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Since the official entry of the third-generation Range Rover into China nearly 20 years ago, this car has always been the representative of the million-level luxury large SUV in the hearts of Chinese consumers. Its unique temperament and product positioning have gradually formed their own stories and cultures in the Chinese market.
Just a few days ago, Land Rover announced the pre-price of the new generation range Rover in China: 2.0988-2.5188 million. The new car only has two configurations for the time being, but the new Range Rover was released overseas in October last year, and we now know a lot about this car.
Today, we'll take a good look at how the new Range Rover has changed and upgraded before it officially goes public.
The evolutionary history of range rover
The predecessor of the Range Rover has deep ties to the World War II Jeep, but it was only introduced to the market as a Range Rover model in 1970. The original Range Rover was positioned as a hardcore off-road vehicle with a non-load-bearing chassis and, for the first decade, there was only a two-door version, which is the following:
The picture above is the original Range Rover two-door version
The original Range Rover laid the foundation for many of the classic designs of the Range Rover that continue to this day, including the split folio tailgate (commonly known as the Heaven and Earth Gate), the suspended roof and so on.
By 1981, range rover had added a four-door version:
The picture above is the original Range Rover four-door version
It was only in 1994, 25 years after its birth, that the Range Rover received its first iteration, when it adopted a newly designed semi-loaded body and was equipped with an electronic air suspension.
The picture above shows the second generation of range rover
Unlike the original Range Rover, the second generation of Range Rover was re-replaced only 7 years after its listing, when Land Rover was just resold to Ford by bmw group, but the development of the Range Rover was basically completed in the BMW era, so this generation of Range Rover has a strong BMW gene. It is also under the leadership of BMW that the Range Rover has changed from a tough off-road rough guy to a tough guy gentleman who takes into account both luxury and off-road.
The picture above shows the third generation of Range Rover
By the way, when Song Siming in the TV series "Snail House" said that "every man wants to have a Land Rover", it is this generation that is opened.
When the fourth-generation Range Rover went public in 2012, Land Rover had long since belonged to India's Tata Group, the generation of Range Rover that our domestic consumers are most familiar with.
In 2014, to further enhance the luxury of the Range Rover, Land Rover launched the Genesis Extended Edition in 2014, with a full 200mm more wheelbase than the standard model.
This is the basic history of the past four generations of Range Rover, since it was officially introduced to China in 2005, the Range Rover has rarely had a rival in the field of luxury executive SUV.
In terms of sales, the Range Rover has also been excellent in its class, selling 12,197 units in 2021 (on the plate), second only to mercedes-Benz GLS.
In fact, the price of the high-end version of the Range Rover is even in line with the ultra-luxury model of Bentley Bentayga. Although the price of Land Rover's low- and mid-range models is often 20% off, the Range Rover is completely absent. Even, even if it is on the verge of replacement, the current 5.0L version of the Range Rover still needs to increase the price, which shows that its price is firm.
However, the current Range Rover, which has been on the market for 10 years, is indeed in urgent need of replacement. What kind of changes and upgrades have been made to the new Range Rover, which is about to be officially launched, and can it continue its market position?
What's changed with the new Range Rover?
The exterior pursues minimalism
In terms of appearance, the changes in the new Range Rover can be said to be "gradual upgrades", and the changes are mainly reflected in the details.
Looking at the front face first, the classic proportions and elements of the current Range Rover, such as the position and shape of the clamshell hood, the middle net and the headlights, have basically continued in the fifth generation, but the details and shape have been adjusted. Even the font and position of "RANGE ROVER" are exactly the same for both generations.
Pictured above is the current Range Rover
Pictured above is the new generation of Range Rover
Coming to the side, the lines and proportions of the two generations of Range Rover are even more the same, with only the slightest nuances fine-tuned. However, through similar to the hidden design of the door handle, the side of the new generation of Range Rover appears much simpler.
Pictured above is the fifth generation range Rover
Most people gave a positive review of the front and sides of the new Range Rover, but when it came to the rear of the car, the controversy emerged:
Range Rover's rectangular taillights, which were very recognizable for many years, disappeared completely on the fifth generation. The chrome trim strip that once ran through the tailgate became a black decorative panel, which extended downward on both sides, and the taillights, brake lights and other light groups were hidden.
For classic models, every change to the classic elements is always the most controversial. The reason why the new generation of Range Rover wants to dilute the presence of taillights is actually to pursue extreme simplification from the outside to the inside. At the same time, it is also quietly diluting its perception as a large-displacement fuel vehicle, and gradually moving closer to the shape of new energy vehicles. Hidden door handles and hidden exhaust are also manifestations of this philosophy.
