What's the news?
Land Rover has launched the fourth generation of the iconic Range Rover. The new premium SUV was revealed to the gathered media at an event held at The Royal Ballet School in Richmond in London and, as is de rigueur at the moment, was publicised via social media.
Exterior
The new Range Rover (or #NewRangeRover for those on Twitter) is a modern interpretation of the classic shape. Larger than the outgoing model, to provide more interior space, it is also lighter thanks mainly to an all-aluminium body.
While instantly recognisable as a Range Rover, the new vehicle takes a significant step forward with a bold evolution of the model's iconic design language. At just under five metres long, the new Range Rover has a very similar footprint to the outgoing model, but with a smoother and more streamlined profile - it's the most aerodynamic Range Rover ever.
Interior
Considering how luxurious the current car is Land Rover has somehow managed to up the ante. A lot of this is down to a longer wheelbase that endows the luxury SUV with an extra 118mm of rear legroom. If you are so inclined Land Rover will offer you a new two-seat Executive Class seating package to best take advantage of the extra room.
Not that all the luxury is reserved for those in the back; the entire interior is swathed in the finest leathers and meticulously made veneers. British audio specialist Meridian provide the exclusive surround sound system that includes a voice controlled connectivity pack for phone and media players.
A new eight-inch touch-screen provides access to all the auxiliary controls while ambient LED lights can be tailored to suit the driver's mood. A range of materials, finishes and trim colours are available from the Autobiography range to allow buyers to create a bespoke SUV.
Mechanicals
The 2013 Range Rover sees the introduction of a new TDV6 engine that joins the 4.4-litre TDV8 and supercharged V8 petrol engine in the line-up. The new 3.0-litre unit offers 258hp and can return 47.7mpg on the combined run with emissions of 196g/km.
The 510hp petrol V8 is of course the headline grabber and likely to be the volume seller (outside of the UK anyway). The weight savings achieved mean the supercharged model is nearly a second quicker to 62mph than the current model while using nine per cent less fuel.
Anything else?
Land Rover will introduce a diesel-electric hybrid version of the Range Rover later in 2013. The CO2 target for that model is 169g/km and the company claims that it will be the 'world's first fully capable hybrid SUV'.