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The iconic Range Rover
turned 40 in 2010. Range Rover
was the world's first fully capable luxury 4x4,
there have been four generations of Range Rover: the
original (Classic) in 1970, second-generation (P38a)
in 1994, the third-generation (L322) in 2001 and now
the all new Range
Rover 2013. Second model line Range Rover
Sport launched in 2005 became Land Rover's biggest
selling vehicle worldwide in 2007 and the third
model line the Range Rover Evoque was revealed at
Paris Motor Show 2010. "Land
Rover has a unique history of product innovation.
But the Range Rover probably remains the most
historically significant vehicle we have ever
launched. It is one of the most important vehicles
in the history of motoring." Phil Popham, Land Rover
Managing Director.
Overview
The Range Rover celebrates its
40th birthday on 17 June, 2010. One of the most
significant vehicles in the history of motoring, the
Range Rover was the world's first vehicle as good
on-road as off-road. It was the first fully capable
luxury 4x4 and was a milestone in the development of
the SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle).
There have been three generations
of Range Rover. The original, now known as the
Classic, went on sale in 1970 and continued in
production, with numerous upgrades and a
multiplicity of variants, for just over 25 years.
The second-generation vehicle,
known as the P38a, went on sale in 1994 and was
replaced in 2001 by the current model. The
continuing success of the Range Rover ensured that
other premium makers jumped into the booming luxury
SUV market. The latest version has enjoyed higher
annual sales than any previous models and continues
to be popular around the world. Sold around the
world, from London to Los Angeles, Sydney to
Shanghai, Turin to Tokyo, the Range Rover remains
the ultimate choice for the luxury SUV customer.
"The Range Rover is really four
vehicles in one," says managing director Phil Popham.
"It's a seven-days-a-week luxury motor car; a
leisure vehicle that will range far and wide on the
highways and noways of the world; a high performance
car for long distance travel; and a working
cross-country vehicle."
From princes to politicians, from
rock gods to rock climbers, from footballers to
farmers, the Range Rover has always appealed to a
diverse group of customers.
A second model line, the Range
Rover Sport, was launched in 2005, aimed at more
sports-oriented driver-focused customers. It has
been a great success, and in 2007 was Land Rover's
biggest selling vehicle worldwide.
Range
Rover Milestones
1966 Work began on the first Range
Rover prototype, known as the '100-inch station
wagon'
1970 The original two-door Range Rover known as
the Classic goes on sale
1971 Range Rover receives the RAC Dewar award for
outstanding technical achievement
1972 The Range Rover is the first vehicle to cross
the Darien Gap on a British Army Trans-America
expedition
1974 Range Rover completes west to east Sahara
desert expedition 7,500 miles in 100 days
1977 A modified Range Rover wins the 4x4 class in
the London-Sydney Marathon, a gruelling 30,000 km
(18,750 miles) event and the longest ever
speed-based car rally
1979 A specially modified Range Rover wins the first
Paris-Dakar rally
(a Range Rover wins again in 1981)
1981 First production four-door Range Rover appears
along with the first factory-produced
limited-edition Range Rover the 'In Vogue'
1982 Automatic transmission becomes available on
Range Rover
1983 Range Rover 5-speed manual gearbox is
introduced
1985 The diesel-powered Range Rover 'Bullet' breaks
27 speed records, including a diesel record for
averaging more than 100mph for 24 hours
1987 Range Rover launched in North America
1989 Range Rover is the world's first 4x4 to be
fitted with ABS anti-lock brakes
1990 Limited Edition CSK named after founder
Charles Spencer King is launched as a sportier
Range Rover
1992 Range Rover Classic is the world's first 4x4 to
be fitted with electronic traction control (ETC)
1992 Long-wheelbase LSE (known as County LWB in the
US) launched
1992 Automatic electronic air suspension introduced,
a world first for a 4x4
1994 Second-generation (P38a) Range Rover goes on
sale
1996 Range Rover Classic bows out after total
production of 317,615 units
1999 Limited Edition Range Rover Linley appears at
London Motor Show
2001 All-New Range
Rover (L322) launched
2002 Half-millionth Range Rover produced at the
Solihull plant
2005 Second model line the
Range Rover Sport
launched
2006 Terrain Response and TDV8 diesel introduced
2009 Range Rover features all-new LR-V8 5.0 and 5.0
supercharged petrol engines and technology updates
2010 Range Rover celebrates its 40th anniversary
2010 Range Rover Evoque revealed at Paris Motor Show
2012 All-new Range Rover (L405) revealed
Range Rover History
 "The
idea was to combine the comfort and on-road ability
of a Rover saloon with the
off-road ability of a Land Rover. Nobody was doing
it."
