CaravanAnd4WD.com

Being from the Quality Assurance Sector of the Automotive Industry, I'm feeling the pain of the current economic crisis. I also get to hear all the odds & sods from most of the OEM's, in this beautiful country I also get to see all of the new contenders as they are being sent to our shore's.
I am a subscriber of an Mag which comes to me Bi Monthly & has all sorts of Pilot information from all 4by Contenders like the up n coming Scorpio & Thar from India
Most of you would of seen the Ute from China named Great Wall. Behold the New Kids on the Block due to hit our shores.

MAHINDRA hopes to add a second tier to its product line-up in Australia by early
next year when its Pik-Up utility range is expected to be joined by the closely related
Scorpio SUV, which features state-of-the-art technology such as idle-stop in the Indian
market.
Mahindra Automotive Australia CEO Claire Tynan told Go Automotive last week that a
fi rm arrival date for Scorpio was too far off to confirm, but said January 2010 was the
target.

“We’re hoping to bring the Scorpio in at the very beginning of next year,” she said.
“That can go up and down. This particular product (the Pik-Up) was four months late
due to Xylo demand in India, (but Scorpio will arrive in) the first half.”
The Scorpio shares much of its hardware with the Pik-Up ute, except for engines.
The Scorpio’s 2.2-litre common-rail turbodiesel ‘mHawk’ engine develops 87kW of
power at 4000rpm and 290Nm of torque from 1800-2800rpm. Mahindra claims that
it furnishes Scorpio with a 0-60km/h figure of 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 150km/h.
The engine idle-stop feature saves up to 10 per cent in fuel consumption, according
to Mahindra.
A five-speed manual is standard with a six-speed auto option, and either 2WD or
4WD is available in India. The suspension is fully independent with coil springs (2WD)/
torsion bar springs (4WD) at the front and coil springs at the rear. Brakes are discs at
the front and drums at the rear.
Four domestic market models are offered, but Ms Tynan said local specification was
undecided.
“Realistically, we can bring it in several different configurations,” she said. “That’s
what we’re going through at the moment – six-seater, seven-seater, eight-seater. We’ve
got to decide what’s best for our market.
It’s really the family troop carrier perse, because that’s what it’s built for.
“We’ve got an evaluation vehicle we’re bringing in, in the next couple of months.”
Unlike the Pik-Up, which has been focused primarily on rural buyers, the Scorpio will
be aimed at urban buyers.
As for Xylo, a Toyota-based peoplemover that went on sale in India four
months ago, Ms Tynan said the company was waiting on the federal government to
announce an implementation date for the Euro V emissions standard.
Another Mahindra that will soon be considered for Australia is the Thar – a
military-style, two-door 4WD. Sorta looks like the Jeep
According to Mahindra & Mahindra’s executive vice-president of international
operations (automotive sector) Pravin Shah, the Thar is due for imminent launch in
Europe and South Africa. Previewed at the Bologna motor show in 2008 as the off-road

Thar Concept, the production Thar looks suspiciously like a rehash of Mahindra’s
military 4WD vehicle that has been part of Mahindra’s model line since 1945, and
which we last saw as the Bushman, powered by a Peugeot diesel, in the late 1980s.
While the Thar is not as ‘new’ as one might hope, the four-seat 4WD does have a
common-rail turbo-diesel engine.
Mr Shah said Thar was being considered for Australia, but Mahindra needed to spend
more time engineering it to meet Australian Design Rules (ADRs).
“We didn’t know this product would have some niche requirements for Australia
and some other places – this wasn’t in the plan,” he said. “We didn’t want to delay our
product launch plans for the markets for which we have developed it.
“In three to six months, we should be looking at how quickly we gain ground and
understand the gaps with reference to ADRs to make that vehicle available for this market.”
Mr Shah said this entry-level model would be aimed at young buyers on a budget. “We
are looking for young yuppies on a budget, but who want recreation, who have need of a
product with an open top,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Indian company is researching alternative fuels, and has
previewed biofuel and mild hybrid versions of the Scorpio. However, Mr Shah cautioned
that these technologies would not necessarily be released to the public.

