Range Rover has announced its third all-electric model and this time it’s a pure EV from the outset, a car that also marks Range Rover’s debut in a brand new sector. Welcome to the Range Rover GT, a crossover luxury electric GT that shares the new EMA platform with the forthcoming Jaguar Type 01.

Whilst the Jaguar’s form factor – for all its controversies – represents a continuation of the lithe, low-slung sporting ethos that has defined the brand for decades, the RR GT is a definite departure. Debuting as EV-only, with potential for a hybrid-electric version further down the line, the GT will be built at Range Rover’s Halewood factory. A full reveal won’t happen until later this year, implying that production could start in late 2027 or early 2028.

What else do we know? The low, curved roofline is very much atypical for a Range Rover. Up until now, the company has eschewed any sector other than the standard SUV, reasoning that it offers up multiple use cases, from executive luxury to off-road tool, in the same form factor.

From a superficial reading of the stance and ground clearance, the GT can’t possibly offer the breadth of ability of a ‘regular’ Range Rover; perhaps this is a tacit acknowledgement that only a small fraction of the company’s customer base ever tackles anything more challenging than a high curb.

Instead, the focus is on long-distance travel and luxury – both things that Range Rover (not to mention Jaguar) already do rather well. To that end, the company has laid bare the cabin design to give aspiring customers a good idea of what to expect. This is very much a minimal space, sharing, dare we say it, some of the architectural elements of the Type 00 Concept.

That includes a large centre console between the front seats, a stripped-down dash with a very horizontal emphasis and technology that is largely hidden away, rather than placed in plain sight (discounting the large landscape touch screen).

The rear cabin continues this architectural focus, with vertical blade-like trim elements marking the junctions between doors and dash. Woven textiles are prioritised, as are simple graphics and minimal physical controls.

The latter might seem controversial at a time when almost all premium car makers are reintroducing a more analogue approach back into their interiors following customer feedback.

However, as Range Rover says, ‘every [interior] element has been considered to create a sanctuary of calm, with a focus on reduced visual and acoustic noise and natural conversational access to more vehicle functions than ever before’, implying that the company believes minimalism is still a strong driver in the luxury sector.

There’s no word on tech specs or range just yet, beyond the fact that this will be the most ‘car-like’ Range Rover ever built, bringing together ‘effortless EV performance, first-class long-haul refinement and all-terrain capability’.

The flowing camouflage wrap seen here cloaks any new design detail that might also debut with the car and could influence the rest of the range. Likely rivals include the Mercedes-Maybach GLS and Bentley's upcoming Torcal EV, with a corresponding uplift in the price point.

Almost a decade ago, JLR applied for the trademark ‘Road Rover’, a hint that development of a low, more dynamically focused model has been in the works for many years. The name dates back to the 1950s, when Land Rover was considering a less agricultural machine for a wider customer base, a project that eventually led to the launch of the first Range Rover in 1970. Subsequent industry upheaval – pandemics, EV regulatory shifts, Jaguar’s brand overhaul, the massive JLR cyber-attack – have all conspired to push back the debut of what is now known as the Range Rover GT.

For now, all we know for certain is that proportion, function and form are getting a grand shake-up for the first time in Range Rover’s history.

RangeRover.com, @RangeRover

The Range Rover Long Wheelbase Autobiography is one of the current summits of JLR’s project portfolio, a model range that looks set to expand ever upwards into the luxury ether in the coming years. For inspiration, the company would do well to look at this one-off version of the LWB model, created by automotive modification specialists Urban Automotive and Visionnaire, the Italian ‘meta-luxury’ interiors brand.

The occasion is the launch of Visionnaire London at 171–175 Brompton Road, five storeys of immaculately curated interiors and accessories. The car itself, which made its debut at the Knightsbridge store, is a fully customised one-of-one edition, inspired in part by the Adele armchair by Marco Piva, the architect and designer who is one of Visionnaire’s regular collaborators.

That gives the interior a certain uplift from the usual smoky matte black / nightclub neon aesthetic, with elements like embroidered leather, bronze details and bespoke quilting. It’s not quite the gentleman’s club of old, more like the smartly crafted but slightly Boho style of Soho Farmhouse. Cream and green Alcantara upholstery reference the Italian craftsmanship of the Adele armchair in form and material.

The exterior is slightly shoutier. Urban Automotive favours the SUV and SUV clients aren’t shrinking violets, especially if they’re investing in styling elements that make their already unavoidable cars even more distinctive and unique.

The Range Rover has been given carbon fibre ‘Widetrack’ bodywork with a two-tone finish. Not only does this give the car a lower, more aggressive stance, but it includes a bonnet and front and rear bumpers in carbon fibre.

The entire project was overseen by Aro Omar of Arowonen, a multidisciplinary designer who has helped translated the Visionnaire aesthetic into the automotive realm. The dustbin lid-sized wheels rather let the side down, as well as give the Range Rover’s off-road abilities a bit of a downgrade, but they certainly align with the tastes and desires of many of the brand’s customers.

According to Matthew Welch, Managing Director of Urban Automotive, ‘the future of luxury is no longer defined by status or excess, but by individuality, craftsmanship and the pursuit of the truly exceptional. Our collaboration with Visionnaire was a natural meeting of minds, bringing together two brands that share an unwavering commitment to bespoke excellence and timeless design.’

Urban Automotive, Urban-Automotive.com, @UrbanAutomotive
Visionnaire London, 171–175 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, Visionnaire-home.com, @VisionnaireHomePhilosophy

Tucked away in the green and pleasant land that surrounds Silverstone, nestled among titans of motorsport, sits an unassuming but remarkable little start-up: Lunaz. Established in 2018, the company specialises in the painstaking electrification and re-engineering of classics. No, not another butcher carving up heritage motor vehicles for EV fodder. In Lunaz's own words, ‘It's not a restoration, it's a remaster.’

The firm’s raison d'être is nut-and-bolt remasters of only the most deserving classics, which, naturally, to date have all been British icons: Bentley, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Rolls-Royce and Range Rover. Akin to museum conservators restoring the likes of Raphael and Rembrandt, Lunaz takes masterpieces like a tired Rolls-Royce Phantom V or a worn-out Range Rover circa 1980 and rebuilds them better than new, with the power of Zeus running through their veins.

Classic EV conversions get a bad rap, people liken them to some sort of Frankenstein's monster-esque abomination. Poor deceased classics hacked up, innards ripped out, a synthetic heart dropped in and reanimated with soulless electricity. I prefer to think of them in a less macabre manner, more along the lines of the six-million-dollar man. ‘We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better… stronger… faster…’

There’s no more fitting a candidate than a classic Range Rover. Nostalgia and looks aside, the cars were really were pretty awful. The arthritis-inducing ride, mystery liquids leaking from every orifice and mpg that could be measured in yards.

So how does it work? Every conversion is a custom commission. Lunaz sources the car, strips it down to its underwear, and rebuilds it with a sympathetic design ethos, no 60-inch spaceship displays cut into the dash with a Sawzall. The intention is a period-respectful glow-up, while applying the subtle practicality of modern technology, such as electric windows, a reversing camera and USB ports in abundance.

The typical Lunaz customer realises that a Tesla represents the cutting edge of technology yet considers it to be as ugly as sin. Lunaz understands what modern car manufacturers fail to grasp. We want the reliability, safety, speed, functionality and everything else that modern EVs offer but in a shell that harks back to a time before CAD and wind tunnels dictated design. Since homologation has become a tight sphincter of safety, the only option is to Lee-Majors classics into bionic hybrids.

Merely removing the engine and throwing in a chunky battery would do the Range Rover a disservice. Along with the powertrain overhaul, Lunaz updates the suspension, brakes and steering to subdue the rough agricultural edges of the original. Make no mistake, it’s no sports car and nor should it be. When you demand power, the electric motor purrs, but for the most part it’s the strong silent type.

As you can imagine, ditching the original 3.5-litre V8 engine does a lot for sound reduction; Lunaz also puts down some serious insulation to quiet the cabin even further. You can have a conversation with the person next to you in hushed tones and never once strain to hear them, it’s almost eerily quiet.

I’ll be the first to admit, it is disconcerting to jump into an old car expecting suck-squeeze-bang-blow and be greeted with nothing. Some call it sacrilege, but just as you don’t have to snort a line of salt and squirt lime in your eye every time you drink tequila (it’s also acceptable to just mix it with orange juice and grenadine to watch the sunrise in silence), not everything has to be raucous and hardcore.

Depending on the specification, electrification adds between 100 and 300kg to the overall weight of Lunaz’s models. This only translates to a modest 130 miles of range, but Lunaz reckons these cars will live in the city, where time in a vehicle is measured in hours, not miles. Its off-road capabilities have been maintained, in case owners happen to find themselves in a muddy field, or a high curb near Sloane Square, although given the price tag, you’d be forgiven for sticking to the beaten path.

In the Range Rover, Lunaz has added its own flair with a new 3D-printed centre console, veneered in a wood or material of your choosing. The company’s signature five-fluted seat trim also allows owners to inject their personality into the interior. Lunaz’s USP is personalisation. Hayley Hunter, the firm's make-dreams-happen czar, explains, ‘Sometimes we get clients that are really interested in the technology side of things, and they need a helping hand on the design side.

‘We dive into what their house looks like, what their other cars look like, where they holiday, to inform how we bring the materials together. Where the car is going to live is also a massive one. We have a lot of clients at the moment in Florida, so we’re aware of using lighter colours and not wanting leather to get too hot. That’s where we can bring through more textual materials onto the seats and walls.’

Alongside a core profile of colours, leathers and just about every type of fabric you can imagine, Lunaz customises to an extent that just isn’t possible elsewhere in the automotive industry. Hunter says, ‘We had one client that wanted every material in the vehicle to have a sustainable story. He actually sent us some wood from his own farm from a tree that had fallen down. He wanted us to use every part of the tree in the car.

‘We're so lucky to be in this position where we can take things which are sentimental, like this tree that fell on his property where his father is buried, and be able to turn it into something special which is hopefully going to sit in the car for the next 50 to 60 years and make it feel that bit more personal.’

Unless you live in a Gulf state the US is trying to liberate with democracy or your last name is Cavendish-Grosvenor-Rothschild, then a Range Rover by Lunaz might not be the first priority in your dream three-car garage.

But in a four-, five-, six- or more car garage, the right amount of money will buy you a level of customisation that McLaren wouldn’t be able to execute, and Ferrari would just outright refuse. To quote the great philosopher, Ariana Grande, ‘Whoever said money can't solve your problems … must not have had enough money to solve them.’ Lunaz is here to help.

For more information visit ByLunaz.com, @LunazDesign

These days, like never before, Milan Design Week finds itself as a creative focal point for a number of different industries, not just furniture and interiors. The irresistible draw of pure, concentrated creativity – and the eyes, lenses and social media accounts of the world’s media and content creators – ensure that making a Milanese splash is a PR no-brainer, bolstering the connection between creativity and commerce in as direct a way as possible.

