Land Rover Range Rover SV Coupe 2019

 Nearly 50 years ago, Land Rover created the luxury SUV sector with the introduction of the Range Rover. Now it's defining a new genre with the world's first full-size luxury SUV coupé: the limited-edition two-door Land Rover Range Rover SV Coupé.

Created by Land Rover Design and Special Vehicle Operations, SV Coupé is an exemplar of Range Rover design, craftsmanship and capability.

It features a seductive body allied to the next-generation of cabin luxury - with the peerless all-terrain ability expected from Range Rover. No more than 999 will be hand-crafted by SVO for clients worldwide.

Beautiful proportions with a powerful stance give SV Coupé unrivalled on-road presence. The signature floating roof, continuous waist and tapering tail are instantly recognisable Range Rover DNA, yet are expressed in a unique way for this exclusive addition to the Range Rover family.

SV Coupé's purity of line is perfectly complemented by elegant power-close doors with frameless glass. In combination with the panoramic roof, light floods into the cabin, accentuating the relaxed, sophisticated and contemporary ambience.

Carefully curated body colour combinations, including a new Contour Graphic available in four duo-tone colourways, are offset by unique side vent and grille designs. This is also the first Range Rover with a 23-inch wheel option.

Enhanced luxury and exquisite craftsmanship extends inside too, with semi-aniline leather front seats bringing Range Rover's already premium interior to a new level of luxury: accommodation comparable to private jets and yachts. Their gradated diamond quilt design is unique to SV Coupé.

Each SV Coupé will be hand-assembled to the client's personal specification by the fastidious experts at the SVO Technical Centre in the UK - a first for Range Rover.

SV Coupé clients can choose from four front-to-rear contrast interior colourways, or a range of single-tone interior colours. Both are complemented by a choice of three elegant wood veneers. A first for Range Rover is Nautica, which carefully balances heritage craftsmanship with new technology, fusing walnut and sycamore.

Optional paint finishes include Liquesence, which brings a sensational liquid metal finish to Range Rover for the first time.

Additionally, Special Vehicle Operations' bespoke personalisation team offers SV Coupé clients the opportunity to indulge their desire to create a unique vehicle to their exacting taste, granting access to 100 more paint colours, plus unique 'match to sample' hues, with a range of finishes; duo-tone front and rear leather colours with a bespoke quilt pattern; contrast stitching; headrest embroidery; doorhandle and treadplate engraving and semi-precious metal badging.

Land Rover Range Rover SV Coupé is also the fastest-ever full-size Range Rover, with a 165mph top speed. Powered by an exhilarating 565PS 5.0-litre Supercharged V8 petrol powertrain, the most powerful ever placed in a full-size Range Rover, means SV Coupé hits 60mph in just 5 seconds.

The suspension is tuned to provide a more driver-focused edge than the standard Range Rover, with a ride height lowered by 8mm, but will remain composed and comfortable at all times. Plus, the SV Coupé loses none of Range Rover's legendary all-terrain ability, with 900mm maximum wading depth - and a maximum towing capacity of 3.5 tonnes.

Range Rover SV Coupé sales are anticipated to start from the fourth quarter of 2018, priced from £240,000 in the UK.

COMPELLING BODY DESIGN

With the exception of the bonnet and lower tailgate, all of the two-door SV Coupé's aluminium exterior panels are new, as are the front and rear bumpers. A new two-part grille features Brunel Metallic rear mesh overlaid with Bright Chrome front mesh and a Satin Indus Silver metal surround, while Bright Chrome/Black Knurled Range Rover bonnet and tailgate script is handcrafted in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter.

Noble Chrome metal side vents with Brunel Metallic mesh and Satin Indus Silver metal surrounds complement frameless doors with Power Close functionality and Bright Chrome embellished body colour door handles.

Pixel-laser LED headlights with 144 LEDs and four laser diodes (market-dependent fitment) provide five times higher luminance than standard LED lights on Laser Supplementary High Beam - over 500m, operational above 80kph when no other lights are detected.

SUBLIME PAINTWORK

Eight body colours are available, in gloss or satin effects, four offered for the first time on Range Rover: Constellation, Parallax, Liquesence and Obsidian; and four from the SV Premium Palette: Ethereal, Flux, Valloire and Desire. The Liquesence option brings liquid metal finish to Range Rover for the first time. SV Coupé clients can also specify one of four exclusive duo-tone gloss Contour Graphic options: Valloire/Flux, Valloire/Ethereal, Parallax/Ethereal, Obsidian/Desire.