MAHINDRA Automotive Australia (MAA) has unveiled a facelifted Pik-Up utility that
the company believes will achieve a fourstar crash-test rating – up from the previous
model’s two stars – to equal the scores of the two safest utes in the class, the Mitsubishi
Triton 4x4 and Toyota HiLux 4x2/4x4.
While the Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) is yet to test the new
Pik-Up, Mahindra claims that after its own testing at Autoliv in Australia and at
the Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA) facility in the UK, it is confident
the vehicle will achieve four stars. Mahindra said its engineers studied
ANCAP test results for the first Pik-Up before adding dual front airbags and front seatbelt pretensioners.
ABS brakes are also now standard equipment.
The interior gains audio controls on the tilt-adjustable
steering wheel, updated interior fabrics, ergonomically
designed seats, longer seatbelts and a two-DIN audio
system. The exterior changes include a new bonnet with
air scoop, redesigned grille, headlights and front bumper (now with standard foglights),
power-operated rear-vision mirrors in body colour/black and new exterior door-handles.
The 2.5-litre common-rail turbo-diesel engine producing 79kW of power at 3800rpm
and 247Nm of torque at 1800-2200rpm continues unchanged, as does the five-speed
manual transmission and part-time dualrange 4WD system in 4x4 models.
The new standard safety features put Mahindra in a
better position than the new Chinese entrant to the ute
market, Great Wall Motors, with its petrol-only SA220 –
but it comes at a price.
The SA220 might not have ABS brakes or airbags (even
as an option), but its starting price – $19,990 on-road
for the dual-cab SA220 – is $2000 cheaper than the drive-away price of
the entry-level single-cab chassis Mahindra Pik-Up and $7209 cheaper than the most
logical Mahindra Pik-Up rival, the 4x2 Double Cab.
At top-spec level, the GWM V240 has ABS brakes and dual front airbags as
standard, and at $26,990 is $3000 cheaper than the drive-away price for the Pik-Up
4x4 Double Cab.
MAA chief executive Claire Tynan said she did not believe it was beneficial
for the nascent Indian marque to report registration numbers to VFACTS, the
industry’s sales volume record keeper, but would look at doing so next year. However,
she admitted that Pik-Up sales had not quite met expectations set out by Mahindra
& Mahindra automotive sector president Pawan Goenka at the Pik-Up’s Australian
launch two years ago.
Dr Goenka said Mahindra had set a “modest target” of 1000 units in the fi rst
year and 2000 in the second year of sales.

Watch this space, I'm sure that there will be more contender's to come

I remember those Mahindra's. No idea what they are like but I bet neither vehicle would be able to tow a van.

Scol.

especially that Scorpio thingy, It looks more like a Pajero that can't handle it's Curry & the exhaust Pipe is burning a tad

My105R wrote:It looks more like a Pajero that can't handle it's Curry & the exhaust Pipe is burning a tad

Curry and burnt exhaust pipes ... been there done that ...



Scol.

