Here’s another chance to gawp at the new 2012 Range Rover, codenamed L405. Our spies in the West Midlands have caught the new luxury SUV on test near Land Rover’s Gaydon HQ.
These spy shots confirm the new Range Rover will retain the upright aesthetic that’s defined it for these past 40 years. Contrary to earlier comments posted, this is definitely the new 2012 Range Rover and not the Range Rover Sport.
You can’t see much of the new Range Rover through that disguise!
Yes, Land Rover has quite effectively blockaded the style of the new RR with this new zebra-stripe camouflage. They’re actually quite proud of the new disguise, which is replacing the psychedelic swirl favoured by the likes of BMW.
The new 2012 Range Rover is being engineered to use plenty of Jaguar’s aluminium know-how. The group has real expertise in this lightweight material, giving it an advantage that has hitherto been largely untapped by Land Rover.
Although the exact kerbweight of the new Range is unknown, insiders talk of a diet programme that has lopped as much as 20% off the luxury 4×4’s kerbweight.
That would bring the mass tumbling from some 2.8 tonnes down to somewhere just north of 2000kg. Yet the new Range Rover is bigger than before, with a considerable stretch in the rear passenger and boot compartment to boost space for bodies and bags.
The Range Rover hybrid
The 2012 Range Rover will be the first Land Rover model to offer a hybrid drivetrain. Although not expected at launch, it will mate existing JLR group petrol and diesel engines with electric motors.
A plug-in option has also been confirmed to CAR by engineers. The ultimate goal is to allow all those Range Rovers you see in central London to creep around silently for 10-20 miles, removing the social stigma of driving such large SUVs in central areas.
But most Range Rovers will still use the known TDV8 and V8 diesel and petrol engines. Expect to see more clear water between the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport this time too.