Activations varied wildly, from traditional car reveals through to immersive experiences, bespoke commissions and the welcome opportunity for car makers to spread their reach and showcase some real cultural clout. Big names were in evidence – Audi enlisted Zaha Hadid Architects and Mini continued its long-running partnership with Sir Paul Smith.

Chinese brands were also in evidence, including Nio with its firefly city car, and Lepas, which used Milan Design Week as the backdrop for its European launch of the forthcoming Lepas 6, a sister car to the Jaecoo 7.

Admittedly, some of these displays could have taken place anywhere, demonstrating how Milan Design Week has effectively become a handy waypoint on the international exhibition trail, bolstering the role of a traditional auto show with way more buzzy, creative surroundings and attendees. Other brands chose to dig deeper into the context, playing up the Italian connection and the city’s rich backdrop.

We’re biased, of course, but the real automotive stars of Milan Design Week 2026 were Wallpaper’s quartet of Fiat Topolinos (see our editors’ Milan blog for more, and Fiat’s small car-focused exhibition), resplendent in the liveries of our recently relaunched Wallpaper* Travel Guides. Aside from these delightful four-wheeled tchotchkes, read on to find out what else made mobility news this year in Milan.

Range Rover ‘Traces’

Range Rover’s Milan installation at Galleria Meravigli was a comprehensive assemblage of the art and craft component of the British manufacturer’s more luxurious offerings. Overseen by Storey Studio, the ‘Traces’ exhibition starred the newly released Bespoke Pearl of Tay edition Range Rover, alongside a selection of contemporary Scottish crafts curated by Bard, the Edinburgh store and gallery founded by James Stevens and our very own Hugo Macdonald.

Bard’s selection of sparkling, earthy and authentic crafts was billed under the heading ‘Memory and Material'. The pieces on display mirrored the attention to detail and materiality used in the Pearl of Tay car, a demonstration of Range Rover’s ability to move freely in the same rarefied circles traditionally occupied by Rolls-Royce and Bentley.

These were joined by two more galleries, or chapters, ‘Memory and Colour’ and ‘Memory and Motif’. The former incorporated a film and projection by Felipe Sanguinetti, reflected across a series of mirrors, to trace the inspiration and emotion behind colour choices (one of the big USPs for clients using Range Rover’s Bespoke service).

‘Memory and Motif’ featured works by four artists, Hvass & Hannibal, Lisa Rampilli, Petra Börner and Jules Julien, transformed into embroidered pieces by the Range Rover Bespoke Materiality. These were then presented in a series of champagne-gold mirrored vitrines, connected to the first chapter by a continuous soundscape composed by sound designers Father.

The final space, ‘Memory and Material’, culminated in the Pearl of Tay car, alongside the 14 objects chosen by Bard. With black gravel underfoot and a rippling installation above, the space was both geometric and nature-inspired. This is the second consecutive year Range Rover has gone big in Milan. ‘Traces’ also included a café space, furnished with icons from Gubi’s collection of contemporary design.

RangeRover.com, @RangeRover

‘Origin’ by Audi x Zaha Hadid Architects

Are we living in a post-pavilion age? Audi clearly thinks not, enlisting well-established pavilion-wielding provocateurs Zaha Hadid Architects to create its installation, the ‘Audi Origin Pavilion’. Described as a portal to the company’s new design era, ‘Origin by Audi x Zaha Hadid Architects’ marked the German manufacturer’s 13th year of participation at Milan Design Week and celebrated not just the introduction of a new design language but also the company’s debut in Formula 1.

The structure was a classic slice of ZHA parametric whimsy – the practice uses the pavilion form as a testbed for software, design and structure. Located in the courtyard of the former Archiepiscopal Seminary on Corso Venezia, ‘Origin’ was a silvery spaceship of a structure, flanked by the Audi R26 F1 car and the new Audi RS 5. The structure’s matte metallic skin was very ‘Audi’ in its referencing of industrial processes, cutting-edge materials and sober perfectionism.

Audi.com, @Audi

‘Mini: A Garden of Curiosity with Paul Smith’

Moving away its focus on urban and domestic design prototypes, Mini dived straight into its most warm and welcoming collaboration of recent years, a partnership with Paul Smith. The venue was a ‘Garden of Curiosity’, hosted in the grounds on the Palazzo Borromeo d’Adda.

Not just a welcome contemplative spot to duck into away from the Milan madness, the ‘Garden of Curiosity’ was a spot of British whimsy, with delectable design presented by way of Lewis Carroll, Gertrude Jekyll and impeccable tailoring.

The House of Mini on Via A Manzoni was built around the latest Paul Smith Edition of the evergreen city car. Colour was, of course, preeminent, with a dedicated Colour Theory Room inviting visitors to compose their own Smith-style panoply of stripes.

There was also a listening room, replete with recordings of Sir Paul’s thoughts on colour theory, both set among the verdant surroundings alongside a Mini Cooper Convertible Paul Smith Edition. In the main courtyard, the automotive display consisted of three cars, starting with the original Paul Smith 40th Anniversary Mini classic from 1998, the pared-back Mini Strip and another contemporary Paul Smith Edition.

Mini.co.uk, @Mini

PaulSmith.com, @PaulSmithDesign

Lexus ‘Space’

Another Milan stalwart, Lexus presented a clutch of installations, including its own ‘Space’ and ‘Discover Together’ presentations at Superstudio Più. The automotive centrepiece of ‘Space’ was the six-wheeled Lexus LS Concept, set before a 360-degree screen that animated the car and its sumptuous interior.

This cinematic experience was paired with a group exhibition under the banner ‘Discover Together’. Included was the ‘Visible Invisible’ tearoom by Kyotaro Hayashi and Yumi Kurotani, ‘Wearable Space’, a coat emblazoned with fibre optics shaped by Guardini Ciuffreda Studio and ‘A Moving Sanctuary’, Random Studio’s reimagining of the automotive space as a serene, relaxing retreat.

Working with its own design team, the company also exhibited ‘The Crafted Cosmos’, a precision piece of crafted woodwork overseen by Shingo Yamashita, the company’s wooden model craftsman.

On display in the same space was another concept, the LS Micro 1 personal mobility machine, and the Lexus Catamaran autonomous luxury yacht concept first shown at last year’s Japan Mobility Show.

DiscoverLexus.com, @DiscoverLexus

Kia Vision Meta Turismo

Kia’s installation involved a collaboration with Bcomp, a Swiss company working in renewable, bio-based fibre composite material. Bcomp has contributed its ampliTex material to the interior and exterior of the Kia Vision Meta Turismo concept car, on show for the first time in Europe as part of the ‘Resonance of Opposites’ exhibition in Milan.

The Vision Meta Turismo was originally unveiled as part of Kia's 80th anniversary celebrations last December, an all-electric GT Crossover with an airy, lounge-inspired cabin replete augmented-reality windscreen. The concept foreshadows the evolution of the company’s already very distinctive design language.

The work with Bcomp is part of Kia’s ongoing search for sustainably sourced materials that can work just as well on exterior forms as well as interiors, conforming to all necessary safety and strength requirements.

According to Bcomp’s Nicolas Samson, senior sales manager of automotive interior, the project ‘shows that natural fibre composites are not only a design statement, but also a realistic solution for both interior and exterior applications’.

Kia.com, @KiaUK

Bcomp.com, @BcompLtd

Škoda’s ‘Sculptural Space’

Working with Spanish architect designer Ricardo Orts of Ulises Studio, Škoda went all out on playfulness with an exhibition entitled ‘Ooooh, that’s EpiQ!’. Rather than channelling the spirit of 1970s British sex comedies, the theme was colour, form and family-friendly entertainment.

Cars on display included the new Epiq EV (in bold camouflage) alongside a soft-bodied counterpart, the Epiq Sculpt – modelling clay was one of the key stylistic themes. The entire courtyard of the Palazzo del Senato was filled with illuminated inflatable forms that spilled out through the colonnades to create space for meeting, coffee, talks and even yoga classes and a soft play area.

Škoda-Storyboard.com, Škoda.co.uk, @SkodaUK

Ulises.Studio, @Ulises.Studio

Pininfarina at ‘10 Years of Open-Air Motor Shows’

Two of the centrepieces on the ‘10 Years of Open-Air Motor Shows’ exhibition on Via Tortona came from the studios of Pininfarina SpA. The event, which celebrated a decade of Andrea Levy’s urban motor show format in Italy, featured the Battista Nino Farina from Pininfarina Automobili and the one-off Honda HP X, originally shown at the 1984 Turin Auto Show in 1984. Restored and updated by Pininfarina itself, the HP-X resurfaced in all its 1980s glory at the 2024 Monterey Car Week.

The show also featured a presentation on the new JAS Tensei project, one of many automotive commissions being undertaken by the Italian design consultancy.

Pininfarina.it, @Pininfarina_official

500 Spiaggina by Garage Italia Customs

Away from the ‘Ciao Futuro! show at Magna Pars’, another facet of the Fiat empire showcased its latest venture into restomod design. Founded by Fiat family scion Lapo Elkann, Garage Italia Customs ventures into uncharted creative territory, transforming the company’s compact models into bespoke objets d’art.

For 2026, Garage Italia is showcasing its Icon project series, which focuses on the classic Fiat 500. In the company’s hands, the original 500 becomes the all-electric 500 Spiaggina. Shown in Milan in the context of the immersive Urbano Mediterraneo installation, the Spiaggina was represented in two editions. The first was inspired by the pink walls of the Palazzo Avino hotel on the Amalfi Coast, a one-off EV completed with custom fabric Pergola roof by Mariaflora.

A second Spiaggina was out on the streets for the duration of Design Week to celebrate the work of Milanese creative consultancy 10 Corso Como. The logo-spotted bodywork evokes the organisation’s branding and HQ, with jacquard fabric interiors by Mariaflora. Finally, Garage Italia also showed a 500 Spiaggina with a livery that embodied the diversity and colour of Design Week, with a white striped exterior and an interior featuring red Bonacina rattan seats.

Garage-Italia.com, @GarageItalia

London, the unwitting ground zero for the debut and explosive growth of the upscale urban SUV, is being celebrated through four new editions of Range Rover. Starting with the Range Rover Evoque Hoxton Edition and Range Rover Velar Belgravia Edition, the company recently added two more editions at an event in Belgravia, the Range Rover Westminster Edition and Range Rover Sport Battersea Edition.

It would be charitable to say that production activities at JLR have been somewhat in the doldrums. While these four new London editions smack of a quick fix for a company that has been put through the wringer by a mixture of politics, economics and just bad luck, the truth is that there is a lot coming over from Gaydon in the very near future.

The imminent arrival of the all-electric Range Rover – which shares aesthetics but not a platform with its petrol-powered sibling – should banish any lingering memories of cancelled models, stalled master plans, janky supply chains and a cyber-criminal endeavour that paralysed the entire company.