Gerry McGovern, Chief Design Officer, Land Rover, said: "Accentuating Range Rover SV Coupé's proportions, and available as a unique feature for the first time, the new Contour Graphic is created by applying a contrasting paint to the flanks of the vehicle. Starting at the side vent, it flows rearwards and around to the opposite vent, and offers customers the opportunity to further personalise their specification."

The 16 optional SV Premium Palette colours offer a range of finishes including tri-coat, tinted clear coat, pearlescent, ChromaFlair and satin matte. Further colours are available as part of Special Vehicle Operations' bespoke personalisation service offered exclusively at Land Rover Range Rover SV Coupé commissioning events or by appointment at the SVO Technical Centre in Warwickshire, UK.

SUMPTUOUS INTERIOR

Stunning to the eye, sumptuous to the touch, SV Coupé's interior is a light, contemporary, space where attention to detail is paramount. Four curated duo-tone colourways, contrasting light to dark and front to rear, are offered: Orchid/Eclipse, Orchid/Vintage Tan, Brogue/Ebony and Cirrus/Lunar. Four single-tone colours are also available: Ebony, Lunar, Eclipse and Vintage Tan.

The heated and cooled 20-way electrically adjustable front and 10-way electrically adjustable rear seats, wrapped in specially selected semi-aniline leather from a single tannery established in 1905, feature a unique gradated diamond quilt design. Concurrent with the latest Range Rover line, SV Coupé has wider, deeper seat foams and specially developed interlayers for world-class comfort.

Nautica veneer - a first for Range Rover - combines heritage craftsmanship with a patented new form-following process to fuse walnut and sycamore. It joins three elegant wood veneer options for the steering wheel rim, door casings, centre console, instrument panel and loadspace floor: Nautica, Natural Black Ash and Santos Palisander.

InControl Touch Pro Duo infotainment includes a 10-inch display, 10-inch control panel and 12-inch Interactive Driver Display, while a 10-inch full-colour Head-Up Display shows turn information including street names, slope and wheel information, cruise control, RPM and gear information. The 1700w, 23-speaker, Meridian 3D Signature Sound System with dual-channel subwoofer has Trifield 3D technology for optimum sound quality.

POWERFUL PERFORMANCE

SV Coupé features Range Rover's most powerful 5.0-litre Supercharged V8 petrol powertrain producing 565PS, 700Nm, mated to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission with rotary drive selector and paddle-shift. That delivers a 0-60mph time of just 5.0 seconds (0-100kph in 5.3 seconds) and a 165mph top speed.

Permanent four-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer box and Active Locking Rear Differential ensures effortless go-anywhere progress, assisted by Terrain Response 2 featuring Dynamic, Eco, Comfort, Grass Gravel Snow, Mud and Ruts, Sand and Rock Crawl programmes.

REWARDING DYNAMICS

Land Rover Range Rover SV Coupé's ride height is lowered by 8mm over the standard Range Rover, to deliver enhanced dynamic performance and aesthetics. It automatically lowers by 15mm at cruising speeds of 65mph or above to enhance stability and minimise fuel consumption.

Its five air suspension height settings include: Access Height (-50mm max below normal ride height), Off-Road 1 Ride Height (+40mm max above normal ride height, up to 80kph), Off-Road 2 Ride Height (+75mm max above normal ride height, up to 50kph) - additional 30-40mm automatic increase if obstacle detected, and a further manually selectable 30-40mm increase above that.

Four alloy wheel options from 21-inch to 23-inch include two new forged wheels - the 23-inch wheel, a two-tone silver polished six split-spoke design with 275/40 R23 all-terrain tyres, is a first for Range Rover. The 22-inch dark grey polished five split-spoke with polished finish is also new.

EXTRA CARE

Unique to Land Rover Range Rover SV Coupé is a five-year Care Package, available either as standard or as an optional extra in most markets. An extension to the existing Land Rover warranty is accompanied by five-year servicing and maintenance plans, which cover scheduled services plus wiper blade, brake disc and pad replacement.

Land Rover Defender Works V8 2018

 Land Rover announced a limited-edition high-performance version of the iconic Defender, with up to 150 V8-powered examples re-engineered to celebrate the Land Rover marque's 70th anniversary in 2018.

