The Land Rover Range Rover is a luxury 4x4 available since 1970. It is now in its fifth generation of design.
Land Rover Range Rover Design and Introduction
The beginnings of the Land Rover Range Rover stretch back all the way to 1951, when the then-named Rover Company began designing and building a larger model. After the original Road Rover prototypes Series I and Series II were constructed, the project was shelved until 1966. In 1967, the first Range Rover prototype was built and after the design was finalized in 1969, 26 additional development vehicles were constructed. And finally, nearly 20 years after the original thought was created, the production Range Rover launched in 1970. The first design was a 3-door 4x4 that was focused on providing a utilitarian vehicle design for exploration and off-road capability. Other 4x4s of the era tended to favor the more luxurious designs for their passenger vehicles, with off-road capability an afterthought. After all, who would really need a capable exploration vehicle? It turns out that a lot of people do. And the Range Rover obtained immediate success which carried through many decades. The Range Rover was selected for modification in many specialist utility vehicle applications, including fire rescue and extreme exploration endeavors. Plus, the many people who general desired the ultimate capability the Range Rover offered.
Chassis and Engine
Using a body-on-frame design with a ladder type chassis, the first generation Range Rover used coil springs, permanent four-wheel drive, and disc brakes on all four wheels. The construction style allowed for a rigid frame with superb off-road suspension. The original engine was a Rover V8 with just 127 horsepower, plenty enough to explore but not an overly powerful engine. In 1984, the engine received Lucas fuel injection, increasing performance up to 155 horsepower. Other engine offerings and upgrades became available as time progressed.
Second Generation Range Rover
In 1994, the second generation Land Rover Range Rover (P38) was introduced. The exterior was heavily redesigned and the major characteristics are still utilized in Range Rovers of today. The engine options improved to a 4.0L or 4.6L V8 gasoline engine with up to 230 horsepower and 280 lb ft of torque, while a turbocharged 2.5L BMW M52 inline-6 diesel engine produced 136 horsepower and 199 lb ft of torque. Suspension also received a major upgrade during this generation, with an electronic air suspension available. It automatically adjusted the height according to the speed, but also had manually adjustable settings.
Third Generation Updates
The third-generation Land Rover Ranger Rover (L322) was introduced in 2001, taking the model to new heights with increased luxury appointments and much more powerful engine options. It was developed under BMW ownership, leading to an upmarket move by the Range Rover model. This model switched to a monocoque unibody construction that still featured air suspension with variable ride height. There were many engine choices available through the course of the third-generation production, including a 4.4L V8 with 282 horsepower and a supercharged 4.2L V8 with 395 horsepower. In 2009, a supercharged 5.0L V8 with 503 horsepower and 461 lb ft of torque was introduced. A diesel engine option was available, starting with a turbocharged 3.0L Td6 in 2002 with 175 horsepower and 288 lb ft of torque, upgraded to a 3.6L twin-turbo engine in 2006, and finishing off with a 4.4L TDV8 twin-turbo engine with 309 horsepower and an impressive 516 lb ft of torque from 2010 to 2012.
Fourth Generation Modifications
The fourth generational Land Rover Range Rover (L405) was released in 2012. It stuck with a monocoque unibody construction but switched from steel to all-aluminum construction for significant weight savings. It keeps variable ride height air suspension, which now included adaptive dynamics which adjust the suspension over 500 times per second in response to road conditions and speed. It also featured an innovative Terrain Response system to detect the driving conditions and adjust various engine, suspension, and transmission parameters accordingly. The interior continued to receive more luxurious appointments, stretching farther from the original utilitarian design and leading to an increase in on-road usage and celebrity status. Engine choices became extensive, with everything from a supercharged 3.0L V6 with just 355 horsepower up to a powerful 5.0L supercharged V8 engine with a whopping 557 horsepower and 516 lb ft of torque. It could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 km/h) in just 4.3 seconds. 3.0L and 4.4L diesel options were also available, with up to 335 horsepower and 546 lb ft of torque. A plug-in hybrid model was unveiled in 2018, producing a combined 398 horsepower with a 2.0L inline-4 engine and a 86 kW electric motor.
Fifth Generation Updates
The current fifth generation Land Rover Range Rover (L460) was introduced in 2022. It is hurt on Jaguar Land Rover’s MLA-Flex platform. It continues to push the boundaries of luxury in the large SUV offering, while still maintaining features designed to perform extremely well in off-road applications. It is available with three main powertrain options, with a plug-in hybrid featuring a turbocharged 3.0L inline-6 engine and a 105 kW electric motor to produce 434 horsepower, a mild hybrid with a 3.0L engine producing up to 395 horsepower, and a conventional internal combustion engine with a twin-turbocharged 4.4L V8 engine with a whopping 523 horsepower and 553 lb ft of torque.