The RRE will launch into an uncertain market for luxury EVs, just like its much-heralded Jaguar sister later in the year. But while the Jag represents a seismic upheaval on the design front, Land Rover and Range Rover line up currently look a little long in the tooth. The mysterious departure, return and then departure again of Gerry McGovern, the man who has arguably done the most to hoist and then sustain the Range Rover brand at its current luxury pinnacle hasn’t helped steady the ship.

This quartet of jazzed-up production models is intended to underscore Range Rover’s custom-build credentials. The Eccleston Yards event was billed as ‘Range Rover’s Mastery Market’, complete with demonstrations of the leatherwork, materials and other elements that can be added to a ‘regular’ RR to up its quota of individual content.

There’s also a nod to London’s ongoing never-ending reign as global creative capital, with Conran and Partners on hand to show a few contemporary trinkets, helping draw a direct line between the modernist era and the clean, architectural lines of the current portfolio. Finally, Café Nice’s restored and converted 1991 Range Rover Classic Vogue was parked up to provide a custom coffee stop.

Range Rover Velar Belgravia Edition

The Belgravia Edition of the Velar was unveiled earlier this year at the Design Museum. This car features a darker, more sombre colour scheme that majors in tones like Satin Black and Dark Agate, with black brushed aluminium used on the interior. Again, the Belgravia Edition badging is deployed in the Velar’s puddle lamp system, as well as on the sills. The company is building the model in an edition of 400.

Range Rover Evoque Hoxton Edition

For a Londoner, Range Rover’s choice of four districts could only ever be contentious, but they were at least very much on brand. The Hoxton Edition of the Range Rover Evoque has a fashion focus, with Satin Gold wheels and a Platinum Atlas exterior kit, as well as badging and puddle lamps to match. The interior includes leather seat facings and contrast stitching, with yet more Hoxton Edition badging on the treadplates and centre console.

The Range Rover Sport Battersea Edition

Announced this month with more details to follow, the Range Rover Sport Battersea Edition taps into the fast-rising South London neighbourhood, thanks largely to the success of Battersea Power Station (UK HQ for Apple, alongside countless high-end retailers) and the ongoing development surrounding it. Appropriately enough, this edition of the Sport is said to represent a ‘fusion of historic charm and cutting edge aesthetics.’

Range Rover Westminster Edition

Finally, there’s the Westminster Edition of the flagship Range Rover. Doubling down on the model’s longstanding relationship with people in power (and not just in government), the Westminster Edition also ‘pays homage to the epicentre of British leadership and heritage.’ Expect a sober-suited conveyance designed to mix in the very best circles.

More details on the Range Rover London Editions at RangeRover.com, @RangeRover

Twisted Automotive came to fame with its radical reworkings of the classic Land Rover Defender, transforming its agrarian character into a true off-road performance machine. While the Yorkshire-based company has also dabbled in marine products, as well as the fabulous Beetle-based T-Bug, it’s retained a focus on Land Rover. Up until now.

This is the new TRRC, the company’s first foray into rethinking the first-generation Range Rover. Twisted is far from the first company to revisit the crisply folded lines of this pioneering luxury SUV. In recent years, we’ve had a stylish restomod from Italian company Vinile, another variation on the theme, the Kingsley Re-Engineered KSR, as well as electrified versions by Inverted and Everatti.

So what sets the Twisted TRRC apart? For a start, the company – founded by Charles Fawcett in 2000 – has always been first and foremost about petrol-powered performance, adding unexpected levels of handling ability to cars that weren’t always renowned for their dynamic prowess. The TRRC continues this tradition.

Twisted will create just 12 examples of the TRRC a year, each one hand-built to an exacting customer specification (with 2026’s allocation already sold out). This is not just a simple restoration, but a thorough reinterpretation of the original two-door version of the Range Rover (as it was at launch, in 1970, until 1981).

All bodywork is made from hammer-formed aluminium while power comes courtesy of a GM LT1 V8, the engine found in recent Corvette and Camaro models. Uprated to put out 500hp and paired with an eight-speed auto box, the TRRC’s handling has been tuned to provide a stable but supple platform that doesn’t detract from the Range Rover’s characteristically comfortable ride.

Stylistically, the new bodywork brings together a number of iconic Range Rover elements, from the stark simplicity of the 1970s front bumper to the imperious 1990s-style grille and headlights. Inside, the seating position is slightly lowered, while seats and dash feature premium leather and carpet with added contemporary conveniences like heated seats and uprated infotainment. New sealing and soundproofing add to the luxurious feel.

For Fawcett, the TRRC is an exercise in nostalgia as well as engineering innovation. ‘When I think back to the 1980s, my father always seemed to have a two-door Range Rover, and there was one particular one that stood out,’ he recalls. ‘It was terracotta brown with fibreglass extended wheel arches and white Weller eight-spoke wheels shod with General Grabber road-oriented tyres. On the front, he’d fabricated a valance out of an MGB GT front spoiler. To me, it was just iconic.’

Twisted TRRC, from £350,000, Twisted Automotive, TwistedAutomotive.com, @Twisted_Automotive

The original Range Rover collaboration between Land Rover and bespoke British gunmaker Holland & Holland was launched in 2000 and based on a P38 model. The price back then was an eye-popping £70,000, a sum that was roundly bemoaned by enthusiasts.

Billed as one of the most exclusive Range Rovers ever made, around 400 were built for hotshots with a penchant for field sports. Features included hand-oiled walnut and brown leather trim, plus a matching picnic table for ‘conviviality’ in the countryside.

Punchy pricing didn’t dampen demand at the time or for later editions, so perhaps it’s no surprise that a new partnership involving the renowned firearm-maker H&H and Land Rover specialist Overfinch has just come to market.

The Holland & Holland Edition by Overfinch is an ultra-exclusive model restricted to just 25 examples and simply dripping in upgrades. The car I recently experienced in the gracious and appropriate surroundings of the UK’s Cotswolds was based on a £200,000 long-wheelbase Range Rover SV but cost £530,000.

And no, that doesn’t include a brace of exclusive Holland & Holland ‘Royal’ shotguns to adorn the purpose-built cabinet in the boot. For that there’s a two-year waiting list and a £204,000 supplement – per gun. Which by my maths takes the final bill to an exorbitant £938,000.

Swathed in Bridge of Weir leather, the French walnut door inserts are engraved in the same style as a Holland & Holland shotgun stock. Monogrammed, quilted seats display an array of suitably sporting scenes, with golden H&H crests adding a regal touch.

Conceived for the ‘discerning shooting enthusiast and collector’, the boot also contains a smorgasbord of luxuries. Two companion chests are configurable to the owner’s individual taste – the bottom trunk primed for decanters, eight whisky tumblers and a brace of guns. The leather-clad top cabinet is further loaded with space for two champagne bottles, eight crystal flutes, a staghorn corkscrew and a matching cutlery set.

Set on 23-inch forged aluminium wheels with self-levelling centre caps, the only feature missing is somewhere suitable to carry dogs – the sumptuous back seats would be royally trashed by a couple of muddy Labradors.

The ‘Royal’ shotgun, inspiration for the interior, is one of the best-known firearms in the world. With a trademark dating back to the 1880s, H&H still sells them from the company’s store in St James’s Street, London.

Lead designer Greg Shilton said: ‘The Holland & Holland Edition embodies the summit of bespoke British luxury. We have worked to create a car that not only displays extraordinary craftsmanship but also radiates a sense of heritage and grace.’

According to Kevin Sloane, chairman of Overfinch, 'this is more than a vehicle – it is a true statement of craftsmanship, quality and distinction. Together, we have created a Range Rover that embodies British excellence in every sense. There is nothing else quite like it. This car is the culmination of countless hours of meticulous craftsmanship.’

He may be right – despite the hefty price and a 12-month waiting list, at least a dozen have already been sold.

RangeRover.com, @RangeRover

Overfinch.com, @Overfinch

HollandandHolland.com, @HollandandHolland1835

The art of the restomod is taken up a notch by Kingsley Re-Engineered’s new KSR. As the specialist manufacturer behind this new iteration of the Range Rover Classic, Kingsley has gone further than ever before, adding new interior and suspension options, among other things.

The first generation Range Rover had a long and fruitful life. As one of the instigators of the luxury SUV market it was enthusiastically taken up from everyone from urban pioneers to the original green welly brigade – hence the bucolic neo-Sloane imagery shown here.

The four door version, shown here, was visually beefed up and enhanced over the original two-door design, helping give the model its long shelf life and setting the template for Range Rover to remain JLR’s flagship brand.

Kingsley Re-Engineered was established in 2001 and has since completed around 500 bespoke Range Rover Classics and original Land Rovers, each built to a unique specification. For the KSR, the Oxfordshire-based company has done much more than simple restore an original model.

For a start, there’s a new dashboard design that brings better ventilation and upgraded air conditioning, along with higher quality switchgear and an all-new instrument panel and centre console. Instruments are now digital (the first time in a Kingsley model), allowing Apple CarPlay to be integrated.

Under the bonnet is a 4.6-litre High Torque V8, delivering 270 bhp and a top speed of over 120 mph+, as well as a sub-10 second 60mph sprint. Those in search of more power can specify a Chevrolet V8 engine, with a choice of automatic or six-speed gearboxes. Another innovation is the inclusion of TracTive adaptive suspension, specially optimised for the Range Rover Classic.

In addition to the new dashboard, the interior is re-trimmed in the material of your choice, whether leather or cloth like the rather fetching Black Watch tartan shown here, with high grade wood veneer on the dashboard and console. You’ll also find cup holders and charging ports, practical everyday objects that were alien to the Range Rover Classic generation. These KSR model enhancements can be applied to either original two- or four-door cars and the company has a worldwide customer base.

Range Rover Classic KSR by Kingsley Re-Engineered, from £220,000 plus VAT, KingsleyCars.co.uk, @KingsleyCars

Land Rover has taken the wraps off the 2022 Range Rover, its latest and most complex Range Rover model to date. It’s been nine years since the fourth generation Range Rover was launched, arriving in a sector that it had practically all to itself. In 2021, there’s a very different landscape in the world of luxury SUVs. Rolls-Royce, Maybach, Bentley, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Mercedes, and even Ferrari, are all vying for attention in this most prominent, highly conspicuous market segment.

Range Rover was there first, pretty much, with the first model dating back to 1969 and existing in glorious isolation for decades. That 50-year heritage still serves as a bulwark against its competitors: Range Rover is ‘the original luxury SUV’, the company proudly states. It’s also one of the few cars explicitly informed by a ‘modernist design philosophy’, an approach that tallies with what Professor Gerry McGovern, Jaguar Land Rover’s chief creative officer, has been telling us all along: classic modernism is the best modernism. 

2022 Range Rover

So, has the fifth generation, 2022 Range Rover got the technical chops to match up to the image, or is this familiar machine undergoing something of a mid-life crisis? Stylistically, this is an evolution, not a revolution. The Range Rover’s bluff but buff lines have become more pavilion- and yacht-like than ever before, eschewing conventional automotive detailing or traditional curves in favour of chamfered edges, crisply stamped panels, and a purist delineation between glasshouse and body.