Charles Spencer 'Spen' King the father of the
Range Rover.
The inspiration came from the
Rover car company's engineering chief for new
vehicle projects. Charles Spencer 'Spen' King worked
mostly on Rover cars, not on Land Rover (at the
time, Rover's 4x4 wing). Yet Land Rover was in his
blood. His uncles were the Wilks brothers Spencer
and Maurice who jointly founded Land Rover in
1948.
"The idea was to combine the
comfort and on-road ability of a Rover saloon with
the off-road ability of a Land Rover," says King.
"Nobody was doing it at the time. It seemed worth a
try and Land Rover needed a new product."
The growing 4x4 leisure market
In the mid '60s, Rover engineers
visited America to garner ideas on how to boost the
company's sales in the US. Dealers there confirmed
that a market for 4x4 leisure vehicles was growing.
Appealing to those who liked towing, camping and led
an outdoor life, but also wanted a vehicle with
freeway and urban-driving potential.
There were a few big-capacity
vehicles, all American. The Jeep Wagoneer, Ford
Bronco and International Harvester Scout were
spacious, easy-driving station wagons that had
selectable four-wheel drive to give some off-road
potential, and gutsy engines to give reasonable
on-road performance. In Europe, there was no such
car. Land Rover engineers evaluated these American
vehicles. They offered an interesting mix of
abilities. But, in reality, they were nothing like
as capable as a Land Rover in the rough, or as
relaxing and accomplished as a normal saloon
on-road.
"The Range Rover turned out to be
quite a different vehicle. The goal was to launch a
4x4 with similar comfort and on-road capability. At
the same time, I really thought it must be possible
to offer much greater comfort than a Land Rover
without sacrificing the off-road ability," says
King. "Then the V8 engine came along [which Rover
bought from General Motors]. It all came together
and nobody stopped us from doing it. Our American
importers also told us that the 4x4 leisure market
was going to be big."
It took Land Rover another 17
years (until 1987) before the Range Rover was
launched in North America, due to the initial
success of the vehicle elsewhere in Europe. "I don't
think there was any real urgency to get into
America. The US's unique new safety and emissions
legislation were too expensive to engineer," he
added.
The '100-inch station wagon'
Work on the first prototype Range
Rover, then known as the '100-inch station wagon',
began in 1966. "It was going to be a premium leisure
vehicle, but not really a luxury vehicle," says
former project engineer Geof Miller. "It was also
intended to be technically adventurous. Spen was
convinced the vehicle must have car-like coil
springs front and rear for on-road ride comfort, and
no other 4x4 offered them. It needed very long
travel suspension for off-road suppleness." Other
technical novelties would include an aluminium body
(like the Land Rover), an all-aluminium engine and
disc brakes all round. (See 'Technology' section for
more information.)
At the time, Land Rovers were
enjoying record popularity. Many within Land Rover
doubted the need for such a vehicle, and questioned
the demand. Among the doubters was Land Rover's
chief engineer, Tom Barton, a key figure in the
development of the first Land Rover and a former
railway engineer. He steadfastly maintained that the
best suspension system for an off-road vehicle was
leaf springs, as used by nearly all 4x4s of the time
(a few American large 4x4s had front coils). The
fact that the driving force behind the new Range
Rover was Rover's car division, not the Land Rover
4x4 division, further alienated Barton and some
other Land Rover diehards.
