First of all, my apologies for the delays in updating the site, busy holidays and with all sorts of things going on with Land Rover in 2010 I have been pretty darn busy. I’ll shape up!
The latest in a line of bespoked Rovers is about to hit the streets, but the Onyx kit comes from somewhere unexpected…Ireland!! This sporty new Range Rover Vogue modification package employs a
- Developed body kit
- Carbon fibre attachments
- Engine performance upgrade (50hp in diesels / 80hp on the supercharged models)
You want more details?? GTSpirit.com reports:
“The body kit includes suttle wide arches, front and rear bumpers and carbon attachments front and rear. The front has instead of Land Rovers original round spotlights, power output LED driving lights which can be used as actual spotlights. 22-inch TPM edition wheels are available for both Vogue and Sport arch kits.
The interior of the vehicle had a makeover with full perforated buffalo hide retrimed leather from top to toe including all seats, door cards, centre console and logo in the headrests. Onyx have also added their own 14pcs carbon fibre interior paneling package. The package includes pieces such as door handles and heater vent surrounds.”
The only thing missing from this write-up is of course pricing. When I checked out the Onyx site, there were no details, but based on what we have seen from Khan, Overfinch and others we are thinking the “Onyx” treatment also know as the “Platinum V kit” is going to run upwards of $40,000 USD.
Well, as if a 2010 Range Rover Sport isn’t cool enough, Tata has now stepped things up by offering the Autobiography package. Formerly available only on the Range Rover Vogue at a considerable mark-up the Autobiography RRS will cost a little over $88,000 USD which represents a $14,000 mark up over the standard HSE RRS.
Just 250 examples of the Range Rover Sport Autobiography will be available in the US and of them, a large portion are already spoken for. So, what do you get??
Seating surfaces covered in beautiful two-tone leather
Autobiography logo can be found in the wood door inserts and the embossed headrests
Body-colored lower door panels
Extended roof spoiler wing
Custom 20-inch alloy wheels.
Worth the extra $14k? I would rather have a nice little speed boat to pull behind my standard RRS, but I’ll leave it up to you!
That’s right, 20 years ago today the first Land Rover Discovery rolled off the production line and into our hearts. In celebration of this great occasion, here are 10 fun facts your probably didn’t know:
1.392,443 first-generation Discoverys were built in nine years,
2. The first Discoverys in 1989 were launched as three-door models, the family-oriented five-door followed in 1990 on the same wheelbase.
3. During the development phase of the Discovery 3, a total of 75 prototypes were taken to the four corners of the earth to test the exceptional breadth of capability of the Discovery
4. In 1993, Land Rover Special Vehicles used the three-door body shell to create the Discovery Commercial or ‘van’ derivative.
5. To mark Land Rover’s 60th anniversary in 2008, 60 vehicles were donated to the British Red Cross Society and its sister national societies around the world.
6. The longest first-generation Discoverys built at the Land Rover factory had a 116-inch wheelbase and were designed as fast-response paramedic ambulances.
7. A Discovery 3 was the four millionth Land Rover to leave the production lines on 8th May 2007.
8. Between 1994 and 1996, the Discovery was sold in Japan as the Honda Crossroad.
9. Discovery was the first Land Rover programme to fully utilise CAD technology.
10. The original project code name for Discovery was Project Jay – projects were named in alphabetical order, following bird and animal themes.
Land Rover LRX
Well, we have been hearing about it for a while now, but multiple sources over the last few days have stated the LRX will be on the streets in 2011. They are being built Halewood, on Merseyside, UK, and will be sold in more than 100 countries around the world. It is expected to cost between £32000 and £44000 varying best on trim level.
According to Edmunds (no idea how they know) the LRX will offer 4WD and be supported by a 3.2L 6 cylinder engine. Likely it will share an engine with the 2011 LR4.
And with the world going green, far be it from LR to buck the trend. According to LandRover.com, “at very low speed it runs on electric power alone with the integrated starter-generator kicking in whenever needed”.
The LRX promises to be an amazing platform for Land Rover and is sure to bring in some consumers who might otherwise settle for an X5.
Well, it’s official, today the Land Rover LR4 officially went on sale in the middle east with one unique feature most North Americans will never get any use out of, care to guess? SAND CONTROL, yep you read me right.
This feature was offered on the LR3 though most consumers probably never noticed it. Let’s face it outside of the Yuma border crossing (point of interest they filmed the Dune scene in Return of the Jedi there) and Dunes National park, most of us will never see dunes let alone need an SUV that can drive through them.
Luckily, the folks at Land Rover have a wider view and have taken the “sand launch control” offered on the LR3 and improved it for the LR4. Similar to getting going in mud, tires tend to spin out of control in loose sand making it easy to dig yourself into a hole and stranding yourself.
The LR4 technology however alleviates this problem by tweaking power control to front and rear wheels to give you just what you need to get going in the sand.
Another great innovation I hope to test out someday!
Hot off the presses, it has been announced today that a new Defender will be revealed in 2013. The new model is expected to share the same chassis as the new 2010 LR4. While the verdict is still out on the 2010L$ chassis, I have to say I would welcome the arrival of the Defender back in the US. Having driven multiple LR models over the years, I don’t think any of the other models come close to the look, feel and overall durability of the defender. It is a treat to see them driving around NYC but, a rare treat.
Hopefully, we will see the next Defender available here, but given the weak value of the dollar, many European car makers are being very careful about releasing cars in the US. The BMW X1 for example will be available in the UK next year, but there is still no word on if or when it will make it to the US.
Just want to welcome everyone to our new Range Rover site. This blog and the overall site will be updated on a frequent basis with the lastest news on the upcoming 2010 Range Rover lineup as well as details about some of the older models. Check back frequently for news, photos, videos and more.