The most notable departure is at the rear, where a new light treatment makes the most of LED technology to reshape the car’s trademark split tailgate as a strong, almost abstract graphic element. Function is almost completely concealed, a bit like how the stern of superyachts can conceal all manner of folding docks and platforms. Appropriately enough, the company calls this feature a ‘sweeping boat tail’. 

Is this the first truly minimalist motor car? McGovern and his team have chased every spare millimetre in the quest for seamless shut lines, and precise transitions between roof to glasshouse to shoulder. It’s certainly minimalist in the mould of Claudio Silvestrin or Glenn Sestig, in that its pared-back forms are in no way a concession to ease of construction or modesty of materials.

This is a luxury car. Granted, there are innovations, like the new Ultrafabrics and Kvadrat wool-blend upholstery as an alternative to leather. The dashboard, 13.1in touchscreen and wood-clad centre panel convey a domestic warmth, not a performance-focused cockpit. But true to form, the new Range Rover cloaks its athletic abilities and off-road agility beneath a sharp suit. 

There’s also a lot of new communications technology on board, from the integration of Amazon Alexa to the optional rear-seat 8in control screen (in addition to the rear-seat entertainment screens). The car is festooned with cameras, which are supported by a set of manoeuvring lights designed to light up dark country lanes and fields for a better view through the 3D Surround Camera system. Given the right sized spot, you can command the 2022 Range Rover to park itself, or squeeze into tight spaces, even if you’re not in the car.

The rear view mirror flips between a traditional mirror and a digital screen, while the company’s innovative ClearSight Ground View system effectively gives you a ‘transparent’ bonnet, showing the terrain beneath the mighty prow on the main display screen for careful negotiation of off-road pitfalls. 

Perhaps surprisingly, the new Range Rover still comes with a full set of engine options, from diesels all the way through to plug-in hybrid. It’s a sign of how many of the car’s key markets and customers still haven’t made the necessary shift to minimise their emissions. The plug-in models will take you up to 62 miles in electric mode, which is much better than nothing, but if you can hang on until 2024, you’ll be able to buy the first fully-electric Range Rover, which in a sense will be a much more significant milestone. The first wave of electric 4x4s are already here, and proving themselves especially adept at one of the Range Rover’s core skills, off-roading.

For the first time, the Range Rover will be offered with seven seats, a welcome dose of practicality that makes sensible use of the car’s immense size. There’s also a Long Wheelbase body, available right from the outset, as well as a special Launch Edition with an enhanced package of optional extras. 

For now, seekers of extraordinary feats of performance will have to plump for a new twin turbo V8, which provides enough grunt to get this titanic machine to 62mph in an indecent time of around 4.4 seconds. Expect the EV to be quicker.

Launching a new flagship when the chips are down is not ideal. In the face of global silicon supply shortages, car makers around the world are having to throttle production of their tech-heavy products. Land Rover is no exception. We’ll reserve judgement on how the new Range Rover behaves both on and off the road until we get a chance behind the wheel. For now, look upon this behemoth in wonder. Perhaps the auto industry could do with a bit more modernist restraint at every scale.

INFORMATION

Fifth generation Range Rover, available in 2022, price tbc

landrover.co.uk

Land Rover makes SUVs for almost every desire. With its roots deep in all-terrain drive — cars for the wild explorer, their portfolio has subsequently expanded to novel genres. Who knew, for instance, that the urban commute could require such an assortment of SUVs, some of which have off-road technology so deeply advanced that it feels wrong limiting them to the school-run and Waitrose carpark.



Which brings us to the latest Discovery Sport. This is a compact version of its much bigger sibling, the Discovery, although it offers a similar 5+2 seating arrangement. Although it's slightly smaller, the Sport offers sophisticated driver assist and smart tech tailored from its more premium Land Rovers siblings. Driven in the Lake District and through the Yorkshire Dales, dipping on and off tarmac, and deep in mud and water, the Discovery Sport proves to be a highly accomplished product.



Land Rover and Range Rover design is entering a short phase of evolution, not revolution. The Sport's exterior design sees a noticeable refinement of the previous model, yet it retains the classic Discovery rising beltline and tapered roof. There are slim LED headlamps at the front and rear, as well as updated grille and bumpers. The model we drove is the higher trim HSE model (there is an option of an S and SE, and a sportier R-Dynamic), with a tasteful ‘Portofino Blue’ colour theme that visually slims the overall volume. It also benefits from an expansive fixed panoramic roof, flooding natural daylight into a cabin swathed in leather. The material story here follows a more conventional pattern, yet Land Rover also offers a more progressive selection of interior trims, including sustainable wool.

The Discovery Sport benefits from the marque’s latest infotainment interface – the twin touchscreen 10-inch Touch Pro Duo. The idea is for technology to be out-of-sight, hidden from view, until you turn the ignition on. The concept works well in promoting a calmer and more serene cabin. To encourage the adventurer in us, Land Rover is also offering the ‘Activity Key’ – a handy wearable waterproof band that allows you to enter the car without a conventional car key.

The Discovery we drive is diesel-powered — the nine-speed automatic 2.0 litre engine is capable of 180bhp, 0 to 60mph in 9.4 seconds and a top speed of 125mph. There is also a choice of a 2.0 litre petrol with 200 or 250bhp. What’s more, Land Rover offers what it terms as ‘mild hybrid’ technology on most of the cars whereby a 48-volt system provide all-electric drive at very low speeds. The company has promised a more ecological plug-in hybrid later in the year, in keeping with its current roadmap to EV power.

Contemporary Land Rovers have become highly technical products. The Discovery Sport comes with something called ‘Smart Settings’, using artificial intelligence algorithms to learn our driving preference and habits over time, then adjusting seating position and steering wheel height before we enter the car. Another new tech, ‘Ground View’, makes the bonnet 'invisible' by projecting camera-sourced imagery onto the upper touchscreen to show the driver a 180-degree view under the front of the vehicle. This comes into use when negotiating difficult parking spaces, navigating kerbs or tackling rough terrain.

Another highlight is the ‘ClearSight Ground View’ digital rear-view mirror (also offered on the Range Rover Evoque). A camera, positioned on the roof, projects a flawless all-surround 360-degree view, which proves exceptionally useful when navigating the Yorkshire Dales National Park with its roaming cattle. Finally, the Sport has a handy ‘Advanced Tow Assist’ function that essentially self-reverses the car when you have a trailer attached to the rear.



The Discovery Sport is more than capable on motorways and country roads. Yet it is at Land Rover Experience Yorkshire where its talents truly shine. The company encourage new customers to come along to these centres, which are dotted around the UK, to experience the potential of their vehicle. Four-wheel drive models come with ‘Terrain Response 2’, which automatically detects the surface being driven on and adjusts the set-up accordingly. The driver can also manually set the system (to Comfort, Sand, Grass-Gravel-Snow and Mud & Ruts) and control hill climbs, descend slops and wade through deep water with ease.



Land Rover has had quite a decade. Under Tata’s ownership and with Gerry McGovern’s astute creative direction, the marque has shaped a comprehensive family of cars firmly anchored on their SUV-ness yet retaining a clear direction for each branch of the family tree – Range Rover, Discovery and Defender. The Range Rover family that includes the Velar and Evoque has become more of a luxury urban drive, while the new Defender (revealed last month) is strictly for the wild. The Discovery, and this latest Discovery Sport, has also a defined mission: to take the family on great adventures, in comfort and with a little support from technology.

INFORMATION

Land Rover Discovery Sport, from £31,575 

landrover.co.uk

The Range Rover Evoque cabin is a calm and serene space. There is a noticeable absence of habitual signs of luxury materials, leather and wood. Instead our seats are swathed in a tailored wool blend, with the dashboard covered in a plant based textiles. There are technical material elements here created using recycled plastics, and the steering wheel is encased in Alcantara. It tells of an exciting materials story, premiered in the Velar sibling, and continuing in this latest product by Jaguar Land Rover.

The marque is positioning the new Evoque as a progressive car. Amy Frascella and her colour and materials team in the Gaydon design studio are busy exploring sustainable alternatives – non-chemical dyes and paints, responsible and vegan fabrics. This involves working alongside companies from outside of the traditional automotive world such as the Danish firm Kvadrat. They are looking at the providence of materials to find relevance within markets that are more urbanised.

Frascella has introduced modular colour schemes inside to complement the exterior such as the subtle tonal differences here with the various shades of grey. The refined palate is complemented by the new digital set up which replaces the overtly technical driver-infotainment system of the outgoing model. This latest twin touchscreen Touch Pro Duo system is termed ‘black tech’ – technology that is hidden until summoned for generally a calmer cabin.

This Evoque is also a highly technical product. It is the first Land Rover with ‘Smart Settings’, using artificial intelligence algorithms to learn the driver’s preference for an on-board butler-of-sorts. ‘Ground View’ technology makes the bonnet invisible by projecting camera imagery onto the upper touchscreen to show the driver a 180-degree view under the front of the vehicle. This is useful when negotiating difficult parking spaces, navigating kerbs or tackling rough terrain as we were to experience. Then ClearSight digital rear-view mirror sees a camera, positioned on the roof, project a flawless all-surround 360-degree view, which proves exceptionally useful when navigating these challenging mountainous routes.

The car we are driving is powered by a 2.0 litre four-cylinder Ingenium petrol, with a nine-speed automatic transmission offering 249ps and 365 Nm, and acceleration to 60 mph in around seven seconds. The new Evoque architecture has been developed for electrification with this 48-volt MHEV (as in mild-hybrid electric vehicle) available on all new models, before a plug-in hybrid model appears in a year or so. It is a first for JLR and works by harvesting energy normally lost during deceleration using an engine-mounted belt-integrated starter generator, and storing it in the under-floor battery. At speeds below 11mph, the engine will shut off while the driver applies the brakes. When pulling away, the stored energy is redeployed to assist the engine under acceleration and reduce fuel consumption thus offering some 35.8mpg on a combined economy. It also offers a more refined, quiet and efficient drive in traffic.

Land Rovers perform impeccably off-road. It never ceases to impress how capable these off-terrain vehicles are even when they are so refined and tailored like this Evoque. It almost feels a shame drivers are unlikely to ever experience its off-roading talents given compact sports-utilities as this will inevitably live on city roads performing daily shops and school runs. Nevertheless, the Evoque does get its large 20-inch gloss black wheels incredibly muddy as we cruise through rivers and climb rocky-mountains. This is all thanks to a host of technology on-board the car to include all-wheel drive, active driveline with driveline disconnect and adaptive dynamics to deliver the optimum balance of comfort and agility. Terrain Response 2, a technology adopted from the Range Rover, automatically detects the surface being driven on and adjusts the set-up accordingly, so the Evoque can now wade through waters 60cm deep.