'A Land Rover for the price of
a Rover saloon'
Land Rover's sales people were
also worried. "How can we sell a Land Rover for the
price of a Rover 2000 saloon? That was their worry,"
says Geof Miller. "They weren't really sure exactly
what the vehicle was, or who it would appeal to.
That's always the challenge with a new type of car."
According to Spen King, target
customers were 'senior officers in the army, head
guys on building sites, well-off farmers, that sort
of person'. It appealed to all those people and
many more. "To be frank, it appealed to all sorts of
people who we hadnt expected," adds Miller.
Only 10 prototypes were built
before the first production vehicle came down the
Solihull production line. Early prototypes carried
'Velar' badges, jointly from the Spanish 'velar' (to
look after, to watch over) and the Italian 'velare'
(to veil, to cover). The actual Range Rover name was
coined by stylist Tony Poole, after other model
names among them Panther and Leopard were
rejected.
'Four vehicles in one'
The Range Rover was announced to
the world's media on 17 June, 1970 (the press launch
was in Cornwall, with the off-road testing in tin
mines near St Agnes). The first Range Rover sales
brochure spoke about 'the most versatile motor car
in the world', and the 'interfusing of Rover car
comfort with Land Rover strength and four-wheel
drive mobility'.
"The Range Rover is really four
vehicles in one," says managing director Phil Popham.
"It's a seven-days-a-week luxury motor car; a
leisure vehicle that will range far and wide on the
highways and noways of the world; a high performance
car for long distance travel; and a working
cross-country vehicle."
The Range Rover could do all these
things. No other car in the world could even get
close to that blend of abilities.
At launch, the target audience had
also been more carefully considered. The brochure
said they were: 'Business and professional people
with a leaning towards the great outdoors, who want
a purpose-built vehicle instead of an adapted one,
the real thing instead of a compromise'.
A car 'for all seasons'
The press kit called the car 'the
Range Rover Station Wagon' (though the station wagon
tag was soon dropped), and said it was 'equally at
home on a ranch in Texas as on the fast lane of a
motorway in Europe'. It was also called the car 'for
all seasons', a catchy promotional tag that stuck.
Early marketing material
highlighted the car's towing capacity 'Harnessed
to a trailer, caravan, boat or horse-box, the Range
Rover is a tower of strength that takes all the
normal stresses and strains, doubts and worries out
of this kind of operation'. It emphasised the
vehicle's highway capability, unique among 4x4s: 'On
main roads and motorways, the Range Rover can cruise
at speeds of up to 90mph'.
Much was made of its ability of
'roughing it in luxury': 'One has only to experience
the thrill of driving straight off the road and
across a rough field with no slackening of speed and
little change in the car's ride characteristics to
realise that the Range Rover is a very special kind
of vehicle'.
Roger Crathorne, later head of the
Land Rover Experience, was a Range Rover engineer
during the first model's development. "I remember
the first time I drove a prototype at the MIRA test
track in England. It was brilliant. I remember doing
100mph on the track. I thought: 'This vehicle is
extraordinary comfortable, fast, a brilliant and
spacious touring car'. Just as impressive was its
off-road ability, which was much better than any
contemporary Land Rover. The reason was axle
articulation, on account of those coil springs. It
had double the articulation of a normal Land Rover
and, as a result, was more comfortable and more
capable over rough terrain."
 The
world's first luxury 4x4
The Range Rover went on to be the
world's first luxury all-terrain vehicle. But,
although that first Range Rover had a luxury car
ride and premium saloon performance, it certainly
did not have the trimmings of a luxury car. That
came quite a few years later.
The first Range Rover was a
relatively spartan vehicle inside, with vinyl seat
trim and vinyl and moulded rubber flooring to make
it easy to hose out. There was no wood, or leather,
or even carpet. "It certainly wasnt a luxury
vehicle, at least not initially," says Spen King.
