What's the news?
Land Rover will give its updated and upgraded Range Rover SVAutobiography a debut (debut sound so ordinary - inauguration? Entreé?) at the Los Angeles motor show. As with the rest of the Range Rover, er, range it's getting some mechanical and electronic updates, which include the option of a new plug-in hybrid model.
That's the P400e 404hp plug-in model, which boasts a claimed 50km fully-charged electric driving range, while if the whole 'being kind to polar bears' stuff isn't really your bag, you can go for the monstrous 565hp supercharged 5.0-litre V8 petrol. Somewhere in the middle of all that is the 4.4-litre 339hp V8 diesel.
Up front, you also get the new dual-deck In Control Touch Pro Duo infotainment system, which made its own debut in the Velar earlier this year. Land Rover calls it the 'digital butler' and it keeps the same swipe-between-screens functionality that it has in the Velar, and in the Range Rover Sport. Oh, and just to make sure you realise that this is Land Rover having a swipe at the Bentley Bentayga, there's a dashboard clock made by Swiss watchmaking royalty - Zenith, instead of the Bentley's Breitling.
Right, that's all the boring stuff out of the way with. Now for the back seats, which if you'll forgive us the phrase, is where the real action is. The SVAutobiography is only available as a long-wheelbase model (sort off - there will be a standard-wheelbase model, but that's technically the SVAutobiography Dynamic model) with just two seats in the back and a massive full-witch centre console between them.
Those two seats can recline by as much as 40-degrees, and have 1.2 metres of legroom. According to Land Rover, the "hot stone massage function, heated calf and foot rests, the rear cabin promises a peerless passenger experience."
There are twin ten-inch infotainment screens, plus 4G WiFi connectivity, while that centre console doubles as a drinks stash, able to hold two bottles of wine or four 600ml bottles of something even tastier (Fanta).
On the practical front, the right rear seat can fold flat, when loading something long (your inheritance, perhaps?) and the entire boot floor, fully veneered, can slide out to make loading heavy items easier (we're calling this the Big Slidey Woody Panel). Oh, and the rear doors can be, Rolls-Royce-stylee, closed by a button from the back seats.
Gerry McGovern, Chief Design Officer, Land Rover, said: "The Range Rover SVAutobiography is the epitome of luxury, comfort and refinement. Our standard-bearer for quality and precision exemplifies the attention to detail and sophistication that has been a hallmark of our most luxurious SUV stretching back almost 50 years."
John Edwards, Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations, said: "The SVAutobiography badge identifies our most luxurious vehicles in the same way the SVR and SVX monikers denote our most potent and capable derivatives. The arrival of the enhanced Range Rover SVAutobiography further strengthens the peerless luxury pillar of the SV family."