LOL

Everybody say Bye-Bye to one of the Toorak Tractor's, well for now anyway

A MERCEDES-BENZ decision not to engineer right-hand drive 4WD versions of
the GLK compact SUV because of the global economic downturn threatens to derail the
model entirely for Australia.
Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific is pondering whether it is worth going ahead
solely with the rear-wheel drive version, but is yet to determine how the market will react
to a non-4WD GLK.
At the launch of the new-generation E-class sedan and coupe
in Victoria last week, Mercedes-Benz Cars (Australia) group managing director Horst
von Sanden said the business case for spending the millions of Euros required
to re-engineer the current-generation’s 4MATIC 4WD system for RHD had not
stacked up in the current climate.
This is despite calls for such a vehicle from RHD markets such as Britain, South
Africa, New Zealand and Australia.
Go Automotive understands that re-engineering the GLK 4WD for RHD required an
expensive and extensive relocation of the transfer case, among other items. The
same reason has kept Mercedes-Benz from offering 4MATIC versions of the C-class
and E-class models in Australia for a number of years.
As we reported last month, Mercedes-Benz is due to start RHD production of
the RWD GLK in the beginning of 2010.
An announcement on whether Australia receives these vehicles is expected soon.
“We would love to have the GLK here sooner than later,” Mr von Sanden said.
Meanwhile, Mr von Sanden is confident that Mercedes-Benz will not take the same
decision when the next-generation GLK appears sometime in the middle of next
decade. “There will defi nitely be RHD 4WD versions of that model from the start,”
he said.
Not long after the W204 C-class-based X204-series GLK was revealed in production
car guise at the Beijing motor show in China last year, Mercedes-Benz indicated that it
was close to a decision on the commitment of a RHD 4WD GLK. If given the goahead
for the existing GLK, it would have appeared with the compact SUV’s midlife
facelift slated for about 2012.
But the massive fall in revenue associated with the global economic slowdown since
then has hit Mercedes-Benz hard, putting the brakes on the project for the time being.
“It was one of the projects that might have been put through in better times, even
though the business case may not have been 100 per cent there,” Mr von Sanden said.

Well it's about time a real contender stood up to the potential trip invading our shores




TOYOTA’S fourth-generation medium sized SUV, the LandCruiser Prado, was
unveiled to Australian media on Monday in Sydney at an event timed to coincide with
the Prado’s global release in Japan and its pre-Frankfurt motor show debut.
When it goes on sale here in late November, the longer, wider and lower
Prado will receive more sophisticated electronic driver aids, better safety features,
improved 3.0-litre turbo-diesel and 4.0-litre petrol V6 engines and a three-door model –
the first Toyota mid-sized three-door SUV since the 1980s Bundera.
While we were unable to open the doors or bonnet of the pre-production sample
vehicle sent in from Japan for the reveal
(and seeing inside was not easy because of dark-tinted windows ),
plenty of hints were given on what is to come in the new Prado later this year.
The 80mm-longer, 10mm-wider and 15mm lower five-door body takes much of its design
inspiration from the LandCruiser 200 series, with a few Prado elements such as the vertical
bar grille and the side-swing tailgate with the number plate mounted to the side.
Toyota claims the new body and 15mm lower ride height (190mm) improves
aerodynamics, reducing the drag figure from 0.37Cd to 0.35. Side mirrors now house LED
turn signals, the tail-lights also use LEDs, and the headlights have projector low beams.
No information was forthcoming at the reveal about the new three-door Prado,
although Toyota Australia sales and marketing executive director
said it would be a niche model that the company would offer in a number of model grades.

The chassis appears to be much like the current Prado 120 series, but if the sample
vehicle shown this week is representative, at least the top-of-the-line model will have
active yaw control and air rear suspension. Significantly, Toyota representatives
would not divulge the new Prado’s model code, suggesting that while it might be
called a fourth-generation vehicle its under pinnings are probably shared with the
current third-generation 120 model.
The sample vehicle was shod with 18-inch alloy wheels – a first for Prado – that will
probably be standard on top-line models.
From pictures given to the media it also appears that 17-inch wheels will be
offered on lower-spec models.
The 3.0-litre engine has been fettled to achieve a combined fuel figure of
less than 9.0L/100km
(down from the existing model’s 9.3L/100km),
and the 4.0-litre – now with dual VVTi for inlet and exhaust – has a 10 per cent power
improvement. No other fuel consumption figures
(or indeed any output figures)
were divulged at the reveal, the fuel consumption would also improve for the V6.
Toyota also ruled out the possibility of a V8 Prado
(which is sold in the US as the Lexus GX470).
Existing five-speed auto and manual transmissions will carry over with minor
strength improvements.
Safety features are improved with seven airbags, stability control and traction control
standard across the range. All but the entrylevel model will have a reversing camera.
The sample vehicle also had what appeared to be a front-mounted off-road camera.
Toyota’s divisional manager of product planning said Toyota Motor
Corporation covered 100,000km in local pre-product testing, 70 per cent of which
was on dirt roads. Most of the testing was done in the north, with hot-climate testing.
Australia is the Prado’s fourth-biggest market, after the Middle East, Europe and
China. By year’s end, Toyota expects to deliver its 150,000th Prado since the second-generation
90 series arrived in Australia in 1996.
Last year, Prado was Australia’s biggest selling mid-size SUV.