The Evoque is equally happy on smoother tarmac too, on motorways and in the small towns and villages we drive through for its relative compact size – 4m in height and 2m wide to include rather bulky side mirrors. It has a quiet presence; the considered exterior design a noticeable refinement from the previous model. Gone are the showy, bold directional folds and creases of the former Evoque. Design director Gerry McGovern and his team lead by Massimo Frascella have really refined these surfaces for some elegant sculpting and subtle surface treatment.

The proportions remain almost the same; the high-raised waistline theme of the original car stays in place, as does the sloping roof that gave the Evoque its drama, while the rear windows are now a little larger to help with passenger visibility. The tail design, another Evoque characteristic, is modified a touch here to sit a little higher. This car has reduced front overhangs and more pronounced shoulders, and the powerful wheel-arches frame the larger wheels. Flush doors, as seen on the Velar, are introduced here, as are slender Matrix LED lights for clear front and rear lamp graphic.

The Evoque is built on the new mixed-material architecture for more interior space. A longer wheelbase allows for 20mm extra rear knee-room and an increase in small item stowage. The 591-litre luggage space is now 10 per cent larger as well as much wider to fit a folded pram or set of golf clubs. We manged to easily fit in two suitcases and some extra bags with complete ease.

The Evoque is a pivotal product for Land Rover. When the first iteration of this car was introduced to the public in 2007, the marque was in a very different place. Post Ford ownership, it was desperately navigating a new identity under the new, more liberal Tata Motors umbrella. The Evoque was hugely radical then not least for its bold, uncompromising design, as it helped forge a new and phenomenally successful car genre – the compact SUV. That first Evoque was a critical and commercial success too, raising JLR’s profile globally and boosting brand confidence.

Replacing such a successful product, therefore, was never going to an easy task. The marque has progressed beyond recognition since 2007, as has the world of mobility and our expectations. With its progressive design, sustainable interior and mild-hybrid technology, the new Evoque does feel like the perfect evolution of this popular compact Range Rover. 

INFORMATION

Range Rover Evoque, from £31,600, available from spring 2019. For more information, visit the Jaguar Land Rover website

It is hard to imagine over a decade has passed since Jaguar Land Rover presented the LRX. Revealed at the 2007 Detroit Motor Show, this conceptual study addressed what was to become one of the biggest sectors in modern motoring – the compact urban SUV. Gerry McGovern’s design was bold. The Land Rover creative director purposely sketched a car that was ruthlessly single-minded for a powerful emotional punch.

The Range Rover Evoque production car that followed four years later maintained the edge. At the time management had predicted modest sales with what they saw as a niche vehicle. The Evoque, though, was a huge sensation for the company financially and for McGovern personally – who is now considered one of the most commercially successful car designers of our time. The following year the Evoque was crowned World Design Car of the Year, and this compact SUV has since received over 200 accolades worldwide.

Today, JLR revealed the new Evoque. It was never going to be an easy task replacing a car that carried such weight. The marque has progressed beyond recognition since 2007 – the collection of cars from both Jaguar and Land Rover confidently compete with some of the finest of luxury motor cars. The new Evoque is therefore an altogether calmer affair. The design is more refined, gentler, confident, and more attuned to the language of its siblings – especially the Velar.

‘The LRX changed the direction of our brand,’ says McGovern at a preview of the car. ‘It helped send out a message that design is integral to our origin and therefore our success. The new car is unmistakably an Evoque – this was something we knew we had to do. It was also about moving the game on, making the car more refined.’

The volume remains almost the same; the high-raised waistline theme of the original car stays in place, as does the sloping roof that gave the Evoque its drama, while the rear windows are now a little larger to help with passenger visibility. The tail design, another Evoque characteristic, is modified a touch here to be more like ‘an athlete’s backside – high up,’ offers McGovern.

The new car has reduced front overhangs and more pronounced shoulders, powerful wheel-arches and chunky 21-inch wheels for a touch of urban attitude. Flush doors, as seen on the Velar, are introduced here, and the super-slim Matrix LED lights provide a more refined front and rear lamp graphic. Lastly, carved within the quiet exterior sculpture are some surprising elements, including stylish copper blade accents.

‘We wanted the new Evoque to have a quiet presence,’ admits McGovern. ‘We dialled down some of the reductionist themes which has its best manifestation with the Velar. It is about tapping into the passion of opulence. It is an accumulation of the details.’

The Evoque cabin is a calm and serene space, with a twin touchscreen Touch Pro Duo system, 16-way seat controls and cabin air ionisation. McGovern calls it ‘black tech’ – technology that is hidden from view until you turn the ignition on. And this is an advanced machine.

A definite highlight is the ClearSight digital rear-view mirror which projects a flawless all-surround 360-degree view image thanks to a camera positioned on the roof. Then the Ground View technology makes the bonnet invisible by projecting camera imagery onto the upper touchscreen to show the driver a 180-degree view under the front of the vehicle. This is useful when negotiating difficult parking spaces, navigating kerbs or tackling rough terrain. This Evoque is the first Land Rover with Smart Settings too, which uses artificial intelligence algorithms to learn the driver’s preference for an on-board butler of sorts.

There is an exciting materials story unfolding here. Amy Frascella, chief designer in the colour and materials department, has been quietly exploring novel materials for the automotive with the Velar and now the Evoque. Customers will be able to specify materials that are new to the scene, including a specialist wool blend being invented alongside the Danish firm Kvadrat and technical textiles that use recycled plastics as an alternative to leather.

‘We placed a great deal of focus on the creation of refined, sumptuous interior and exterior colour and material details,’ she says. ‘This is a more progressive vehicle for us and we have introduced modular colour schemes inside to work better with the exterior colours. We have introduced technical textures and more responsible fabrics. Sustainability for us is now also about the providence of materials – where they come from is something that we’re taking seriously.’ McGovern adds: ‘For us it is about finding a relevance within markets that are more urbanised.’

The Evoque is built on the new mixed-material architecture, which helps create more interior space. A longer wheelbase allows for 20mm extra rear knee-room and an increase in small item stowage. The 591-litre luggage space is now ten per cent larger as well as much wider to fit a folded pram or set of golf clubs.

Crucially, the new architecture has been developed for electrification, with a 48-volt mild-hybrid available at launch and a plug-in hybrid model promised within a year. The mild hybrid powertrain is a first for JLR and works by harvesting energy normally lost during deceleration using an engine-mounted belt-integrated starter generator, and storing it in the under-floor battery. At speeds below 11mph, the engine will shut off while the driver applies the brakes. When pulling away, the stored energy is redeployed to assist the engine under acceleration and reduce fuel consumption. The idea is for a more refined, quiet and efficient drive in traffic.

Land Rovers must perform off-road – this is essential to their brand promise, even if the cars often do little more than the school run. The Evoque too offers all-terrain capabilities in all weathers thanks to a host of technology being applied here – all-wheel drive, active driveline with driveline disconnect and adaptive dynamics to deliver the optimum balance of comfort and agility. Terrain Response 2, a technology adopted from the Range Rover, automatically detects the surface being driven on and adjusts the set-up accordingly, so the Evoque can now wade through waters 600mm deep.

The success of the Evoque has been two-fold. Financially, of course, it has helped JLR immensely, introducing new customers to Land Rover and raising its profile globally. Yet, its moral impact cannot be overrated. For this small little compact SUV boosted confidence for the marque. Its critical and commercial success has meant the design team, led by McGovern for Land Rover and Ian Callum for Jaguar, are able to suggest often radical new products, cars like the Velar and F-Pace – their voices heard clearly on the board of directors at the parent company Tata Motors.

McGovern admits the new Evoque is responding to the company’s success as well as a changing world – mass global urbanisation, tough legislation, ecological concerns. ‘It is about creating a balance and not becoming too generic. We need to continue to do vehicles that are unique and distinctive,’ he says, adding: ‘If we do this properly, Range Rover, Land Rover, Defender – they will all become brands in their own right.’ 

INFORMATION

Range Rover Evoque, from £31,600, available from spring 2019. For more information, visit the Jaguar Land Rover website

There is a reluctance to completely abandon the luxuries of road travel even as we gently steer towards the age of clean mobility. The mentality in some circles is to conquer all – speed, style, comfort and sustainability. The Range Rover PHEV P400e is a move forward to all this. The first plug-in hybrid electric offering for Land Rover’s pinnacle product has genuine 4x4 all-terrain skills in a handsomely familiar package; it offers transport in comfort, and is powered by technology that will not harm the planet too much.

We have come to the Cotswolds to put this latest product to the test. The drive begins in a suitably messy fashion on the grounds of Blenheim Castle as we take the car off-road through deep mud, wade through the estate’s picturesque lake emerging intact, then hit snaky local roads and onto the smooth fast motorway. The Range Rover PHEV (the PHEV stands for plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) performs with great ease, seamlessly adapting to each scenario. In the real world, the Range Rover is highly unlikely to be put through such extremes, yet the luxury is in knowing that it can.

The 2018 Range Rover has been given a subtle facelift while the cabin is re-imagined to be more technological and luxurious. This is partly due to the likes of the Bentley Bentayga, new luxury SUV that have effectively raised the bar. So, the seats are now softer, foamier, noticeably wider with a message menu on tap and configurable in 24-ways via tactile metal elements mounted inside the doors instead of by the seats. It takes a few minutes to adjust to the new layout but once mastered, the armchair size soft leather seats, which can also be upholstered in Kvadrat wool, offer a perfectly commanding driving position. The rear seats, formally specified either as a fixed bench or two seats with a static centre console, are now modular, transforming from single bench to two seats which can now be flattened for an expansive luggage compartment.

This hybrid car is one of the many engine options offered with the 2018 Range Rover model range. The technology borrows from the new Range Rover Sport PHEV pairing a 2.0 litre four-cylinder petrol engine with a 116 PS (85 kW) electric motor so 404 PS (297 kW) of power is available through the permanent four-wheel drive system for a maximum speed of 137 mph and zero to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds. The battery-pack sits neatly beneath the boot for an electric-only range of up to 31 miles and full charge in 2 hours 45 minutes through a dock neatly hidden behind the Range Rover badge on the grille.

Driver settings are adjusted digitally and displayed clearly on the twin 10-inch Touch Pro Duo interface (as tested on the Range Rover Velar). It becomes a bit of a game playing around with the electric power, seeing how far we can push the battery while observing the green technology graphically animate on the screen. Much of the two days are spent driving in regular combustion engine mode, but had we been in a congested urban environment, the optional electric power would have come in handy. To alert other road users, the Range Rover has also been given a subtle electric drive sound that cannot be heard internally but will alert pedestrians – a note, we are told, that is also detectable by guide dogs for the blind.

The Range Rover is the architype luxury 4x4. Since the first model was introduced in 1970, it has been re-invented only four times – the classic recognisable shape and the driving promise the Range Rover offers have remained consistent. The world though has evolved quite dramatically since the last re-design six years ago, especially when it comes to sustainable mobility and our expectations of luxury, and the hybrid PHEV does feel like the right Range Rover for 2018.