At the same time, various information highlighting the engine displacement, power, and configuration version has been eliminated or diluted as much as possible. For the extended version, only a small "L" was placed in the corner of the rear window.
The interior blends technology and luxury
As for the interior cockpit, the new generation of Range Rover still continues the symmetrical layout of the current model, and the biggest change is to change the dual screen in the middle to a larger single-center control screen. And the screen has a certain curved arc to match the angle of the center console behind it. At the same time, the size of the full LCD meter has also been further increased, reaching 13.7 inches.
In addition, the current classic gear shift knob has also become a more traditional gear lever on the new Range Rover, but there is still a knob on the right that can be raised for driving mode switching.
To enhance the luxury of the high-end version, Land Rover's retainers are made of rare ceramic materials, which are also used in the position of the three knobs next to them, as well as the armrest adjustment knobs of the main and co-pilot drivers, which will become a typical feature in the interior of the new generation range Rover.
The picture above shows the knob and stop lever of the high-end version of ceramic material
Fully lengthened
Essence in the four-seat version
The size of the fifth-generation Range Rover has been further improved compared with the current model, and the wheelbase of the standard axle and the long-axis version has increased by 75mm each compared with the current model, and the body length has also increased by 52mm each.
The Range Rover is large in size, but the current Range Rover is one of the few models of its class that does not come with a three-row seat. The fifth-generation Range Rover finally has a 7-seat version. However, in the domestic pre-sale version, there is no information about the 7-seat version for the time being, but with 7-seat version overseas, domestic friends can also look forward to it.
Of course, for large SUVs of the luxury class, although the body size generally surpasses that of Tuon, their main service object is still the passengers in the first two rows, especially the second row. According to the actual experience of overseas media, the third row space and comfort of the new Range Rover still cannot be expected too high.
Pictured above is the rear row of the new Range Rover Extended Edition
Whether it is a standard axle or a long-axis version, the increased wheelbase of the new Range Rover is fully utilized in the space of the second row, which is an important factor for potential customers of Range Rover that can directly affect the decision to buy a car.
However, what can really play the luxury of the rear row of the Range Rover is its four-seat version, which is also the killer of the Range Rover in the luxury price of 3 million yuan, PK Bentayga, Maybach GLS and other models.
Pictured above is the new Range Rover four-seater version
At present, the new generation of Range Rover has not yet announced the pre-sale information of the four-seat version in China, and the current Range Rover only has a four-seat layout in the extended version, and the guidance price is 321.3-327.8 million. Without considering the option, it comprehensively exceeds the price range of Maybach GLS and Bentley Bentayga. It is expected that when the new Range Rover is introduced in the future, the price should not be lower than 3 million.
The essence of the luxury four-seater model is to provide more luxurious space, configuration and isolation for the second-row passengers, and for those high-end customers who have the ultimate pursuit of the rear seat, the four-seat layout is the core selling point that attracts them to spend hundreds of thousands, or even millions, more.
Coming to a price of more than one million yuan, it is difficult to distinguish between high and low in the conventional configuration of each model, and what can really affect the decision to buy a car is often a further functional configuration in the comfortable and luxurious experience. Of the range Rover's main competitors, only the Maybach GLS has a four-seat version to choose from, and Bentley Bentayga has only a five-seat version in the entire series.
Pictured above is the four-seat version of the Maybach GLS
The guiding price threshold of the Maybach GLS four-seater version is only 2.37 million, which is more than 800,000 lower than the current Range Rover four-seater version, but after the terminal is close to a million markup, the threshold of the two is actually similar, and it is also the opponent who is the biggest threat to the current Range Rover.
3.0T is the bottom line
V8 is a deck
While smaller and smaller displacement is the trend, in the field of large luxury SUVs, 6-cylinder and 3.0L displacement have always been the bottom line. The current Range Rover comes in three powertrains, the 3.0T low power (360 hp), the 3.0T high power (400 hp), and the 5.0L V8 supercharged version (564 hp).
Coming to the fifth generation of range Rover, the standard version is still the Ingeli 3.0T engine, but the standard shaft version also uses the high-power version of the current extended version. As for the high-performance version, it was replaced with a 4.4T V8 engine.
The maximum power is 34 hp less than the current 5.0T to 530 hp. However, the peak torque has been increased by 50 Nm, and the 0-100 km/h performance of the extended version has been shortened from the current 5.5 seconds to 4.6 seconds.
For luxury car customers of more than one million yuan, the displacement and number of cylinders of the engine are also another important consideration that affects the decision to buy a car, here we take a look at the new Range Rover competitors, the basic situation in the powertrain:
It can be seen that in this level of models, 3.0T is basically the bottom line, and only Mercedes-Benz GLS uses 2.5T. The V8 is a must-have face, and each model in the table has a version of the V8, which is not easy today, and I hope they can all last a little longer.