"In many ways, it was quite basic."
Adds Geof Miller: "The 'basic'
interior was a sop to the Land Rover people (as
opposed to the Rover car engineers) who wanted a
simple hose-out interior. Sales were excellent.
There was a black market almost straight away, as
demand exceeded supply. Yet we knew that the
interior was too basic. There were moves, almost
immediately, to up-spec the vehicle, including
improved trim. Carpet came quite quickly. It started
on the transmission tunnel, where it also had the
happy effect of quietening transmission whine. The
boot area which had been bare metal on prototypes
was soon trimmed, including a cover for the tool
kit. This was partly because of feedback from
Buckingham Palace. The tools were exposed in the
boot and a man from the palace said a corgi could
get hurt."
Two doors only
The original Range Rover had two
doors only, and there was no automatic transmission
option although one of the early Land Rover-based
prototypes had a Borg Warner three-speed automatic
shift. Geof Miller stayed on the Range Rover project
after its launch, and soon identified a four-door
body as essential. Eighteen months after launch, a
four-door prototype with hatchback rear end was
built. Management however mothballed the car. A
production four-door wasn't launched until 1981.
Automatic transmission didn't become an option until
1982. Both were essential to any US success, where
sales began in 1987.
The Classic lasts for 25 years
 That
first Range Rover was so far ahead of its time that
it lasted in production, and sold well, for more
than 25 years. Initially, in the '70s, the vehicle
changed little. It was a bleak decade for the UK
motor industry, with the three-day week and general
political unrest. There was precious little
development cash, and, besides, the Range Rover was
selling well. Why change it? Cash-strapped British
Leyland, Land Rover's then owners, spent development
money elsewhere.
By the '80s, the pace of
development picked up, mostly to make the vehicle
more luxurious. Cabin trim was regularly upgraded,
and carpet, leather upholstery and wood trim
elevated the Range Rover into a viable alternative
to luxury saloon cars the first 4x4 to do so.
The 3.5-litre aluminium V8 was
enlarged to 3.9 litres in 1989, and then to 4.2
litres in 1992, improving performance and
refinement. The three-speed Chrysler automatic
gearbox first available in 1982 was replaced by
a smoother and more efficient ZF four-speed in 1985,
further broadening appeal.
A long wheelbase version, the LSE,
featuring height adjustable electronic suspension
came out in 1992, a few years before the launch of
the next Range Rover. The electronic suspension was
also optional on the normal 100-inch wheelbase
model.
Second-generation Range Rover,
the P38a
 The
next generation Range Rover, now often known as the
'P38a' (because it was developed in building 38A in
the Solihull factory), dialled up luxury, on-road
ability and off-road versatility. It was an
evolutionary design, 'retaining many of the key
design features of the classic model', according to
the press kit. Burr walnut and leather upholstery
were used extensively, to underscore the car's
luxury credentials, and its desire to win over
owners of conventional luxury cars.
Three engines were offered,
including a BMW 2.5 six-cylinder turbo diesel
which offered considerably better performance than
the old Classic diesel and both 3.9 and 4.6
versions of the aluminium Rover V8. The 4.6 gave a
top speed of 125mph and 0-60 acceleration in 9.3
seconds, the fastest production Range Rover to date.
The height adjustable suspension,
which made its debut at the twilight of the
Classic's life, was further developed for the P38a
and was offered as standard, improving both ride
comfort and off-road potential.
Third-generation Range Rover,
the L322
 The
latest Range Rover represented a big jump. Launched
in 2001, it scaled new heights in the 4x4 sector in
both luxury and on- and off-road capability. CEO Bob
Dover called it, 'the world's most capable vehicle,
with the greatest breadth of ability of any car ever
made'.
Among the new features were the
stiffer monocoque body (replacing the traditional
4x4 ladder frame) and the fully independent
suspension with interconnected air springs (nearly
all 4x4s had, and many still have, rigid axles). The
interior was also widely lauded as the finest of any
car cabin.
