870 mm in height. In normal driving conditions, the ride height is 219 mm which can be increased to 295 mm in off-road mode. Similarly, the approach angle is 26.1 degrees, the departure angle is 24.5 degrees and the ramp angle is 21.4 degrees which increase to 34.7 degrees, 29 degrees and 27.7 degrees in off-road mode respectively:


The rear is not as boxy as before. It's more seamless and rounded in that sense:


Digital LED headlights have 1.2 million micromirrors and a range of up to 500 metres. There's also an adaptive front lighting system, which is capable of shadowing up to 16 objects ensuring other road users are not dazzled while maintaining optimum lighting for the driver:


The air dam has a brushed silver insert with fog lamps at the ends. The front radar, parking sensors and front camera are neatly concealed in the air dam:


Shut lines are tighter than before and it's clearly visible:


22-inch wheels are offered as standard with 285/45 section tyres:


The Range Rover comes with rear-wheel steering giving it a tight turning circle of 11 metres:


Flush door handles pop out when you walk up to the car:


Here's a look at the door handle in action:


Vertical tail-lights are encased in a gloss black panel and you can see them only when the car is switched on:


The LED light is actually reflected off a surface which is why it's more pleasant to look at. The turn indicators next to the Range Rover lettering look very classy:


Twin shark fin antennas are placed at the end of the roof. One's a regular antenna while the other houses a camera:


The 3.0-litre diesel engine puts out 346 BHP and 700 Nm of torque. It's mated to 8-speed automatic transmission:

[Omkar]

Interior

Step inside the cabin and there's a sense of familiarity. Like earlier Range Rovers, the design is simple, yet elegant. The materials are of top quality and feel great to touch:


There's also the option of a white interior scheme:


Classy-looking steering wheel with multimedia controls on the left spoke and switches for the driver assistance features on the right. Big metal paddle shifters have been provided:


MID is a 13.7-inch high-definition display with a 3-panel layout:


Apart from the basic information, you can have 4x4 and display for the driver assistance features as well:


Doorpad is upholstered in tan leather and gets brushed silver accents:


The power window control panel. All the seats get a memory function with 3 settings:


Extra large seats draped in perforated semi-aniline leather are super comfortable:


The headrests are not only comfortable, but they also have a pair of speakers in them for active noise cancellation:


The IRVM is more of a conversation mirror with the rear passengers. When you do want to see what's behind, you can just flip the switch below the mirror and...


...you get a live feed from the shark fin antenna!


This is a 13.1-inch curved touchscreen with Land Rover's Pivi Pro infotainment system. It's very user-friendly and has a crisp display. Interestingly, you can choose haptic feedback, where you have to touch and press the options on the screen. It is supposed to reduce the need to look away from the road and use the screen. The head-unit is mated to a 35-speaker, 1,680W Meridian Signature Sound System with active noise cancellation. The ANC system monitors wheel vibrations, tyre noise and engine sounds transmitted into the cabin and generates a cancelling signal:


The 360-degree camera system on the Range Rover is truly next level. The camera quality is excellent and the display from wide-angle cameras isn't very distorted as well. There's an off-road mode as well where you get the ground display:


Drive mode options can be selected via the touchscreen for altering the characteristics of the engine, suspension, steering and gear shifts. There's also a G-meter for people who like twisty roads. The car also gets an inbuilt PM2.5 air filtration system. You also have something called the 'Tailgate Event Suite', which can be activated when the engine is off and in the transmission in 'P'. This opens up the tailgate and plays music primarily through the speakers in the tailgate:


Rotary knobs are similar to the outgoing Range Rover. Push the knob in for seat ventilation options and pull for blower speed control:


Chunky gear lever looks nice. Switches for the terrain response system are placed on the other side:


Rear seats offer an extremely high level of comfort:


Apart from the memory function and window controls, there are a few additional functions for the rear passengers. Starting from the top, there's a button to mute the infotainment system so you don't always have to ask the driver to do it. Then you have the sunblind control and two reading light options. You can select the laptop button to let the light focus on the lap or you can select the book reading light option which focuses the light on the area where you would usually hold something to read. You can also choose to lower both rear windows or the one on your side or the one on the other side window by pressing the button above the window switch:


There's plenty of legroom and ingress & egress isn't cumbersome:


The executive seat in recline position is sheer comfort. There's plenty of support including calf support and you also have a place to rest your feet:


Both rear passengers get adjustable 11.4-inch HD touchscreens mounted on the front seatbacks. They can be operated independently and support the connection of most devices with an HDMI port:


Centre armrest lowers at the press of a button. It houses an 8-inch touchscreen for controlling various options for rear seat passengers:


There's multi-level storage with the top part assigned for pen holders and a 'Range Rover' branded mirror. Underneath you have deeper storage with two HDMI ports and two USB-C charging ports:


You would expect the cupholders to be placed below the panel with a wooden finish. However, that's not the case. You have to press a button on the touchscreen to extend the top part of the centre armrest to reveal the cupholders:


You can use the touchscreen on the centre armrest to control the front seat-mounted touchscreens, adjust the seats, choose massage functions and select seat heating or ventilation:


Here's a look at a couple of functions from the rear seat:

https://youtu.be/VkJOISSIq24

Land Rover headphones for both rear passengers are offered as standard:

[Omkar]

Depending upon the wheelbase and the number of seats, the boot space varies. On average, with the second row in place, the boot space is approximately 1,000 litres. You also get an automatically operated luggage cover that retracts when the tailgate opens:


With the second row folded, the boot space increases to ~2,600 litres:


The spare wheel is a full-size alloy:


The controls for boot floor height adjustment, folding the middle row of seats and luggage cover are placed on the right:


There's a panel on the boot floor that can be folded up to create a partition in the boot space. On one side, you also get elastic bands to fasten some items:


The same panel can be folded up the other way to create a backrest:

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Jeroen]

Range Rover has always been in a class of its own. Love the interior, not so sure about the outside. I think it is getting way to bulky, especially from the side. These cars drive phenomenally well, you will be hard pressed to find a more comfortable ride. There is a reason Topgear and the GrandTour use Range Rovers as their camera cars whenever you can.

Personally, I always found the sport version more attractive, although I know many would disagree. I think it is better proportioned. Neither is, at the best of times, a small car! They are absolutely massive.

I think I will stick to my 1998 Jeep Cherokee for now!��

Jeroen

[vikas8890]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Range Rover has always been in a class of its own. Love the interior, not so sure about the outside. I think it is getting way to bulky, especially from the side. These cars drive phenomenally well, you will be hard pressed to find a more comfortable ride. There is a reason Topgear and the GrandTour use Range Rovers as their camera cars whenever you can.

Personally, I always found the sport version more attractive, although I know many would disagree. I think it is better proportioned. Neither is, at the best of times, a small car! They are absolutely massive.

I think I will stick to my 1998 Jeep Cherokee for now!��

Jeroen

I agree with you. The Range Rover Sport is one of the most well proportioned vehicle you come across irrespective of brands. It looks very agile and athletic. Very Desirable and timeless design.
I have always admired the Sport more than the other vehicles in Range Rover lineup.
No wonder a couple of vehicles went searching for James bond in No time to die.

The new Range Rover as always is very classy vehicle. However the 7 seater version does not feel the same.

The 7 seater Suv market globally have exploded of late, with many iconic models getting their seven seater versions. The Range Rover, the Defender 130, Jeep Grand Cherokee to name a few.

There may be a market for such vehicles but in my opinion, for 7 seaters Mpv's are best. The7 seater Suv's look compromised, except maybe the large American Bof vehicles like the Tahoe and Suburban and their platform mates from GMC and Cadillac, the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer and the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator.

[GTO]

Such a gorgeous design, Range Rover absolutely nails it in terms of styling. Nothing as classy, nothing as stylish as the flagship Range Rover. The German luxury marques all have splendid SUVs and which arguably have an engineering / reliability advantage over Range Rover, but the looks...man. These also drive really, really well. I had taken the outgoing gen on a short road-trip and the comfort levels + opulence were extraordinary. Like a land yatch!

With the way the market is right now, this is going to be sold out on the day of launch. Has a legion of fans, including from Bollywood, industrialists & builders.

[ads11]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Neither is, at the best of times, a small car! They are absolutely massive.

I mean when you see these hulking Chelsea tractors on the road you realise where a large part of the ire against Range Rover drivers comes from simply because the footprint is as big as a big van almost.

All that being said, it's such a suave looking thing. I remember Gerry McGovern made a point about emphasising how the metal bodywork is almost wrapped around, I saw videos with folks commending the way the door sill just blends seamlessly into the glass of the window, with no sign of the usual rubber beading you might see. Had to inspect this in person when I saw one parked. Have to admire those little touches (they're really not that evident from pictures or video, it's only up close and personal) - they all add to the feeling of it being a premium product.

I know I was amongst those who was a bit dismayed by the rear design when spy shots leaked in advance of the reveal but again, in person, I love the lights. As Omkar says below:

The LED light is actually reflected off a surface which is why it's more pleasant to look at.

I really appreciate the softer look of the LED tail lights on this new Range Rover. As someone whose eyesight suffers due to astigmatism, I'm used to any lights appearing to have spiky beams coming out, but this effect is usually harsher with a lot of LED tail lights on newer cars. I've not had that at all when tailing the new Range Rover, which again is something I personally appreciate. I'm hoping this more diffuse lighting becomes more commonplace.

Wonder what the margins are on the Range Rover - no doubt it'll fly off shelves to the well heeled the world over. Imagine profits from this go a long way towards keeping things ticking at JLR as a whole.

Mod Note: Our 2023 Range Rover Review has been taken live at this link. Please continue the discussion over on the new thread. Thanks!