& now the Toorak Tracktors poke their heads back up

AUDI has vowed to stop increasing the size of its cars in a bid to keep weight under
control.
As the car industry wrestles with the problem of providing customers with the
comfort and safety they require while also meeting strict new fuel economy and emission
controls, Audi has made the decision to stop increasing the size of its cars.
For decades, Audi, as well as most mainstream car-makers, has constantly
increased the size of its vehicles with each new model introduction.
Total vehicle development leader, based at Audi’s Lightweight
Design Centre at Neckarsulm, has told our reporters that this practice had contributed to
a weight increase spiral and had to stop.
“We will not continue doing this,” he said.
“Our cars will not continue to increase.”
The VDL said the next Q7 SUV was an indication of its future policy.
“The new Q7 will not be larger,” he said.
“In fact, it will actually be a little bit smaller.”
While he said the process of making cars larger had worked in the past, it was now
out of line with customer demand.
“We are finding that due to cost effectiveness, many people are buying smaller cars,” he said.
“If we continue to make our cars larger and larger, people will not buy them.”
Audi points out that the weight saved by limiting vehicle size and using a range
of lightweight components will have a big effect on fuel consumption, as well as
making the cars more enjoyable to drive.
It claims that cutting a vehicle’s weight by 100kg has reduced fuel consumption by
between 0.3L/100km and 0.5L/100km.
Audi has long been at the forefront of lightweight design and has now produced
550,000 cars with aluminium bodies, but has been ramping up its efforts to cut weight from
vehicles as fuel consumption and reduced emissions become increasingly important.
Producing aluminium generates much more emissions than steel, owing to the
large amounts of electricity required, a fact that Audi does not doubt. It argues that the
emissions linked to aluminium are limited if the electricity is generated from renewable
sources.
Audi also claims that using significant amounts of aluminium is still a better
option for the environment, even when the electricity is generated by traditional
methods, because of the savings that come when the vehicle is in use.
“Because of the weight savings, the vehicle is using less fuel,”
The VDL also said.
“We estimate that the break-even point in terms of energy use for the aluminium
comes at around the halfway point of its life – anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000km.”
Apart from keeping the size of its vehicles in check, Audi is looking at using new
materials to shed weight. It already uses 11 different grades of steel on some models,
for optimum strength and minimum weight, but is now looking at increasing the amount
of aluminium, magnesium, plastics and carbon-fi bre-reinforced plastics.
Magnesium, one third lighter than aluminium, has long been used for select
components in premium cars and more widely on motorcycles, but Audi, along with
other car-makers, are using more of it and has even used die-cast magnesium for the
engine frame of its R8 supercar.
Audi says it will soon introduce more magnesium engine components for its
V6 engines, while a large transmission crossmember for the new A8 also will be
made from magnesium.
Audi this week displayed prototype components made of carbon-fi bre-reinforced
plastics that might soon replace aluminium components in its cars. One example was a
transverse suspension link which weighs 860g when made from steel sheet, but tips the scales
at 440g when made from the fi bre composite.
Audi is looking at all parts of the car and assembly processes in the bid to shave
kilos. For example, most car-makers stick heated bitumen mats to the fl oor of the car
for sound insulation. Audi has moved away from this process and now sprays the floor
with an acrylic substance used to seal joints in house construction.
It says this material is 25 per cent lighter, saving 12kg per vehicle, and is also better at
suppressing noise.
Audi also believes that the arrival of new hybrid and electric vehicles will make
weight reduction even more important.
“Batteries are very heavy,” the VDL said. “At this stage the weight of batteries is
an Achilles heel.”