I don't know if you noticed, the new Range Rover's 4.4T power is exactly the same as the BMW X7, in fact, this power comes from BMW.
In addition, the new Range Rover will also launch a PEV hybrid and pure electric version in the future, but the time for introduction in China will be relatively delayed.
Strong off-road capabilities
In terms of handling, the upgrade of the new generation of Range Rover, mainly reflected in the electronic control system, claims to be equipped with the world's most complex chassis technology. The Dynamic Response Pro system can use navigation and vehicle speed data to monitor the road conditions in front of 2.5 kilometers, and adjust the height and responsiveness of the suspension accordingly, respectively, to achieve the purpose of reducing wind resistance, improving efficiency and enhancing the smoothness of cornering.
In terms of Range Rover's best off-road performance, the all-terrain system, which can manually or automatically switch modes, is still one of the important selling points of Range Rover. Compared with the Discovery Series, the Range Rover is characterized by more complete electronic assist functions, making the off-road process easier and safer.
The new Range Rover wading depth is up to 900mm, and through the detection of external sensors, it can also feedback the water depth outside the car to the interior control screen in real time.
It is worth mentioning that although the size of the new Range Rover has been further increased, with the rear wheel steering function, its operation at low speeds is not bulky. The minimum turning diameter is only 10.95 meters, while the turning diameter of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class has exceeded 11 meters.
As for the ability to climb hills, the new Range Rover is officially declared to be able to conquer steep slopes of 45°.
The above is the update and upgrade of the new Range Rover in all aspects. Of course, at present, the new Range Rover has only announced the pre-sale information of two configurations. After the official listing, there will certainly be more configurations to supplement, and its true competitiveness will not be fully revealed until then.
People who buy Range Rover
What do you care about the most?
Customers with a budget of more than one million yuan have a very different logic when choosing a car and the average consumer. The proportion of cost performance in the car purchase decision is not so high, and the tone of different brands and the personality and temperament of different models may be more important considerations.
The X7 is the bmw brand's new flagship SUV in the past two years, with a greater focus on sportiness in the same class, and some of the customers are X5 owners upgraded. Most of them drive their own cars in the car environment, and rarely give it to the driver. Therefore, the customer base of BMW X7 is relatively younger and more fashionable.
Bentley Bentayga belongs to the real ultra-luxury camp, the threshold for starting is much higher than other large SUVs, and the cost of buying a car is much higher after the naked car price is selected. However, compared with other Bentley models, it is the easier to get started with the brand. However, due to the lack of a four-seater version, the boss who really knows how to enjoy it does not necessarily like this car, so its main audience is still some relatively young upstarts.
Although there is a fault in the middle, Maybach has always belonged to the ultra-luxury camp in the hearts of the rich, and compared with Bentley and Rolls-Royce, Maybach is not only lower in price, but more importantly, the overall is more low-key. Even if you need to increase the price by a million, it is precisely in line with the pursuit of low-key by the old rich. Therefore, the owner group of Maybach GLS should be an old-school rich man with a solid family and rich taste.
The Lexus LX itself is based on Toyota's Land Cruiser and has strong off-road performance, but the sense of luxury is insufficient, attracting those who have a good budget and like to go out in the wild often.
As for today's protagonist Range Rover, the composition is relatively complex, and more than a decade ago, with its domineering shape, it attracted many customers of government agencies and company owners. And when the image of Range Rover's arrogance has penetrated the hearts of ordinary people, it has become a classic medium for many upstarts to show off their financial resources.
At present, as the image of the Land Rover brand changes in the eyes of Chinese consumers, its audience has gradually become more complex.
Of course, the personality of the models evaluated according to the inherent impression may not be accurate, but in the eyes of most Chinese people, the temperament of these models is roughly the same. Which circle these potential consumers want to put themselves into is an important factor influencing their car purchase decisions.
Write at the end
The impression of Land Rover was once half a level higher than the BBA, but now, the 80% off tiger is not only a paragraph, but also a reality. But range rover has always been the face of Land Rover, and the Range Rover not only has no discounts, but also often raises the price to pick up the car, which is both the glory of the Range Rover and the moat of the value and status of the Land Rover brand.
Today, the Range Rover has evolved to its fifth generation, and if nothing else, it will continue the glory of the Range Rover. Finally, what do you think about the new generation of Range Rover, what do you think of the cheap Land Rover 20% discount is still selling dismal, and even if the Range Rover is increased, there is still no shortage of its own fans?