Land Rover revealed an updated Range Rover for 2018, and is following up with a hybrid model in 2019.
“Don’t change it, just make it better.” According to Gerry McGovern, Land Rover’s Chief Design Officer, that’s what customers want in a Range Rover. It’s a fair point; when you’ve been making something for almost 50 years, you don’t radically change the recipe. You just refine it.
Enter the 2018 Range Rover, pictured above. Don’t worry, I had to look twice as well. The headlights are new, but the exterior’s not that different than before. That’s okay, since Land Rover is giving their customers what they want. The previous design was svelte and elegant, and the new LEDs add a bit more squared-off handsomeness to the mix.
The interior is a different story, however. Those who can afford a premium proposition like the Range Rover expect comfort features, and all the features from the previous model carry over. However, a new enhancement to the Range Rover’s design is the “Gesture Sunblind”. Per Jaguar Land Rover, it utilizes an “advanced gesture control system” that senses hand movement to open and close the sunshade with the wave of the hand. Check out the video below to see how it works:
The 2018 Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic is the most powerful production Range Rover to date.
Those favoring performance with their sumptuous luxury may opt for the SVAutobiography Dynamic trim, provided their wallet’s deep enough. This top-of-the-line Range Rover features a beefed up 557 horsepower, 5.0-liter supercharged V8. With that sort of power, zero to 60 comes up in 5.1 seconds – pretty good for such a hefty SUV. If your budget can’t stretch to a fully loaded Range Rover, the base trim costs nearly $100,000 less. Other powerplants on offer include a 3.0-liter, supercharged V6 and a 3.0-liter, turbocharged V6 diesel. The 2018 Range Rover is available to order now, with deliveries taking place at the end of the year.
2018 U.S.-market Range Rover Trims and Prices:
| Trim Level | Engine – Horsepower | MSRP |
| SE | 3.0L Supercharged V6 – 340hp | $87,350 |
| HSE | 3.0L Supercharged V6 – 380hp | $94,050 |
| SE TD6 | 3.0L Turbodiesel V6 – 254hp | $89,350 |
| HSE TD6 | 3.0L Turbodiesel V6 – 254hp | $96,050 |
| Supercharged | 5.0L Supercharged V8 – 518hp | $104,850 |
| Supercharged LWB | 5.0L Supercharged V8 – 518hp | $108,895 |
| Autobiography | 5.0L Supercharged V8 – 518hp | $141,995 |
| Autobiography LWB | 5.0L Supercharged V8 – 518hp | $148,295 |
| SVAutobiography Dynamic | 5.0L Supercharged V8 – 557hp | $177,200 |
2019 will see a big change for the Range Rover – the first PHEV model.
Efficiency is not necessarily a word you would associate with the Range Rover, but folks at Land Rover want to change that with this model. Dubbed “P400e”, the Range Rover PHEV combines a 296 horsepower, 2.0-liter four cylinder engine with a 114 horsepower electric motor. The result? 398 horsepower at your disposal – enough to get you from zero to 60 in 6.4 seconds. If the mood takes you, the Range Rover PHEV will take you all the way to 137 miles per hour.
While not in the same league as the massive 5.0-liter SVAutobiography Dynamic, the hybrid is still quick enough for most traffic situations. Better still, you can drive up to 31 miles on electric power only. Probably best to offset emissions from each of those 557 horsepower the V8 churns out.
Owners have a choice of two drive modes: Parallel Hybrid mode and EV mode. Parallel Hybrid mode comes with two “charge management functions”:
- SAVE: Prevents the battery from falling below a selected level, at which the gas engine will take over
- Predictive Energy Optimization: This one uses the navigation system to maximize fuel economy.
The price and launch date of the Range Rover PHEV have yet to be revealed, but expect it to be available next year. Stay tuned to TFLcar.com and our YouTube channel for more updates on this and other new models!
