The 2022 Range Rover exterior changes we got our first look at last week. Even with the benefit of having seen those pics, we’d forgive you for missing the detail changes that mark out the new one. At the front there are new headlights, a shallower grille and a simpler, rectangular lower air intake at the base of the bumper. The profile is also barely tweaked, but you might spot the flush door handles and revised gills at the leading edge of the front doors. Land Rover is obviously taking the kind of careful evolutionary approach to design Porsche has adopted with the 911, and we can understand that, but even the bolder rear styling, with its slim upright lamp units that merge into a horizontal black panel below the rear window undersells how much more advanced the new Range Rover is compared with the old one below the surface.
In terms of size, the base new car has
grown slightly, as have its biggest available wheels – to 23 inches. Overall
length is up from 5000 mm to 5052 mm, with the
LWB adding an extra 200 mm, as before. That’s not all crash
structure, either: the wheelbase has actually stretched by 75 mm. The
2022 Range Rover is built around Land Rover’s new MLA-Flex architecture, which
gives the company’s flagship the ability to accommodate ICE, PHEV and EV
powertrains, though not all will be available from launch.
In the U.S. the initial choice will be a
simple one between six and eight cylinders, the six being JLR’s P400
mild-hybrid turbocharged 3.0-liter Ingenium inline six familiar from last
year’s car. Here, it makes the same 395 hp and 406 lb-ft as before, and scoots
the entry-level Rangie to 96 km/h in 5.5 seconds (5.8 seconds to 100
km/h). More interesting is the meatier P530 V8 upgrade. Pilfered from
BMW’s X7 M50i, though Land Rover makes no mention of this in its press
material, the 4.4-liter twin-turbo motor is available in one single
configuration that sends 523 hp and 553 lb-ft to all four wheels through a ZF
eight-speed automatic transmission. That’s good for 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds
(4.6 seconds to 100 km/h). European buyers also get the option of 296 hp D300
and 345 hp D350 3.0-liter six-cylinder diesels, but oil burners make no
appearance in the U.S. lineup this time around. The little guy delivers 479
lb-ft and needs an unimpressive 6.5 seconds to reach 60 mph (6.9 seconds to 100
km/h), so unless your local traffic cops have a vendetta against you we’d
probably recommend upgrading: the 345 hp version’s extra 37 lb-ft slashes the
60 mph sprint time to 5.8 seconds (6.1 seconds to 100 km/h).
We still don’t know too much about the
full EV version of the Range Rover other than it lands in time for the 2024
model year, but we do finally have some details on LR’s plug-in hybrid
offerings. Last time out there was only one: an electrically-assisted
four-cylinder with a combined 398 hp and pretty feeble 48 km electric
range. Now there are two, and they offer up to 100 km)of
emissions-free driving, which Land Rover promises equals 80
km. Both Range Rover PHEVs pair the Ingenium inline six with 38.2 kWh battery
and a 105 kW electric motor mounted in the transmission. But while the base
P440e makes a combined 434 hp, the P510e starts with a more powerful 395 hp
version of the ICE motor that serves up a total of 503 hp by the time the
electric horses have been factored in. Land Rover says the P510e can hit 60 mph
in 5.3 seconds (5.6 to 100 km/h).
Two interesting points to note here are
that the P510e powertrain is not mentioned by Land Rover North America, which
won’t be offering a PHEV at all until the 2023 model year, and in Europe the
P510e is only available on the short-wheelbase models. And if you want seven
seats on your long-wheelbase Rangie, even the P440e PHEV is off the menu. While
some of Land Rover’s less expensive cars are available with two-wheel drive, as
the standard bearer for the brand the big dog comes standard with all-wheel
drive. It’s not always active, however, the front axle disconnecting between 21
mph and 100 mph except in near-freezing temperatures and when traction is
limited.
The system can be configured to suit
different conditions via the Terrain Response controller. Also standard is an
active rear differential to help in the rough, plus rear-wheel steering, which
could be useful when off-roading, but whose real purpose is to make the Range
Rover more maneuverable in town. Land Rover says the Range Rover’s rear-wheel
steering system can provide 7 degrees of steering angle at low speeds to give
the newcomer a turning circle of 11 m, the smallest of any car in the
company’s line-up. At higher speeds the rear wheels turn the same direction as
the fronts to add stability. Air springs, which have been a Range rover feature
since ’92, make a return and are mated with adaptive dampers. But this time
they’re teamed with 48v electronic roll control, the kind of system that’s been
fitted to rival SUVs before, but makes its LR debut here. The suspension even
uses navigation data to “read” the road ahead and prime the chassis hardware
for curves.
We’ve no doubt the new Range Rover can
hold its own off road, just like the Defender can, and the 900 mm wading depth should be more than most sane people need. But it definitely feels
like Land Rover is embracing the reality that this is a luxury car that happens
to be an SUV rather than the other way around, and has put its energy into
making it great on the road. A four-tier trim lineup consisting of SE, HSE,
Autobiography and First Edition makes buying a 2022 Range Rover fairly
straightforward, provided you’ve got access to US$ 104,000/£ 98,000. That’s how
much you’ll pay for the entry-level SWB SE paired with the mild-hybrid six,
though Brits have the option of saving £ 3600 by swapping out the gas motor for
the D300 diesel.
Sticking with SE trim and the Ingenium
six, but upgrading to seven seats and the LWB body, adds US$ 6,000/£ 5,200, the
cheapest V8 costs US$ 118,700 (or a steep £ 129,300 in the UK because it’s only
available on Autobiography and up), and a fancy First Edition long wheelbase
model will set you back US$ 163,500/£ 137,800. Prices for the PHEV are still to be
confirmed. The 2022 Range Rover is available to order now with European
deliveries beginning slightly earlier than those in the U.S, which kick off
next spring. That means the old car will temporarily remain on sale in North
America as a 2022 model, potentially causing a world of confusion.