The Defender Works V8 pays homage to the early high-powered engines in both the Series III Stage 1 V8 from 1979 and subsequent Defenders including the 50th Anniversary Edition, which are highly sought after by enthusiasts and collectors today.

Defender Works V8 is the most powerful and fastest version that Land Rover has ever created. The 5.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol V8 powertrain produces 405PS and 515 Nm of torque (the standard Defender delivered 122PS and 360 Nm). The Defender Works V8 will accelerate from 0-60mph in 5.6sec*, while top speed is increased to 106mph.

The V8 powertrain will be fitted to 150 specially-selected and re-engineered Defenders for the 70th Edition, complemented by an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission with sport mode, uprated brakes and handling kit (springs, dampers and anti-roll bars), plus exclusive 18-inch diamond-turned Sawtooth alloy wheels and 265/65 R18 all-terrain tyres.

Eight standard body colours include two satin finishes - contrasting with a Santorini Black roof, wheel arches and front grille - finished with machined aluminium door handles, fuel filler cap and Defender bonnet lettering. A comprehensive lighting upgrade includes bi-LED headlamps.

Full Windsor Leather interior trim covers the dashboard, door panels, headlining and Recaro sports seats. Land Rover Classic's own Classic Infotainment System is also fitted.

Both 90 and 110 wheelbase Defender Works V8 derivatives will be available to purchase direct from Land Rover Classic, with prices starting from £150,000 for a 90 in the UK.

A select number of upgrades inspired by Land Rover Defender Works V8 will also be available to purchase soon from Land Rover Classic, including power upgrades for the TDCi diesel engine, high-performance suspension and braking kits.

Land Rover intends to continue the Defender lineage and will use its technology, pioneering engineering capability and design expertise to ensure the longevity of the Defender name.

2017 Land Rover Defender Release Date and Price

2017 Land Rover Defender Release Date and Price

2017 Land Rover Defender Release Date and Price - The vehicles from the stable of Iconic British carmaker Land Rover have dependably been a most loved with first class purchasers who need their autos to reflect tastefulness, quality, and style. The Land Rover Defender with an inception going back to the seasons of Second World War has ended up being among the most well known vehicles made by the notorious brand. It's wonderful rough terrain capacity, adaptability and strength have constantly given the German and US matches a keep running for their cash. The Land Rover Defender 2017 gets overhauled and the progressions are useful. Be that as it may, the center components in the vehicle remain to a great extent untouched. It has dependably sat close by cousins Discovery and Range Rover in the lineup and scored with its utilitarian inside and straight-edged styling. 

2017 Land Rover Redesign

The hood line of these models is somewhat higher than the past models. There were air vents exhibit in the past models, which are not present on the 2017 models. There are many body styles accessible, including the short wheelbase 90 and the long wheelbase 110. There might be two entryways introduce in the vehicle. In any case, it has a vast payload conveying limit. 

The inside of the 2017 Land Rover Defender is likewise unique in relation to that of the past models. There is an utilization of great materials, regardless of the possibility that it is the plastic on specific things or the cowhide covering on the traveler seats. The lodge has a two-push setup and can fit in five travelers at once. You can overlay level the back seats to expand the load conveying limit of the vehicle. You can without much of a stretch make sense of the traveler seats are more agreeable now and the lodge is additionally more extensive, generally speaking. There is a more noteworthy legroom for the travelers. In any case, when you contrast the lodge space and different vehicles from the brand or its opponents, it is very little. 

There is an expansion of the most recent innovation too, including yet not constrained to the new sound framework, Bluetooth network, USB ports, a satellite route framework and a touch screen for data and stimulation purposes. There are numerous extra wellbeing highlights including the security gadgets and nearness of air packs to anticipate harm in the event of a mishap. Both programmed and manual gearboxes are accessible. There are power windows, programmed focal locking of the auto and a CD player as well. The body of the vehicle is very powerful and can endure the impacts superior to the past models. 

2017 Land Rover Main Power

Notwithstanding the various refinements and changes in styling, the Land Rover Defender 2017 looks to some degree dated and the driving impressions mirror the same. It has a 2.2-liter diesel motor with 120 bhp yield that is a workhorse yet demonstrates its age as well. The Land Rover Defender 2017 still delivers a lot of commotion when driving whether it is on urban streets or a roadway. The good thing is that its motor now holds fast to the Euro 5 emanations gauges. Arrive Rover has additionally pressed in another hostile to contamination framework in the auto. Body roll is still the weakest point and even low knocks out and about make their nearness felt. The Autobiography release gets a capable motor with 150 bhp yield yet that does not dispose of the clamor by any stretch of the imagination. 