BRITAIN’S mould-breaking Range Rover LRX will receive offi cial production approval
before the end of this year, ahead of UK construction and global sales from early 2011.
However, the first compact Range Rover is expected to look signifi cantly different to
the sleek three-door concept that stunned the world when it debuted at the 2008
Detroit motor show, before appearing at the Melbourne show less than two months later
as Land Rover’s second concept car.
And while it may prove more popular in Australia than the Land Rover Freelander,
which is outsold almost two-fold by the Discovery, the smallest Range Rover will be
both smaller and more expensive than the Freelander, which opens at $49,990 here.
Land Rover’s global managing director confirmed the LRX would
go on sale in 2011, pending the project’s successful passage through what the
company calls its fi nal engineering gateway,which is expected by December.
“There is a market for a smaller car than what we currently produce,” the MANGERING director said at Frankfurt motor
show. “But it won’t be an entry-level car. It will be a premium car – it won’t be cheaper
than Freelander.
“We’ve still got an engineering gateway to get through before program approval,
which basically releases all the funds to take this car to market, so we’ve still got to get
through that.
“That gateway comes up in a couple of months – before the end of the year – and
if we get through that you’ll see something in 2011.”
The Director said the decision to brand the LRX as a Range Rover – rather than position
it alongside the Defender, Freelander and Discovery in the Land Rover stable – followed
the company’s most comprehensive research program in the UK, North America and Asia
to understand what customers wanted out of the car following its Detroit debut.
“There is no doubt that the compact premium segment is the fastest growing in
the world, bar none,” he said

A SLEEKER new front end, all-new interior, thoroughly upgraded chassis, new
features and two ripping new petrol and diesel engines are enough to back up Land
Rover’s description of the 10MY Discovery as a fourth-generation model.
Available in four specifi cation levels in Australia from early October, the allautomatic
Discovery 4 wagon arrives within weeks of its European release, priced from
$68,490 for the 2.7 TDV6.
Powered by a carryover 2.7-litre singleturbo diesel V6 that delivers the same 140kW
of power and 440Nm of torque – and the same average fuel consumption of 10.2L/100km –
the entry-level Disco 4 costs just $900 more than the model it replaces and $2000 more
than the discontinued six-cylinder petrol powered 4.0 V6 SE range-opener.
The 2.7 TDV6 comes standard with five manually adjusted cloth seats, but can be
specifi ed with a leather-trimmed seven seat pack that includes a third row of seats
with head curtain airbags, maplights and accessory power outlet, plus a 35/30/35-
split second row, for just $2500.
Next up is the 3.0 TDV6 SE, which at $81,990 is priced between the superseded
2.7 TDV6 SE and HSE. It comes standard with seven leather seats and also adds to
the entry-level 2.7 TDV6’s equipment list: power-fold mirrors, bi-Xenon headlights
with cornering lamps, and 19-inch sevenspoke alloy wheels in lieu of the 2.7’s
18-inch fi ve-spoke wheels.
Compared with the 2.7 TDV6 engine, which will be available in Ford Australia’s
Territory from 2011, the 3.0 TDV6’s new 3.0-litre twin-turbo six-cylinder diesel
engine delivers 29 per cent more peak power (180kW at the same 4000rpm)
and some 36 per cent more torque, with a class-leading 600Nm on tap from
2000rpm – just 100rpm higher than in the 2.7.
What’s more, with help from a third generation common-rail fuel system
and its parallel sequential turbos, fuel consumption is reduced by nine per cent on
the combined EU cycle, to 9.3L/100km, with average CO2 emissions also falling
almost 10 per cent to 244g/km.
Completing the win-win picture, the 3.0 TDV6, which is said to offer 500Nm
of torque from idle in 500 milliseconds, accelerates 24 per cent quicker with a
claimed 0-100km/h sprint time of 9.6 seconds – down from 12.7.
While the 3.0 TDV6 is expected to be the top-seller of the Australian 10MY Discovery
range, the 3.0 TDV6 HSE is priced $13,000 higher at $94,990 and adds a rear-view
camera (which costs $1050 extra on lesser models), front parking sensors ($900), rear
air-conditioning ($1590) and a premium hard-disc navigation system with voice
control and off-road mapping ($4430).
Other additional TDV6 HSE features not available on the base V6s include new
19-inch seven split-spoke wheels, a USB touch-screen sound system, woodgrain trim
options, driver’s seat and mirror memory, interior mood lighting, a rear luggage net,
illuminated front vanity mirrors and an HSE leather pack comprising front armrest,
leather gearshifter, passenger and (powered) driver’s lumbar adjustment and eight-way
front seat power adjustment.