INFORMATION

Range Rover PHEV hybrid, from £86,965. For more information, visit the Land Rover website

Few cars embody the evolution of contemporary car design better than the Range Rover Velar. Unveiled fully formed, not previewed by a concept or teased for 18 months, the Velar is a premium SUV with the cultural cachet and aesthetic sensibility of a high-end smartphone. Although in the strict financial hierarchy of Range Rover models, the Velar sits comfortably in the middle, the car’s extremely chic, svelte and smooth appearance effectively trumps the rather more gauche and brutish charms of its near rival, the Range Rover Sport.

Gerry McGovern, the company’s well-tailored design boss, has made much capital of a design-led model strategy, setting out a compelling case for desirability being the pathway to profit. The Velar is spiritually close to the original Evoque, the fashionably svelte urban SUV that helped transform JLR’s fortunes when it was launched in 2011. Hefty investment, canny model positioning and that ever-important emphasis on design has kept the company buoyant ever since. But with a new Evoque and flagship Range Rover due soon, is the magic of design starting to wear rather thin? There’s also the new two-door model, a mountain-conquering luxury coupe/SUV/crossover that’ll predictably have buyers clamouring from Moscow to Manhattan thanks to its strictly limited production run of 999.

Range Rover recently installed a few new engines into its design flagship, the Velar. One of our familiar laments is that cars are getting larger, and the Velar doesn’t scrimp on size. Yet driving around what passes for rush hour in northern Norway, in between being distracted by helicopter trips to Michelin-starred island restaurants, on the Velar’s launch is a very different prospect to two weeks of urban ownership in the traffic-choked UK. Our recent experience was mostly on road rather than off, although the Velar casually ploughed a meaty furrow as it surmounted a steep, muddy grass verge, conditions that would have stranded most other vehicles. It also meant learning to love (and judge) the sheer physical size of this machine along narrow urban roads.

Although our recent drive was undertaken before the new engines arrived, the model Wallpaper* borrowed, the R-Dynamic HSE D300, still sits at the top of the line. It delivered plenty of power, with huge wheels that made the most of the car’s seamless bodywork (with its pop-out door handles and millimetre-perfect panel gaps) and a lavishly trimmed interior, replete with two touch screens and an agreeably logical interface. A word of warning – you have to be very careful how you kit out this car. Just a few streets away there’s a humble base model with the default option of 18” 15-spoke wheels. Set against the smooth cliffs of the Velar’s flanks, the standard wheels (which are still not exactly small) look lost in the wheel arches, and the car’s carefully conceived system of proportion collapses. With 21” or 22” wheels the car is transformed into a sleekly desirable object.

These aren’t the only wrinkles in the Velar’s blemish-free image. Recent market wobbles induced by a combination of Brexit and diesel’s sudden catastrophic reputation have led to the first perceptible dip in JLR production for years – the company is certainly not alone in this respect. But with rival Porsche just announcing they would be abandoning diesel power altogether, the winds of change are rapidly approaching hurricane force. JLR has invested heavily in hybrid tech and pure electric drive, and a hybrid Velar is surely in the works. Range Rover might have been first in bringing the smart lines of consumer tech to the car market, but even bigger technological challenges lie ahead.

INFORMATION

Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic HSE D300, from £70,530. For more information, visit the Land Rover website

There’s a good chance you know more about the new Range Rover Velar than you think. Sometimes, actually sampling a car doesn’t tell you very much more about it than you already knew. Instead, one can turn to the words, pictures and general cultural stew that swirls around it – most especially during the fevered period of the launch event – to get a sense of what it means to its designers and makers and what, in turn, it should mean to us.

The Velar is the fourth model in the Range Rover line up. When we previewed the car, in our April 2017 issue (see W*217), it was obvious how proud the company was of the new design language on display. In the wild, away from the artificial confines of the Land Rover design studio, it remains a handsome beast. Intended to slot in above the popular Evoque (the car that kickstarted the company’s current manufacturing and design renaissance) yet below the Range Rover Sport, it does a good job of trumping the former’s sleek looks and the latter’s muscular elegance. The Velar achieves the rare trick of making its siblings look instantly a few years out of date (which of course they are in design terms), moving the game onwards.

Buy a Velar and you won’t feel anything less than forward-thinking. Elements like the flush door handles, the smooth radii of the bodywork, the vast 23in wheels filling out great architecturally precise wheel arches and an interior awash with studiously well thought out flat screens, all contribute to this positive impression. All this information, however, can be gleaned from the press material and a cursory walk along the rows of shiny new Velars lined up on the tarmac of Norway’s Molde Airport.

You also don’t need to get behind the wheel to know that both on-road and off the Velar delivers impressive refinement. Promising nothing less than class-leading refinement and driving feel, Land-Rover’s engineering team have spent a couple of years tuning this machine to fulfil your preconceptions. It will simply perform as required. We cruised amongst Norway’s soporifically sedate traffic without ever feeling the need to push the performance envelope. Similarly, we were also directed over a short and spiky (artificial) off-road course without requiring an axle-deep yomp along the muddy banks of a fjord for confirmation of its abilities as a 4x4.

Instead, Land Rover was keen to impress upon us the Range Rover Velar’s place in the pantheon of inspirationally creative and cultured objects. It did so by lining up a short awards ceremony alongside the launch, honouring a small group of inspirationally creative and cultured people and the objects and services they had created. It was accompanied by rambling talks on the value of non-specific radical change, innovation and inspiration. Change is everywhere. So learn to embrace it. Or change yourself. Or something.

The Velar is no game-changer. It exudes quiet confidence in a slick, contemporary package. By virtue of its newness it is more appealing than many competitors – even those bearing the same badge – and that rare driver who requires the combination of refinement and raw ability will be especially rewarded. For the rest of us, it reinforces Range-Rover’s image as a supplier of objects of raw desire

INFORMATION

Range Rover Velar, from £44,830. For more information, visit the Land Rover website

It's been two years since the new generation Range Rover Sport arrived to take up a worthy support spot alongside the flagship model. The original Sport was something of a bruiser, and the new car was leaner, sleeker, swifter and far more efficient, thanks to some clever engineering and an extensive use of aluminium.

As a result, the MkII Sport has been one of several catalysts in Jaguar Land Rover's remarkable economic renaissance. You'll see this car in well-heeled districts from LA to Tokyo and all points in between. Capable of shimmying up an alarmingly steep slope or ploughing through waist high water – just like every Land Rover model – the Sport is a classic example of ability outweighing intention.

The Sport SVR turns up the wick on nearly every attribute, save for practicality. For a start, you don't get the regular car's useful seven-seat option and the inclusion of a supercharged V8 means – unsurprisingly – that fuel consumption is somewhat compromised. That's not really the point of this car; nor is the fact that the dashboard still factors Land Rover's legendary Terrain Response system, designed to help this two-tonne machine grind its way across the grimiest surfaces.

Fettled by JLR's new Special Vehicle Operations group, the SVR has been given a power boost, body kit, elaborately OTT interior trim and sharpened up handling. The end result is a machine that makes light work of high speeds – 162 mph in a Range Rover is a sobering prospect, as are the physics of getting to 60 in around 4.5 seconds. You certainly won't fail to be noticed, especially if you click the switch that opens up a sonorous valve in the quad exhaust system, rendering every gentle blip of the throttle into a seismic eruption. This kind of noise is perhaps anachronistic – and entirely manufactured – but for now they're still a key attraction of the performance car.

Does the world need the SVR? Perhaps not, but it's in good company. Mercedes built the ML63, as well as the decidedly more low-tech G63 and G500, while the BMW X5M and Porsche Cayenne Turbo S are old hands in the art of putting more power in big cars. Next year will see the arrival of the new Bentley Bentayga, so it's safe to say there's practically no limit to the ongoing appetite for high powered SUVs.

On the other side of the coin, however, is the Sport Hybrid – the yin to the SVR's yang, if you like. The Hybrid pairs a 3.0 litre diesel with a battery pack, allowing for a few miles of silent, emission-less running and the big bonus of drastically reduced fuel and emissions. Both excel at what you expect them to, performing with the kind of aplomb and efficiency that's in strict contradiction to the scale of these mighty machines.

Does the world need another 4x4? Do we need another Land Rover? The builders of these stalwart off-roaders seem to think so and the new Discovery Sport is the first shot in the second salvo of new models from the Midlands-based company. The Discovery Sport replaces the old Freelander, a car that could loosely be described as a 'small' SUV. Although it shares a fair amount of design language with its more upmarket Range Rover siblings, the Discovery Sport is intended as a rougher, tougher, more utilitarian piece of kit.

The new car was debuted in the wild hinterlands of western Iceland. Global car launches are usually theatrical affairs, combining fine empty roads, dramatic landscapes and a scattering of sleek hotels and coffee stops. Manufacturers are keen to showcase their new babies at their very best, so every detail is micro-managed and the opportunity for the unexpected is minimised. This isn't the case here. Land Rover's stagehands don't bother lurking in the wings, for the company's global expeditions team are a core part of every launch, tagging along in a fleet of specially modified vehicles drawn from the marque's storied past to ensure that getting stuck in snowdrifts is all part of the fun.

Even these unscheduled stops were rare. The Discovery Sport performed outstandingly, traversing great snowy swathes of the island across roads closed for the season due to the weather. Land Rover still make the world's best off-road cars and the confidence this instils is nothing short of invaluable. The Discovery Sport is intended to live a more outdoorsy life than the Range Rover range, which frequently find itself as elevated luxury transport for the urban elite, despite its river-fording, mountain-scaling skills.

At this juncture you just have to decide what means more; the Land Rover badge, or the Range Rover one. Both cars have a breadth of ability and practicality that belies their size. The Range Rover Sport is larger, thirstier and plusher. But the Land Rover - by dint of that name - gives off a more casual, utilitarian and less precious air. That will matter more to many, especially the country-dwelling customer base that brought the original Range Rover to prominence back in the 70s. It's no less chunkily handsome than its relatives, although there's a slight danger of the bleed between Land Rover and Range Rover becoming ever blurrier. By means of being newer, the interior trim, tech and gadgets are all a generation ahead as well.

The 'Sport' appellation mirrors its opposite number in the Range Rover stable, where prices are twice as high. It also signals the future arrival of a larger standalone Discovery model to replace its current namesake. That said, the new car is still a full seven-seater and offers flexibility enough for most. Other manufacturers might compete - the Audi Q5 or BMW X3 for example - but the Discovery Sport has a sense of solidity and class that transcends traditional brand one-upmanship. For its fans, for whom only a Land Rover will do, the Discovery Sport won't let them down.

Other car-makers must be looking enviously at Jaguar Land Rover. With buoyant sales, a rising premium image and an ever-increasing global reach, the company is currently riding high in both the business pages and the automotive press. Land Rover in particular has much to shout about. Ever since the Range Rover Evoque gave the brand a much-needed shot of design credibility, the company's factories have been working triple shifts to satisfy demand. Now the all-new Range Rover Sport has arrived, with high expectations that it'll boost sales even further.