Read Also : 2017 Land Rover Discovery 5 Release Date and Price

2017 Land Rover Price and Release Date

The sticker price of base Land Rover Defender 2017 will be around $55000 check. In light of trim and extras the cost will go up. It will be propelled in mid-2017 however correct dispatch time is not known.

2017 Land Rover Discovery 5 Release Date and Price

2017 Land Rover Discovery 5 Release Date and Price

  

2017 Land Rover Discovery 5 Release Date and Price - Welcome to newauto2018.com. Land Rover is accounted for to be more than prepared to divulge to the car advertise its 2017 Land Rover Discovery 5. This is the organization's invasion into the fragment of family vehicles, instead of its customary offerings of rough terrain four wheel drive wear utility vehicles. The past offerings of the Discovery 3 and 4 sold adequately, yet with the 5, the organization is cheerful that its fan base and deal will develop. 

2017 Land Rover Discovery 5 – Engine Specs

The power for the 2017 Land Rover Discovery 5 will be earned from a variation of force prepare choices that incorporate the accompanying: a 3.0 liter V-6, a 2.7 liter v-6, a 5.0 liter V8 and a 3.0 liter V-6. The standard alternative is fought to convey car purchasers with a great 240 drive and 251 pounds for every feet of torque. The power unit alternatives will be partitioned into two gas controlled choices and two diesel control units. The units will get themselves mated with either a programmed six speed or eight speed gearbox with the choice to change over to manual. The standard model of the line is said to be fit for achieving top paces of 124 miles for every hour while accomplishing an efficiency of an expected 20-26 miles for each gallon. 

2017 Land Rover Discovery 5 – Exterior and Interior 

The outside outline for the most recent offering of the Discovery 5 s said to have been gotten from that of the Range Rover. This new plan bears the family level game utility vehicle with a stylish that is much more effective than its forerunners. The famous logo will get itself put inside the front of a grille that is ebony in shading. The ground leeway for the vehicle is said to be very high while the fog light group is furnished with LED innovation that is fit for enlightening u to 900 feet. The game utility vehicle will highlight a soaks rooftop that will be went with a smooth and liquid plan. This is a game utility vehicle that is by and large generally hailed as perfect for urban go and in addition rough terrain experiences. 

The new expansion to the Discovery family will be accessible to shoppers in a couple of choices which incorporate the accompanying: a two line alternative and a three line choice. The lodge will ready to easily suit seven travelers while exhibiting another outline that is portrayed as refined and clean. Inside the focal reassure of the lodge has been explicitly intended to have a touch screen show that manage the cost of a lot of access to a wide exhibit of settings and components. The lodge will include the most recent in car innovations, security highlights, double zone cooling and that's only the tip of the iceberg. It has likewise been supposed that the new 2017 Land Rover Discovery 5 will have the extremely most recent with respect to laser filtering strategy that will help with the perusing of territory keeping in mind the end goal to appropriately change the vehicle's transmissions and suspensions. 

Read Also : 2017 Cadillac Escalade Release Date and Price

2017 Land Rover Discovery 5 – Release Date and Price 

The official discharge date for the 2017 Land Rover Discovery 5 has not yet been reported; but rather industry insiders and specialists trust that it will dispatch towards the end of either this year or right on time inside one year from now. The base valuing for the vehicle has been broadly evaluated to be $38,000.

The big surprise about the P38 Range Rover

IT’S not every eleven-year-old who gets the gig of redesigning Southport Pier. Why subcontract Southport’s seaside flagship out to some high-flying architect when you can get a bunch of schoolkids to do it?

Yet that’s exactly what I – and about 30 of my classmates – got asked to as a school project once. Obviously my design was the best of the bunch, but I remember having an argument with the council mandarin who came in to judge our efforts, who disagreed with my vision of the pier’s future. Having listened to our views, the council boffins went off – and then ordered the pier buildings to replaced with what I recall being memorably described at the time as an ‘airport terminal on stilts’.