Behind the wheel, both 3.0 TDV6 variants deliver iron-fisted acceleration with velvetgloved
refi nement. Much smoother at all revs than the single-turbo 2.7 TDV6, the
bigger engine presents less diesel clatter during cold start-up and a healthier dose of
off-idle and midrange acceleration, making better use of the slick six-speed ZF auto.
The claimed fuel consumption improvements are not in doubt either, with
the mix of undulating Scottish backroads used for the combined global and Australian
launch easily allowing us to return less than 10L/100km, undercutting the average of
the 2.7 it replaces in other countries despite liberal use of the right clog.
In another league again, however, is the range-topping
Discovery 4’s all-new V8 flagship, however, which is
priced to match at a hefty $126,460.
That is a whopping $33,470 more than the 4.4 V8 HSE it replaces, but Land Rover
claims the new Disco kingpin compares well with the Lexus LX570 (priced from
$145,000) with a new direct-injection 5.0-litre petrol V8 featuring a centrally mounted
multi-hole spray-guided fuel-injection system.
First seen in Jaguar’s XF, it delivers 25 per cent more power than the 4.4 (276kW
at 6500rpm – up from 220kW) and 16 percent more torque (510Nm at 3500rpm – up
from 427Nm).
Despite 0-100km/h acceleration in 7.9 seconds, the 2548kg (35kg less than the 3.0
TDV6) petrol V8’s average fuel consumption falls at the same by seven per cent, to
13.9L/100km, while average CO2 emissions drop by eight per cent to 328g/km. Top speed
is 195km/h, compared with 180km/h for both V6s, while the unbraked/
braked towing capacity for all three engine variants is
750/3500kg.
On the road, of course the new V8 Disco feels quicker than the 4.4 it replaces (it is by almost
a second), but the most lasting impression is the crisper bottom-end response and effortless
acceleration right across the rev range, making the new top-shelf Discovery less SUV-like
and, dare we say it, more luxury wagon-like.
But the 10MY Discovery is far more than an engine story, with a host of technical upgrades
lurking within the more rounded, upmarket body that features colour-coded wheel-arches
and a less bluff front end with more horizontal bumper (with larger intake) and upmarket
headlights with LED elements.
The revised Disco chassis features new suspension knuckles and larger, stiffer
anti-rollbars that combine to noticeably reduce bodyroll, while ride quality remains
top-notch courtesy of revised bushes and dampers. There is also a fettled variable-ratio
steering rack that Land Rover says reduces on-centre twitchiness while improving feel
at higher steering locks.
New-engine variants benefi t from larger Range Rover Sport-sourced 360mm front
brake discs with a new twin-piston cast-iron sliding calliper. Rear brakes comprise 350mm
rotors with single-piston callipers, while a new automatic understeer control improves
safety and the hill descent control system is upgraded to reduce initial acceleration.
Rounding out the tech upgrades is an improved Terrain Response system featuring
a new sand launch control system to reduce wheelspin and an enhanced rock crawl mode
in which brakes are automatically applied in forward or reverse below 5km/h to reduce
lurching at low speed.