At the car's launch, the head of
Ford's Premier Automotive Group (of which Land Rover
formed part), Dr Wolfgang Reitzle, said: "The new
Range Rover is truly extraordinary. Its unique
combination of go-anywhere skill and luxury means
its closest rivals aren't other 4x4s but the finest
luxury saloons in the world."
DESIGN:
'Its not difficult to see why it
was so successful. Like the current version, the
original Range Rover is such a simple and iconic
shape'
The shape of a Range Rover is
instantly recognisable. "You can describe a Range
Rover with three or four lines on a piece of paper,"
says former design director Geoff Upex, responsible
for the current model. "A child could draw the basic
shape, so it's instantly recognisable in the same
way as a Mini or a Porsche 911 or a Volkswagen
Beetle.
"There are four or five elements
that make up a Range Rover design: the simplicity of
the side elevation, the relationship of the glass to
the body, the floating roof and the castellated
bonnet. The same is true of the inside of the car.
It was designed so that people sit as far out as
possible and have the best view. They can see out
down the bonnet and see all corners of the vehicle.
So it's about command driving. It's also a very nice
place to be. I have driven many different vehicles.
Nothing quite gives that same sense of well-being as
being inside a Range Rover."
Current design director Gerry
McGovern adds: "It's not difficult to see why it was
so successful. Like the current version, the
original Range Rover is such a simple and iconic
shape."
Those iconic details are all there
for a reason, for the Range Rover is a highly
functional vehicle. The bonnet castellations improve
the driver's ability to see the corners of the car.
They're helpful in congested city driving, in
parking, and when driving off-road. The 'floating'
roof is partly an upshot of those comparatively thin
pillars, to improve visibility.
On the very early production Range
Rovers, the roof pillars were body coloured. It was
not possible to manufacture these pressings with a
suitable quality finish, so the pillars were soon
covered in a black 'pseudo-hide' finish. The hide
boosted the 'floating roof' effect.
The comparatively flat sides, and
lack of 'tumblehome' curvature, allow driver and
passenger to sit as far out as possible, improving
visibility. Those relatively flat sides also improve
the driver's ability to judge vehicle width,
important for manoeuvrability on- and off-road.
Even though it's become a design
classic a model was displayed inside the Louvre in
Paris, while an actual vehicle was simultaneously
shown just outside Spen King claims that 'we
probably only spent about 0.001 per cent of our time
on the appearance'. Like many design greats, form
followed function. The superb functionality led to a
simple style and a simple shape.
The concept and basic shape flat
sides, thin roof pillars, short overhangs, all
dimensions including wheelbase, upright nose and
tail was determined by engineers, principally King
and chassis engineer Gordon Bashford. The initial
press kit didn't even talk about 'design'.
The design, for King's concept,
came from David Bache, Rover's design boss. Bache's
design CV is impressive Rover SD1, Rover P5 and
P6, Series II Land Rover. But the Range Rover
Classic was his finest hour.
He tidied up the King/Bashford
proposal, adding his design ideas to the inherent
functionality. In particular, he changed the grille
and headlamps, and the tail lamps. He also altered
the window surrounds and side swage lines. They were
not major details, but they made a huge difference
to the car's presence and aesthetic appeal.
Nowadays, of course, the design
department has an early and important voice in a new
car's development. "Back then, it didn't," says
design director Gerry McGovern. "The design
department gave 'style' to the engineering
department's vision. It was a fundamentally
different approach."
The second-generation Range
Rover
The Range Rover's design has
remained evolutionary. "The original vehicle was
such a classic, that it made sense to retain the
basic shape and keep the car's classic design cues,"
says design director Gerry McGovern.
The second-generation vehicle, the
P38a, was a 'clean sheet' design, but it soon became
clear to the design team that they radically changed
the style at their peril. 'They were very conscious
that Range Rover customers are an extremely loyal
group, and over the years market research has shown
that they would be reluctant to accept major changes
in exterior design', said the original P38a press
kit.