I was thinking about this the other day when driving around in something else that had the difficult task of following up a decades-old institution – the second generation Range Rover. Any replacement for anything that’s universally loved is always going to get a rough ride. The 1994-2002 model is definitely the Rangie’s difficult second album.

It arrives in the dock charged with two counts of not being a proper Range Rover – one that it looks like a Metrocab and the other that it’s horrendously unreliable.

It’s tricky to defend the latter because I remember the car’s Achille’s heel – the complicated air suspension system – letting go on a friend’s 4.0 SE a couple of years ago and prompting a four-figure bill. Yet look back at its showings in the customer satisfaction surveys and you’ll find it was just as bad as Land Rover’s other offerings at the time – certainly, Discovery owners were equally frustrated. The Range Rover’s come on in leaps and bounds since the 1990s – but so have plenty of other cars.

But get past that – and the looks, which actually improved with the subtle nips and tucks over the years – and you’ll discover it feels like a Range Rover.

All the Range Rovers I’ve driven over the years – from a 1970 two-door to the 500bhp leviathan that tops today’s range – give you this wonderful feeling of being slightly invincible. You feel secure knowing that even if your alloys are six inches deep in thick mud you’ll power out of it effortlessly – and the most you’ll have to worry about is what position your electrically-operated leather seat should be in.

The second-gen Range Rover does all of that. Yes, it’s thirsty, but so is every other big off-roader, and because people dismiss the ‘bad’ Range Rover it’s a lot cheaper than its predecessor.

As second acts go it was brilliant. Although not as brilliant as my schoolboy redesign of Southport Pier was.

Range Rover Evoque prices: UK vs Malaysia

Recently met an old friend after 18 long years. We were university mates and both of us ended up in the UK in quite different occupations. However, despite being only about 100 miles apart we were unable to meet up because of something or the other.

It was quite ironic that we finally met up in Malaysia, around 9000 miles away from the UK. Anyway, we got to talking about cars like car lovers usually do and the cars we drive. My friend recently bought the Ranger Rover Evoque, which coincidentally also happens to be my dream car.

We were discussing car prices and how the Evoque is quite out of my league with prices starting at RM413,888 (without insurance).  Source: Paul Tan.

My friend was visibly shocked as the cost in the UK was around £30K (OTR). That's considered quite a handsome even for a luxury brand. However, it translates to about RM180K at the current exchange rates, which means that we are paying more than double the price of the Evoque here in Malaysia as compared to the UK. 

With that amount, I can buy a 2-sty Terrace/Link House 3 bedroom house near my office in Semenyih, Selangor. So literally the Ranger Rover Evoque is a house on wheels. 

Range Rover Evoque Convertible

Land Rover will show off their the 2016 Model Year Range Rover Evoque at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, confirming rumours that the Range Rover Evoque Convertible will go into production.

A video was recently released which features the disguised prototype of the compact SUV exploring the underground tunnels of London’s crossrail, which are still under construction. Price of the new Evoque is expected to be around £40,000.

Why I won't be investing in one of the last Land Rover Defenders

MY DAD reckons he’s had a brilliant idea for a bit of automotive investment. Buy one of the very last Land Rover Defenders, stick it in a shed somewhere and make a small fortune after unearthing it in about 20 years’ time. It’s a no-brainer, surely?

Anyone with even the vaguest interest in cars will know Land Rover’s workhorse is a British motoring institution. Despite being treated to new engine once every so often and being given the Defender name in 1990, it’s pretty much unaltered from when it was introduced more than 30 years ago. Whenit finally goes out of production this December it’ll be the end of an era.

There are however a couple of problems with my dad’s cunning scheme, the main one being that Defenders aren’t the cheap, rustic farming runarounds they used to be. Land Rover is seeing out is longest-serving modelwith a trio of special editions, the cheapest of which costs £28,000. The range-topping Autobiograhy version is an eye-watering £62,000, which is a lot of money for a car he’d like to stash away in a shed somewhere.

The other problem, of course, is there’s no guarantee it’d work. Everyone had pretty much the same idea when the Mini went out of production 14 years ago, and the result now is you don’t actually have to look very hard to find X-registered and W-registered Coopers with fewer than 1,000 miles on the clock. As a result, they’re worth barely any more than they were back in 2000.

Then there’s the vexing problem of what you’d actually do with a very old but – showroom fresh – car, because even popping to the shops will ruin the minimal mileage that makes it special. After 20 years of having a Land Rover not moving an inch, all anybody will want to do it is keep it in another shed or put in a museum, which defeats the point of it being a car.