The envy is partly due to JLR's reach. When a new car is unleashed, it's typically shown to the press in a sunny part of the world, with empty roads, azure skies and all the other elements required to show off both its technical chops and the rarefied lifestyles of the intended customer. Yet Land Rover has always been able to go one further, thanks to the insanely broad capabilities of their products. Having given the new Range Rover a thorough workout in the Atlas Mountains last winter, the company stayed local for the slightly smaller, slightly less luxurious Sport, hosting an event in Wales and the Cotswolds to showcase the car revealed back at the start of the year.

It worked to perfection. Whether sweeping across the Brecon Beacons, diving nose-first into muddy rivers or - in a set piece dreamt up by Land Rover's enterprising Special Vehicle Operations team - clambering up a steep ramp and squeezing through the gutted fuselage of a decommissioned 747, the Sport proved itself to be almost beyond reproach. The company admits that most owners rarely forge anything deeper than a puddle, but emphasises that they like to know the car's capabilities are there, perhaps in the event of some unforeseen cataclysm.

Inside, survivalism is very much not the name of the game. The steady march ever further upmarket has been accelerated by the Sport's plush 7-seater cabin, given a slightly 'less is more' treatment by the deliberate omission of as many extraneous buttons as possible. The company's pioneering terrain selector dial sits just below the gear stick, with each click offering up a stylised pictogram of the terrain you'll be traversing; it's sufficiently exotic to know your steed can plough unhindered through thick snow, desert sand or a rocky landscape, even if you're sat in a multi-storey car park in Miami. In practice, off-roading is a cinch, with only judicious dabs of the throttle needed to take this machine up practically any incline (it also helps to have a weathered member of the SVO team telling you where to point the wheels). It's incongruous to be sitting in leather-lined luxury while the dashboard gives you a graphic representation of the water level rising around you.  

The original Sport was a financial home run for the company. Reputedly the most profitable vehicle in then owners Ford's entire global line-up, it broadened the appeal of the brand without doing a great deal for its design credibility. Solid, squareish and pugnacious, the Sport rapidly garnered a rather thuggish image, becoming associated with urban grit rather than Gloucestershire mud. The new car is a classier act, taking its cues from both the big Range Rover and the smaller Evoque, sharing the latter's slightly squished stance and the former's granite-hewn facades. The result is very successful: a handsome, four-square machine with a purposeful sense of function and a welcome absence of aggression.

Range Rover is now all about design. The Evoque's success effectively gave the car's creator Gerry McGovern a seat on the board, as well as the Jony Ive-esque title of Chief Creative Officer and virtual carte blanche to whip the firm's formidable engineering department into shape and dictate precisely how its products appear. As McGovern himself admits, getting Range Rover sorted into three distinct and desirable products is just the start of the company's journey. Next up comes a reworking of the formidable Land-Rover Discovery, to be followed by the toughest nut of all, the new Defender, a car that has to hint at sixty-five years of history without being crushed by weight of tradition. Investment, however, won't be a problem. With predicted sales curves so steep that even the Sport itself would struggle to ascend them, JLR should continue to forge ahead.

With last week's unveiling of the new generation Sport, Range Rover has secured a unique place between the design and automotive worlds. The new car, which made its debut at the New York Auto Show, is touted to be the fastest and most responsive vehicle in the Range Rover family, while still making good on all the on-road dynamics and multi-faceted capability that we've come to expect.

'We're in the process of creating a whole new generation of vehicles,' said Gerry McGovern, the design director for Range Rover and Land Rover. 'For me the original Range Rover is about formality, it's presidential. It's above everything and when you sit in it, it's almost like sitting on a throne. Range Rover Sport is a more suited to the younger crowd, probably by about 10 years.'

Despite boasting a new high strength aluminum unibody, the Range Rover Sport is actually 800 lbs lighter than its predecessors and decidedly more agile. The car is 191 inches long (actually smaller than many mid-sized sedans, despite its imposing appearance) and as a result the vehicle not only takes up fewer resources to manufacture, but is also able to stop quicker and run more efficiently on a smaller range of engines.

The original Sport was fun to drive but not really a looker - spoiled by awkward proportions and a brusque, brutish image. The new car is a marked improvement, bringing engineering and design together in one happy union, tempering the naked aggression of that cliff-like front visage with elegant lines, a dramatic silhouette and a falling, panoramic roof. Inside, the update runs to a more minimalist dashboard, the company's latest and greatest off-road tech - better able to handle all types of terrain conditions, with increased ground clearance and improved wading depth.

Just as the new Range Rover is a luxury limousine that doubles up as a true go-anywhere vehicle, so the Sport handles its dualist character with aplomb. It promises a real turn of speed and dynamics, together with a sohpsticated interior and all the off-road ability you'll ever need.

'We've taken a fresh approach to functionality,' explained McGovern, 'With us it's that killer combination: great compelling design that resonates on an emotional level, combined with that engineering capability. That's what differentiates us in the marketplace.'

When the new Range Rover was unveiled a couple of months ago, the official line was that the car performed as well as it looked, losing none of the model's fabled go-anywhere ability in its drive to the upper end of the car market. Having now helmed this impressive beast on a range of different terrains in the Moroccan countryside, we can confirm that the company is right.
 
The Range Rover's ability to switch from near-silent running along Marrakech's relatively new highway system to plugging through a boulder-strewn riverbed, with fast-running muddy water reaching up and over the car's expansive bonnet, is remarkable. It's true that no one makes featherweight SUVs, but these critics are of course missing the point: a Range Rover represents embodied potential, an inherent ability that forms a sort of unconscious cushion between you and the world.
 
Long considered the doyenne of all so-called 'luxury' SUVs, the original Range Rover forged the market segment that is now the most prominent - and profitable - of all car types. Along the way it's had to weather environmental opposition, changes of company ownership and the introduction of a swathe of competent rivals.
 
The Range Rover really came of age during the company's short period of BMW ownership, when the German giant put its design and engineering knowhow into the third generation model introduced in 2002. A step change in design and quality, the L322 fused classical proportions with titanic competence. This Range Rover was enhanced and upgraded to remain at the very top of its class, and by the time of Land Rover's eventual acquisition by Tata in 2008, forming Jaguar Land Rover, it remained a force to be reckoned with. Only now there were funds to develop a suitable replacement.
 
Fast forward to 2012 and the new car's three-year development is complete. All new from the ground up, the fourth-generation Range Rover, the L405, was styled by a team led by design director Gerry McGovern. The official line behind the new model's familiar-but-different family likeness is that it is an explicit reference to the brand's heritage, most notably a synthesis of the original car and the latest generation. And it's true: the Range Rover is an obvious evolution of its predecessor, with an added crispness of line derived from the angular purity of the original 1970 model.
 
Morocco offered the company a perfect location, with modern highways and busy cities that co-exist with dramatic scenery and proper off-roading terrain. Hence for nearly two months in late 2012, a sizeable contingent of auto journalists descended on Essaouira for a true Range Rover experience. Although the car's extreme duality might not be very representative of most owners' daily commutes, there's no doubting Land Rover has achieved what it set out to do and built a genuine luxury off-roader.
 
There are two major factors at play: the car has been engineered to save weight and designed to increase space. An all-aluminium unitary body trims the car's base weight by as much as 400kg over its predecessor, while clever rejigging of the wheelbase and interior programme gives rear-seat passengers much more legroom, even though the overall length is up by just a few millimetres.
 
In profile, the new car is a little sleeker than before. It has a lower glasshouse and a more rakish feel, generated by kicked-back headlights and taillights that 'bleed' around the corner down the flank to counter the bluff, architectural appearance of earlier models. Rippled vent details at the leading edge of the doors soften the bluff sides, while the rear window slopes slightly more steeply than before. Inside, the acclaimed dashboard of the L322 has been built upon and improved, with high-quality materials, fewer buttons and that high, high driving position. The latter rewards you with a clear view over the car, hedgerow or barrier ahead, an insight into road, route and driver behaviour that fast becomes extremely addictive.
 
Perhaps that's the point of any form of transportation that extends beyond the purely functional. But most importantly for Range Rover, the L405 shows the brand staking its place in the true luxury market. The previous model only reached a six-figure price tag when it was dressed up as the strictly limited-edition Range Rover Autobiography Ultimate, awash with teak and aluminium trimmings and iPads. The new car starts at a much higher price point, from just over £71,000 for the 'base' model (a 3.0 diesel V6), rising to £98,000 for the big 5.0-litre supercharged V8. A hybrid will follow, along with more lavish trim and bodywork options.

Even the base model can compete with the most lavish limousines from Bentley, Mercedes and others, although the added horsepower of the V8 models is welcome. And even though crunching down a long gravel drive might be the toughest terrain you'll ever see, we took the Range Rover along steep gulleys, across rivers and up slopes - and it didn't break stride (even with two flat front tyres, it still ploughed through a deep river bed).
 
There's a steely solidity beneath this car, yet it's also finely wrought, almost as if it had been hewn from a single billet of aluminium. There's also a sympathy with modernist ideals in the bodywork's purity of line and 'less is more' sensibility. In an age when car design is getting more complex and ever fussier, the L405 is a refreshing return to simplicity. In fact, like the car itself, you'll find it hard to complain about anything at all.

It's hard to understate the importance of this car. The fourth generation Range Rover marks the brand's irreversible shift into high gear and high style, finally cementing the iconic car's status as a true piece of luxury design.

The original Range Rover, launched in 1970, wasn't the world's first upmarket 4x4. However, it was the most influential, evolving slowly and graceful over three iterations to a position of unassailable superiority. Imitators came in their droves but it wasn't until the 90s that the market for luxury SUVs really started to take off as car-makers saw the serious profits to be made in building high and mighty. With popularity came a backlash, however, and the sheer size and inefficiency of the 4x4 made the vehicles a target for any number of grievances.

Designers and engineers have learnt fast. To make any kind of major impact, a new SUV needs to represent a quantum leap forward from its predecessor, slashing weight and improving efficiency, all without sacrificing the qualities of space, high-riding driving position and - in some cases - off-road ability.

The new Range Rover comes wrapped in a swathe of weight-saving data, so eager are its creators to demonstrate the many and varied ways it improves upon the past. The most critical stat is kilograms shed; this is not a small car, and the sybaritic stylings of its increasingly upper class clientele aren't exactly light on the pocket. So in order to up the ante on interior quality while also cutting curb weight, Land-Rover's engineers started with a clean sheet of aluminium, fashioning the bluff, architectural bodywork into a machine with solidity and strength while also saving an incredible 420kg over the outgoing model.

The design team, led by Gerry McGovern, have done a fine job of continuing the Range Rover line, retaining and refining the elements that made the car so recognisable while adding a modicum of sleekness.

The car is more rakish than Range Rovers of old, with a shallower glasshouse and swept-back front and rear lights. Inside, the cabin also builds upon the firm groundwork of the third generation machine to create a solid, almost nautical, appearance, defined by high quality materials, simple switchgear and a renewed focus on the space and amenities in the rear cabin.