The key qualities they protected,
as explained at launch, were: the command driving
position, the floating roof (caused by the black,
rather than body colour, roof pillars), the deep
glass area and low waistline, wrap-over bonnet
(including 'castle features' on front edge),
distinctive rear 'E' pillar, two-piece tailgate (the
lower part of which was widely used as a viewing
platform), the straight feature lines (no wedge or
step in side styling) and the close wheel cuts (to
improve stance).
The third-generation model
All the classic Range Rover design
cues continued with the third-generation model
launched in 2001. The new car was bigger and more
spacious. It also included eye-catching modern
'jewellery', including distinctive head- and
tail-lamps and 'Brunel' finish power vents on the
flanks.
This model was a more integrated
'purer' design than the P38a. Although subsequently
upgraded with improved lights, grille, wheels and
many other changes, the essential shape has stayed
the same, and remains one of the most modern and
desirable designs in the luxury 4x4 sector.
The interior saw a big improvement
over its predecessor. The design team took
inspiration from products as diverse as audio
equipment, ocean-going yachts, first-class airline
seating, fine furniture and jewellery. This was
combined with the classic 'wood and leather' Range
Rover experience. The result brought new levels of
luxury to the Range Rover, and to the 4x4 market. It
was subsequently described, by a number of
commentators, as the finest cabin in motoring.
TECHNOLOGY:
'We thought it was time to improve
comfort, versatility and performance'
The key quality that gave the
Range Rover its luxury road car feel, and its
awesome off-road ability, was the long travel coil
springs. No other 4x4 had them although a few large
American off-roaders had front coils.
"I always thought a Land Rover
could be a lot better," says Spen King. "We thought
it was time to improve comfort, versatility and
performance." The new suspension was a key part of
that improvement.
King insisted the first Range
Rover should use coil springs, although it was a
move resisted by Land Rover's engineering
department, who generally favoured leaf springs
because of their proven strength and durability. In
fact, the coils used in the early Range Rovers were
the same as those on the Rover 2000 P6 saloon,
although the rates were different. Their long travel
nature also made for fantastic axle articulation, a
big advantage off-road. A rear self-levelling unit
maintained handling and ride quality irrespective of
load, and helped make the Range Rover an awesome tow
vehicle.
The Range Rover was also the first
off-road vehicle to use disc brakes front and rear,
for improved braking power at speed. These were
necessary because of the vehicle's considerable
performance: 96mph top speed made it the fastest,
and quickest accelerating, 4x4 on the road. The
brakes were operated by a dual-line system, to avoid
brake failure should one brake line be damaged. The
park brake, as with a Land Rover, operated on the
transmission.
Aluminium V8 to boost power and
torque
The performance came from the
brawny aluminium 3.5-litre 156bhp V8, a modified
version of a Buick/General Motors design. The
engine, also used in a Rover saloon, was ideally
suited to the Range Rover: it was light, powerful,
torquey and mechanically simple. It was allied to a
four-speed manual gearbox. The two-speed transfer
gearbox gave, in effect, eight speeds. A centre
differential allowed for permanent four-wheel drive.
Again, this was unique. All other production 4x4s of
the time, including the contemporary Land Rover, had
selectable 4x4. The centre diff could be locked for
enhanced off-road prowess.
The full-time 4x4 ensured that the
torque could be equally split between front and rear
axles, and also crucially meant that those axles
could be lighter than was typically the case with
selectable 4x4s. There was no need for a massively
strong (and heavy) rear axle, which would have
damaged ride comfort.
The chassis was a strong
box-section. Apart from the bonnet and boot, all
body panels were made from lightweight
corrosion-resistant aluminium.
The first diesel Range Rover
The Range Rover was one of the
world's first luxury cars to offer a diesel engine.
The original plan was for Land Rover to develop its
own diesel V8, based on the petrol aluminium V8.
Co-engineered with diesel experts Perkins, the
engine programme codenamed Iceberg was due to go
on sale in the early '80s. The project was
eventually canned when development costs escalated.