If I were lucky enough to be able to afford one of the very last of the old-school Land Rovers, I’d take it down muddy tracks and use it to pull stranded motorists out of snowdrifts – in other words, using it for what it’s meant for.

Even if there was the remotest prospect of making a couple of quid in the distant future, I’d much rather be out there enjoying this fantastic British institution than hiding it away.

It's the beginning of the end of the Land Rover Defender

LAND ROVER has announced a trio of special editions to mark the Defender's final year of production.

The Heritage, Adventure and Autobiography editions, which are all powered by the company's 2.2 litre diesel engine, are available to order now and will be on sale until the end of the model's production in December. The cheapest of the three is the Heritage edition, which costs £27,800.

The off-roader has been in production since 1984, and was given the Defender name a quarter of a century ago. Land Rover is considering keeping the model in limited production outside the European Union, but it will disappear from the showrooms at the end of the year.

However, there is a crumb of good news - work is very much underway on finally creating the trusty Land Rover's replacement.

Nick Roger, the manufacturer's vehicle line director, said: 'Passion and enthusiasm surround everything we do with Defender, and that will never change. With a history stretching back 68 years, this is a Land Rover that has thrived for decades on its unquestionable capability and iconic shape.

'I now have the honour of being one of the many enthusiasts at Land Rover committed to creating a fitting successor to the legendary Defender.'

Land Rover has also marked the Defender's final year by using six classic Land Rovers to create the UK's biggest ever sand artwork. To see the video, have a look at this article I've writen for the Classic Cars For Sale website. 

Check out these 1980s 4X4 images

A LOT of you enjoyed the 1980s off-roader pictures, which I've been scanning in digitally over the Christmas break.

However it turns out my father had another old photo album with even more archive shots, including these shots from across Lancashire and Yorkshire.

Here are few more gems from more than 30 years ago, including everything from Land Rover Series Is to Mercedes G-Wagens. There's even a Daihatsu F20 getting stuck in - when was the last time you saw one of those?

You'll love these 1980s off roader pictures

A BIT of snow didn't bother the owners of these old school off-roaders back in the 1980s. Nor did mud, rivers, dirt tracks up the side of Cumbrian hills or disused quarries, looking at these great shots.

I've spent most of this afternoon trawling through this treasure trove of photographs showing Britain's off-roader fraternity in action throughout the 1980s. There are more than 75 pictures in the collection, taken by my father when he was the greenlaning officer for the Red Rose Land Rover Club. Two of the vehicles shown are his - the modified Land Rover Series IIa (710 GDM, where are you now?) and the FLM Panelcraft-converted four-door Range Rover, now believed to be the only surviving example in Britain.

Most of the mudpluggers, shown at greenlaning and trials events throughout Lancashire and Cumbria, are Land Rovers, ranging from Series Is to two-door Range Rovers, but the likes of the Suzuki SJ and Lada Niva make appearances too.

In fact it's hugely refreshing seeing these early 4x4s - particularly the Series I and II Land Rovers - being used as their creators intended, without anyone worrying about what they're worth these days. Here are ten of the best from a great collection of images, some of which were taken more than 30 years ago...

The Land Rover Discovery is a suprisingly likeable removals van

MUCH like making a mountain goat do an elephant’s work, I felt a tad cruel entrusting the job of moving house to an ancient off-roader.

The unenviable task of hauling beds, armchairs and about 300 old copies of Autocar really ought to be given to something specially designed for the task, not unlike the Ford Transit Luton van I used the last time I moved any furniture about. Yet last week, with every van hire firm within a 40-mile radius fully booked, the gargantuan load-lugging challenge fell instead to a Land Rover Discovery.

A family off-roader which celebrates its 25^thanniversary later this year.

Fittingly, the one I’d been lent for the morning by a mate was one of the early cars – the original three-door version, with a 2.5 litre diesel lump to drag its considerable weight along school runs up and down the land in the early Nineties. It also came in exactly the sort of condition you expect any early Disco to arrive in these days – caked, inside and out, with a thin sheet of muck from an off-road excursion several weeks earlier.

While borrowing a 160,000 mile Land Rover to help you with moving house might seem a bit like entering Sir Chris Bonington into World’s Strongest Man, it performed more than admirably, heaving shelves and chairs of all kinds of clutter about without so much a whimper of complaint. It even happily sat at precisely 69.9mph on a dual carriageway – even though it took an eternity to get there!

