The new Range Rover - the fifth generation of the iconic luxury SUV - has arrived in Ireland, and you can start ordering yours now, with prices kicking off at a fairly hefty €146,000.
Healthy order book
The new Range Rover arrives at something of an inauspicious time, what with the spike in diesel prices, the looming climate crisis, and plans afoot at the Department of Transport to find ways to levy higher taxes on big, heavy SUVs. Nonetheless, demand seems to be high already - according to Land Rover Ireland's managing director, Eddie Kavanagh, the company has an order book running at about double its normal size as interest in the new model is high.
Those who decry the car's environmental performance might (but probably won't) be mollified by the fact that the vast majority which will be sold will be plug-in hybrid models. Indeed, 92 per cent of all Land Rover Ireland's current sales are PHEV models, and the Range Rover's lineup will kick off with the 440hp P440e, which mixes 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol power with an enlarged battery pack - 38kWh. A full charge of that battery is enough to carry you for a claimed 113km on electric power alone, a figure which Land Rover says covers around 75 per cent of all typical Range Rover journeys - that's the official WLTP range, although the company admits that around 88km is probably a more realistic figure. That battery can also be rapid-charged, at 50kW, from a DC charging point. CO2 emissions start from a miserly 18g/km.
Diesel, V8, and PHEV
There will also be a more powerful P510e version (go on, guess how much power it has...) which has the same claimed electric range. There will be a diesel mild-hybrid offer, but it's going to be in a tiny minority, sales-wise, not helped by an inflated price tag. There will also be a petrol V8 version, which we suspect will only appeal to those with shareholdings in Shell.
Happily for the planet, and the consciouses of buyers, a fully-electric Range Rover will go on sale in 2024.
The new Range Rover will be available in SE, HSE and Autobiography models, with an exclusive First Edition available during the first year of production. Both Standard (SWB) and Long Wheelbase (LWB) body designs are available with five seats, while for the first time ever in a 'full-fat' Range Rover, you can spec it with folding seats in the boot, making it a seven-seater. There's also the option of a Rolls-Royce-style seat built into the lower half of the rear tailgate, all the better for picnics.
Active noise cancelling
Other luxury touches include active noise cancelling, which uses speakers integrated into the headrests of each individual seat. The cabin, like the exterior styling, has been pared back almost to a minimalist look, with a big 13-inch screen in the centre of the dash, and a frameless digital instrument panel in front of the driver. Where once were legions of buttons, Land Rover has instead fitted the cabin with some rather gorgeous wood panelling.
Land Rover Ireland will be offering exclusive previews of the new Range Rover at its nationwide dealers, ahead of the first customer cars arriving in the summer. We've been told that volumes will be quite limited at first - for all the entirely predictable reasons - but that supply is expected to ease somewhat in 2023.