The 2013 RANGE ROVER

Range Rover’s reinvention includes changes that stretch its street talents to sedan levels and yet turns up the notch on its off-roading capability through the miracle of electronics. What gives the SUV this ability is aluminum. The Range Rover is made of the stuff to its core: resulting in a 700-pound weight loss, which permeates the way the Range Rover drives, and to a lesser extent, how much gas it consumes.

Inside there’s more room, more sumptuous wood and leather elegance, and less noise thanks to laminated front and side glass. A split, power-folding tailgate allows easy cargo and camping access. And yes, all the off-road prowess remains, although that might not matter much to this clientele.

Range Rovers are fitted with full-time four-wheel-drive and a new generation of Terrain Response Control that uses sensors to predict the surface ahead, and to change traction, stability, and active-differential settings to handle whatever nature throws your way, choosing between five settings (General, Grass/Gravel/Snow, Mud/Ruts, Sand, and Rock Crawl). There’s more than a foot of maximum ground clearance thanks to the air suspension, about three feet of fording depth thanks to internal venting, and 7,700 pounds of towing capacity.

More than ever, Rover’s swarm of electronic and mechanical systems allows it to go almost anywhere you’d like: provided its longer body doesn’t high-center or get stuck. Because it’s lighter, the new Range Rover can afford 1.7 inches more in overall length, which translates to 4.7 additional inches of rear-seat leg room. Excellent front seats offer up a command view of the path ahead and step-in height is lower, since the air suspension’s access height can be dropped two inches more than before.

The reclining rear seats have limousine-like leg room, and for the first time, have power adjustment, heating
and ventilation, a massaging function, and a bucket-seat configuration available. The tailgate design is now split and the individual pieces can be powered open or closed.

All Range Rovers will come with dual LCD screens, a wide 12.3-inch display that replaces traditional gauges, and an 8-inch touch screen that runs infotainment systems on the center stack through a combination of soft and hard keys for functions from navigation to climate, phone and audio. The
screen’s interface is cleaner and seems quicker, but it’s not rendered as prettily as the LCD gauges. Leather upholstery is standard, while major options will include a panoramic sunroof; a Meridian sound system with 1,700 watts of power; surround-view cameras; cooler boxes; and a choice from among 37 exterior colors, 17 interior colors and 3 veneers.

2013 Range Rover Pricing

$83,500: Range Rover
$88,500: HSE
$99,950: Supercharged
$130,950: Autobiography