TWO cracking new Jaguar V8s have top billing in Land Rover’s more refined,
higher-quality 10MY Range Rover Vogue range, which is now on sale in Australia.
Revealed at the New York motor show in April and already powering Jaguar’s
XF sedan, the new naturally aspirated and supercharged direct-injection 5.0-litre
LR-V8s deliver signifi cantly greater performance and improved fuel economy
than the 4.2-litre engines they replace.
Also mated to an improved six-speed ZF HP26 automatic transmission is the Rangie’s
proven 200kW/640Nm 3.6-litre TDV8 twin-turbo diesel, which continues to return
average fuel consumption of 11.1L/100km and CO2 emissions of 294g/km in three
diesel Range Rover variants.
The entry-level TDV8 still opens the Range Rover Vogue line-up, priced at $155,000 –
up $1600 on the model it replaces. It comes with the same specifi cation as the new
entry-level petrol V8 variant, which costs $3000 more at $158,000 and is powered by
a 276kW/510Nm version of Jaguar Land Rover’s new 5.0-litre petrol V8.
Featuring a deeper “sump within a sump” and waterproofi ng revisions over the AJV8
upon which it is based, the naturally aspirated 5.0-litre LR-V8 delivers a healthy
276kW at 6500rpm (up some 25 per cent on the 4.2) and no less than 510Nm of torque at
3500rpm (up 16 per cent).
The result is 0-100km/h pace that is just 0.1 seconds tardier than the outgoing
supercharged V8 at 7.6 seconds, and a top speed of 210km/h. At the same time, the
V8’s combined fuel consumption is 6.9 percent lower than before
at 14.0L/100km, while average CO2 emissions are down 7.4 per cent
at 326g/km.
Similarly, the range-topping Vogue Supercharged Autobiography delivers 29
per cent more peak power than before (a meaty 375kW at 6000rpm), as well as 12 per
cent more torque, with a walloping 625Nm on hand at just 2000rpm.
Thanks to a sixth-generation Roots-type twin-vortex supercharger, the blown Rangie
flagship now rockets to 100km/h in just 6.2 seconds (down from 7.5 seconds), yet returns
7.3 per cent better average fuel consumption (14.9L/100km) and 7.4 per cent lower CO2
emissions (348g/km).
For the privilege, the most expensive Range Rover variant increases in price
by $16,800, to $229,500. Likewise, the TDV8 Autobiography costs $15,300 more
at $208,900, while the entry-level TDV8 Luxury is priced $1800 higher at $179,500.
A host of new Range Rover Vogue technologies includes a fully confi gurable
new 12.3-inch laptop-style Thin Film Transistor (TFT) LCD instrument panel,
complete with virtual graphic displays, dials and pointers, which is standard across the
10MY Rangie Vogue line-up.
There is also the world’s first automotive application of a new dual-view
touch-screen, which employs unique Parallax Barrier technology to simultaneously allow the front
passenger to watch a DVD movie while the driver sees a navigation map.
Sadly, the twin-view screen is standard only on top-shelf Autobiography TDV8 and
V8 Supercharged models, costs $1200 on the TDV8 Luxury and is unavailable on the
entry-level petrol and diesel V8s.
Mechanically, a new Adaptive Dynamics suspension damping control system is also
fi tted to top-shelf Autobiography versions of Land Rover’s upgraded flagship
($2240 on other variants), while Adaptive Cruise Control is a new ($5300) option across the range.