Instead, Land Rover bought an
engine from Italian diesel specialists VM. This
2.4-litre unit did not give sparkling performance
0-60 mph time was over 18 seconds but it did win
buyers in the increasing diesel-biased mainland
European market when it went on sale in 1986, and
paved the way for much better performing diesel
engines. The latest TDV8 engine, for instance, has
similar performance to the contemporary V8 petrol
engine yet 30 per cent better economy.
ABS Anti-Lock Brakes
The Range Rover was the world's
first 4x4 to be fitted with ABS anti-lock brakes.
Land Rover engineers had been working on developing
ABS for five years. The problem was that slippery
surfaces and bumpy rocky ground upset early
prototypes. A solution was found, and ABS was
offered as standard on the top-line model from 1989,
and was optional on lower-trim versions.
Electronic Traction Control
The Range Rover does not simply
rely on its mechanical excellence for superb
traction. It has also been the 4x4 pioneer in
electronic controls. In 1992, the Range Rover
Classic was the world's first 4x4 to be fitted with
electronic traction control (ETC). Initially fitted
on the rear axle only, but soon after extended to
all four wheels, ETC gave a big boost to the
vehicle's off-road ability, by transferring torque
to the wheel offering the most grip. It also
improved on-road safety.
The third-generation Range Rover's
suite of electronic chassis and braking aids
included Dynamic Stability Control (DSC), Hill
Descent Control (HDC) a Land Rover invention,
Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD) and
Emergency Brake Assist (EBA).
Electronic Air Suspension
The Range Rover was the world's
first 4x4 to be fitted with automatic electronic air
suspension (EAS). In 1992, the EAS system was fitted
to the Range Rover Classic, at the same time that
the long-wheelbase (LSE) version was offered. Five
ride height settings could be dialled: access (the
lowest setting), low, standard, high and extended
(for maximum ground clearance with associated
off-road benefits).
Electronic Air Suspension was
standard on the second- and third-generation Range
Rovers.
Aluminium body
Aluminium offers many advantages
over conventional steel, as used for the bodywork
for the vast majority of cars. It is lighter,
rust-resistant, more recyclable and more durable.
The Land Rover, of course, had aluminium bodywork
partly because of its intrinsic advantages, but
mostly because there was more aluminium available
than steel in post-war Britain, when the first Land
Rover was conceived. Most of it was leftover from
the wartime aircraft industry.
So it was no surprise that the
Range Rover was originally specified with an
all-aluminium body. It had become a Land Rover
hallmark. For production, all the panels were
aluminium, except for bonnet and tailgate. The
bonnet had been redesigned, from the early
prototypes, partly to incorporate those distinctive
(and useful) corner castellations. It proved too
difficult to press accurately in aluminium. So steel
was used instead.
Aluminium continued to be used
extensively in the second-generation Range Rover,
when it debuted in 1994. Front wings, door skins and
lower tailgate were all aluminium.
The third, and current, generation
Range Rover continues to use aluminium extensively,
for the bonnet, front wings and doors. The doors not
only have aluminium outer skins but are entirely
made from aluminium (the previous model had
aluminium panels over a steel frame). This saves
40kg.
TFT 'virtual' instruments and
'dual-view' centre screen
The 2010 Range Rover featured
revolutionary TFT (thin film transistor) 'virtual'
instruments. It was the most thorough automotive
application yet of this new technology. The new
instrumentation improves clarity and versatility:
instrument displays can change, depending on the
situation or on safety requirements. For instance,
major warning signs can momentarily replace dials,
satellite navigation instructions can temporarily
supplant a less important display when approaching a
crucial junction. Numbers are magnified as the
speedometer sweeps around the dial, improving
legibility.
At the same time, the Range Rover
became the first car with a 'dual-view' centre
screen, which allows driver and passenger to watch
the same screen but see different images. The driver
can be checking satellite navigation instructions
while the passenger can be watching a DVD. It all
depends on the angle at which the screen is viewed.
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