Range Rover is now a truly luxurious car. While the original was never a strict utilitarian vehicle like contemporary Land-Rovers, the decades have seen the model march relentlessly upmarket, culminating in the latest machine.

It's highly likely the top spec cars will crest six figures when sales start in the new year, taking Land-Rover into uncharted territory, head to head with new rivals like Rolls-Royce. It goes without saying, however, that even with an abundance of leather, wood and craftsmanship, the Range Rover will still be a consummate off-road performer. We'll report back in due course once we've sampled the car.

The most critical stat is kilograms shed: in order to up the ante on interior quality while also cutting curb weight, Land-Rover's engineers started with a clean sheet of aluminium, fashioning the bluff, architectural bodywork into a machine with solidity and strength while also saving an incredible 420kg over the outgoing model

The design team, led by Gerry McGovern, have done a fine job of continuing the Range Rover line, retaining and refining the elements that made the car so recognisable while adding a modicum of sleekness

Inside, the cabin also builds upon the firm groundwork of the third generation machine to create a solid, almost nautical, appearance, defined by high quality materials...

BMW i8 Concept Spyder

Beijing witnessed the unveiling of a drop-top version of BMW's already acclaimed i8 hybrid electric supercar as the brand prepared the public for the imminent launch of its electric 'i' sub-brand in 2013. The third i-based concept is a two-seater open-top closely based on the i8 hardtop coupe, but adds dramatic scissor-doors and a pair of electric scooters under the transparent tailgate while taking away two seats through a shortened wheelbase. BMW promises 354hp, a 5.0-second 0-62mph time and 94mpg from the carbon-fibre masterpiece

If size equals power then the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition is now arguably the most important car exhibition in the world.

Last year's Frankfurt Motor Show might have offered more global unveils, but Beijing Auto, open to the public for six days last week, had the most vehicles on display with 1,125 to Frankfurt's 1,012. And while China's position as the world's biggest car market relies on millions of cut-price minivans and budget saloons, it has also become crucial for the financial stability of upmarket Western car brands. The country is now Ferrari's second largest market and Bentley's biggest: sales of the British marque soared by 85 percent in the first quarter of 2012 alone.

Unsurprisingly then, Beijing Auto - which alternates with a similar event in Shanghai every other year - attracts the most international interest. The 2012 expo is another crucial marketing (and sales) opportunity for Western brands to present their latest products to Chinese consumers. It also provides a shop window for domestic Chinese car brands preparing to export their latest models to more mature Western markets.

The Beijing International Exhibition Centre's 230,000sq m space played host to 120 global unveils, including a Lamborghini luxury SUV concept, the Mercedes Concept Style Coupe (a svelte four-door previewing the CLA production car that will hope to emulate the success of its bigger CLS brother) and a special-edition Range Rover Evoque by Victoria Beckham. Out of the 100-plus world firsts, here is Wallpaper's 2012 Beijing Auto Show top ten.

Citroen DS Numero 9 concept

This beautiful shooting brake-style hatchback heralds the new face of Citroen's upmarket and successful DS sub-brand. Chalking up 200,000 sales in two years with the DS3, DS4 and DS5, Citroen announced in Beijing that another three models are on their way - an SUV and two saloons - and that the Numero 9 concept would inform their styling. Despite the car's large proportions - it's 4.93m long with a 3m wheelbase - the concept's plug-in hybrid powertrain is said to be good for 295hp, 166mpg and 39g/km of CO2. Citroen should make it

Chery @Ant concept

Information on Beijing Auto's most convincing far-future concept from a Chinese domestic brand was sparse, but the Chery @Ant suggests a scissor-doored pair of vehicles able to dock with each other and travel in an energy-saving car-train style. File this particular concept under 'ambitious but unlikely', but don't underestimate Chery overall: despite its young age (it was founded in 1997), it has just signed a joint venture to manufacture Jaguars and Land Rovers in China

FAW Hongqi L9

The L9 represents an unashamed exercise in Chinese retro-car design, harking back to the Hongqi limousines of the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s that used to ferry Chinese officials and their visiting dignitaries. FAW (First Auto Works) is the company behind the original limo and now makes the less standout Hongqi HQ3 limo, as well as joint ventures with Mazda, Ford, Toyota and VW

Geely Englon SC7-RV

Owners of the London Taxi Company and more recently Volvo, Geely recently installed ex-Ford and Volvo design master Peter Horbury as the group's creative boss. Thus the company is another one to watch. Its new Englon SC7-RV has a particularly provocative 'London cab in a fat suit' styling

Lamborghini Urus

Big and sporty 600hp SUV concept it may be, but Lamborghini has also set out its stall to make the production version, 'beat all comparable competitors when it comes to CO2 emissions'. Not a phrase formally associated with the brash Italian brand but welcome all the same. Expect a lot of lightweight carbon fibre on the showroom model, due circa 2015, to help achieve that laudable aim. And expect the SUV - by dint of being able to house four people and their luggage comfortably - to quickly become its bestseller. Indeed, Lamborghini says it could move 3,000 units per year, nearly trebling recent total annual sales

Great Wall Haval E concept

Another scissor-doored electric wondercar comes courtesy of Chinese manufacturer Great Wall. The concept is based on Great Wall's existing top-selling Haval SUV. And the brand, which sold nearly 400,000 vehicles in 2010, will this year launch into Western markets like the UK - albeit with a more mundane budget pick-up. Still, GW is one to watch

Mercedes Concept Style Coupe

This concept made big headlines in Beijing for its clean lines and the news that some 90 percent of its features are due to remain on the production model. Formally confirmed as the CLA at the press conference, it is set for a mid-2013 on-sale date. As Mercedes' exterior designer Mark Fetherston told Wallpaper*: 'The CSC is more similar to the production car than the Concept A was to the A-Class. It's very, very close. The concept's wheels are bigger and details like the wing mirrors and door handles will change, but essentially this is the production car'

MG Icon

This MG concept evidently has the thoroughly modern Nissan Juke small crossover in its design sights while its front face also gives a nod to the past - as well as the MGB sportscar that celebrates its 50th birthday this year. Now that the marque is owned by Chinese 'big four' player SAIC Motor Corporation, don't be surprised if a toned-down version of this concept makes production in a few years for both China and the UK

Range Rover Evoque Victoria Beckham edition

Real rose-gold plating on the grille of a Range Rover will no doubt offend diehard off-roaders, but then they wouldn't buy the largely on-road-focused Evoque anyway. This fashion flourish aside, Victoria Beckham's first auto-branding exercise is more assured than most fashion-auto collaborations, featuring a slick matt finish, black alloys and less-is-more clear rear lights that light up red only when braking. Inside, baseball-glove stitching on semi-aniline leather seats exudes quality and soft mohair carpet-mats feel good enough to take off your shoes for. And you won't find a Beckham logo anywhere, although each customer gets a hand-signed 'care book' to match the bespoke luggage set. VB clearly wants the car to stay subtle - and, at £79,995 and limited to 200 units worldwide, exclusive

'Form follows function' is a dictum that rarely troubles the mind of the car buyer: brand image has comprehensively trumped the actual abilities of the product wearing the badge. As a result, carmakers are dreaming up new ways of showcasing their strengths. Land Rover has more strengths than most. Although the company has shifted owners and stance over the decade, the underpinnings of these titanic 4x4s has always been engineered with off-road ability in mind, from the agricultural and characterful Defender right up to the flagship Range Rover (a replacement for which is due imminently).

The company's cars have become icons of go-anywhere ruggedness, from military service to relief work, muddy trans-continental jaunts or hill farming in Snowdonia. Yet rapid expansion and a shift upmarket, not to mention the introduction of new, rather more 'lifestyle' orientated products like the Evoque, has rather dulled the perception of all this rugged derring-do.

So the company has dreamt up a few ways of keeping well-heeled customers entertained, a snowy jaunt that fuses cultural tourism with axle-deep forays into the white stuff. We sampled this new Range Rover Experience in Finland, about 100km north of Helsinki, in the depths of winter, where Jaguar Land-Rover had laid on a smorgasbord of their very latest models, thick fleece jackets and pre-programmed satnavs to take us into the heart of the woods.

The Nordic Adventure fuses fine dining with rutted, snowy tracks, local culture with 360 degree spin outs on an icy track and upscale accommodation of both the four-wheeled and the four-postered kind.

The introduction of the very first Freelander, back in 1997, saw Land Rover roll out its new Hill Descent Control technology, an automated system that controls braking automatically to make steep descents safe and steady. Over the years, HDC has evolved into a whole raft of terrain-crunching technology, allowing the company's 4x4s to effortlessly chew their way through a variety of different landscapes, from snow to sand to gravel and mud.

We'd already experienced this breadth of abilities at the small proving ground adjacent to the JLR facility at Gaydon in Warwickshire, where alarming angles of ascent and descent and deep water proved no obstacle. Swapping muddy Warwickshire for rutted Finnish forest track was also a breeze; it helped that we were warmly ensconced in the rich leather interior of the 2012 model Range Rover.

The track led to a sizeable clearing, where Land Rover's events team had carved out several courses - slalom, a small handling circuit and a bowl, with acres of fresh virgin snow available to plough through. The full suite of Land Rover products was on hand, from the new five-door Evoque through to the Freelander, Discovery, Range Rover Sport, and Range Rover, with a pair of Jaguar XKR-S's to sample the combination of very high power and very slippery surfaces.

The main aim of the session is to demonstrate just how much the modern car can automatically shift power and braking to keep it on course, even when the elements are stacked against it. Given the undeniable heft of the Land Rover line-up, these displays of physical agility were all the more remarkable, even if it was rather more fun to turn off the traction control and fling two tons of leather, wood, aluminium and steel in a graceful arc across a great expanse of snowy nothingness.

While the Jags were dedicated to giving participants a gentle introduction into the art of controlled drifting, the 4x4s were having the most fun, scything around the handling circuit and throwing up great clouds of powder with every small error. JLR even laid on two unique Defender 'Bigfoots', custom-built in Land-Rover's Special Projects Division for off-road recovery. These well-travelled beasts run on enormous tyres, enabling them to power their way through the deepest snow (but are not the sort of thing that translate well to a Californian or Chinese commute).

The Nordic Adventure isn't just about the snow-bashing. JLR have arranged everything, from accommodation in Fiskars Wärdshus, Finland's oldest hotel, to dinners, lunches and excursions in and around the capital. Future experience plans will focus on Tanzania, as the company gears up to recreate the glory days of around the world adventuring. While the full-on Finnish experience isn't for everyone, LR offers small 'experiences' at a number of specialist driving centres around the world - check the website for details.

The full suite of Land Rover products was on hand, from the new five-door Evoque through to the Freelander, Discovery, Range Rover Sport, and Range Rover, with a pair of Jaguar XKR-S's to sample the combination of very high power and very slippery surfaces