Admittedly, the poor Landie lurched its way through roundabouts, chomped up £30’s worth of diesel in no time and had the acceleration and stopping capabilities of the Mersey Ferry, but I couldn’t help but warm to it. It’s got a rugged charm to it, it feels far more car-like to drive than the Defenders I’ve tried and it’s enormously practical, and that’s before I get to the best bit.

A lot like the Audi TTs I mentioned in these pages a few weeks ago, the Land Rover Discovery is astonishing value for money these days.

Yes, I know they’ve got a crummy reputation for build quality and a penchant for Shell’s finest but think about it – where else can you can get seven seats and unstoppable ability on the rough stuff for the same sort of money? The only thing I can think of is its great Oriental arch-nemesis, the Mitsubishi Shogun, but it doesn’t come with the wax-jacketed, Countryfile image the Disco does.

The Land Rover Discovery, especially in mud-caked, worn-out spec, is far from perfect. Yet you can’t help liking it.

JLR live at the Frankfurt Motor Show

Here is the live stream of JLR at the Frankfurt Motor Show below:
Looking forward to the C-X17 Concept, interviews with Jaguar executives and guests.

Land Rover Discovery 5 - Time for Diet

Fifth of the name, the next generation of Discovery will have a strong family resemblance to its predecessors. But its weight will be displayed in sharp decline.

Like its cousins ​​Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, the next Discovery will follow a serious diet of aluminum. Without abandoning any of his traditional family vocation.

In its lighter version, the Discovery does not fall below 2.5 tonnes. Suffice to say it does not really play in the featherweight division. Without pretending to adopt the wasp waist of Caterham Super Seven, his successor will therefore not be difficult to do better in this area.

To achieve this, it will take the platform Range Rover Sport and Range, two models that have largely converted to aluminum. Depending on the version, the weight gain should thus be around 300 to 400 kg for the benefit of performance, agility and consumption. Sobriety to be pushed to the limit on the unique diesel hybrid variant, rechargeable mains.

To surf on the success of the Evoque, Range Rover will give him a long version, can accommodate seven passengers.

In 2014, the fifth generation of Disco is not going to renege on its fundamentals. It will retain a cubic desire to look and raised roof in the rear part, unmistakable. A choice at odds with the Evoque and Range Sport, but beneficial to the chest as the livability. Like today, September 1-seater option also included in the program. Increasingly common for the English brand: this feature is also offered by the venerable Defender, Range Rover Sport, not to mention the future Range Rover Evoque and LWB XL (the cons). The Discovery 5 will nevertheless remain the most family model of the British brand. But it also will have a penchant for luxury never more obvious: even if it is still not listed in the Range Rover, the entry price should be around 50.000 euros and a particularly opulent version is also planned.

The BMW X4 just isn't a proper off-roader

THEY don’t make ‘em like they used to. It’s probably the most overused cliché in the classic car book, but in the case of one off-road encounter last weekend it’s definitely true.

The car in question was an old Land Rover – specifically, a 1969 Series IIA of the ex-military variety – which I encountered at a garage in Lancashire, which I couldn’t help but swoon over just slightly. When you’ve been raised around old Range Rovers and brought up to believe anything vaguely old from Lode Lane is cool, you can’t help it.

At least one mate of mine (you know who you are) just doesn’t get my fascination with old off-roaders but the great thing with old Land Rovers is they acquire a patina over decades which the new ones just don’t have. Whereas it’s right for someone with an MG or a Triumph to spend hours on end polishing their pride ‘n’ joy, a Series IIA without a thin coating of muck is like an Arctic explorer who doesn’t have a craggy face and a light helping of stubble. Yes, old off-roaders are slow and noisy and corner like ocean liners, but the important thing is that they’re hard as nails.

Or at least, they used to be, because when I got in that night I saw BMW’s latest take on the off-roader – the X4, which is a bit like an X6 and about as up for a spot of Arctic exploring as Gok Wan does. Yes, I know I drove an X3 last year and found it annoyingly brilliant, but deep down I’d still rather that old Series IIA be on my driveway.

Land Rover’s own 2013 offerings are still capable mudpluggers, of course, but judging by BMW’s evidence, at least, they definitely don’t make off-roaders like they used to.