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Range Rover is the original luxury SUV and has defined the breed for more than 50 years, combining serene comfort and composure with unparalleled presence and sophistication. The fifth-generation Range Rover takes Land Rover’s modernist design philosophy to the next level, with a contemporary interpretation of its trademark profile to create an incredible design statement. It continues to lead, bringing breathtaking modernity, aesthetic grace and new levels of sophistication to Land Rover’s flagship.
The compelling new luxury SUV is the ultimate expression of the Range Rover family for discerning customers the world over, including Standard and Long Wheelbase body designs with a choice of four-, five- and, for the first time, seven-seat interior configurations.
Exterior Design
Presence and formality define Range Rover through the harmony of its proportions, surfaces and lines. All of these elements are part of Range Rover DNA and contribute to its unparalleled stature.
The New Range Rover is characterised by three lines that can trace their origins back through the generations; the falling roofline, strong waistline – with its horizontal emphasis – and lower rising sill. These trademark features create an almost teardrop shape and give the illusion of converging at a point far behind the vehicle.
The characteristically short front overhang, formal front end, upright windscreen and distinctive boat tail rear, which tapers in plan view, are key elements in defining Range Rover’s proportions and conveying its peerless presence.
The front is confident, enhanced by its deeper grille graphic and intersecting headlights. The Digital LED headlight design has a jewel-like quality as light reflects and refracts off the daytime running lights, providing a cut-glass effect. The front fog lights, forward radar and parking sensors are all concealed within the lower aperture, which is described by a clear horizontal graphic in satin chrome, for a clean and elegant appearance.
The solidity of the bodyside is achieved by unadorned surfaces, eliminating the unnecessary to highlight key features. The clamshell bonnet is a feature of every Range Rover since 1970 – part of that iconic form. Today, its shutline is halved compared to previous Range Rover, describing control and precision. This line continues in a single crease running the length of the vehicle and ending in an ingot shape at the rear quarter. This precise line emphasises the elegant sweep of the profile and is the only such feature on the side of the car.
The trademark signature side graphic is also completely flush and perfectly integrated with the surrounding surfaces. The modern interpretation of this elemental feature looks machined into the body, while the feature line that runs the length of the vehicle enhances the milled-from-solid impression.
The lower edge of the side profile is defined by the 3D form of the Gloss Black sill. This adds lightness, catching the light and drawing the eye along the vehicle in the rising line of the boat tail, integrating with the rear bumper to wrap around the rear of the vehicle.
In profile, the floating roof graphic is another key part of the Range Rover DNA. This is emphasised by Gloss Black pillars and the elimination of the D-pillar trim, which is integrated into a single rear quarter glass.
The strong horizontal at the waist is defined by the unbroken waistline and rounded edge, where the door meets the glass in a simple, clean finish thanks to the innovative hidden waist finisher. Fully flush glazing, which removes any step between the glass and pillar adds to the appearance of a single, solid form. The top of the bodyside is similarly refined, with a smooth laser-welded interface rather than a traditional roof finisher.
The precise execution of these elements was not easy to achieve but reducing the number of joints and interfaces was a key component in creating the modernity desired for New Range Rover. The proportions have been finessed to give the New Range Rover the stature and presence customers have come to expect, with a roofline that is 10mm lower than before and new 23-inch alloy wheels – a first for Land Rover – which provide a planted and purposeful stance.
The rear is perhaps the most strikingly modern view of New Range Rover. It incorporates all of the elements in our modernist philosophy with a single, crisp feature line which catches the light and describes the corners of the vehicle. The rear is defined by vertical taillights encased in a single Gloss Black panel. They are hidden until lit, with a horizontal section that integrates the other functional lights and defines the width of the vehicle. Precision here was critical to the success of the design and the way the rear lights are integrated with the overall form of the vehicle will become a Range Rover signature.
As a Range Rover, the new vehicle has a split tailgate but its hidden and minimised shutlines communicate a new level of precision, and the rear screen meets the bodywork seamlessly. Below the tailgate, the sweeping boat tail culminates in the bumper, which houses the rear fog lights and reflectors.
Interior Design
The New Range Rover has an equally compelling interior that is modern and sophisticated, underpinned by intuitive and relevant technologies. Its elegant and refined surfaces have been honed to work harmoniously with the finest materials and wellbeing innovations to create a calm sanctuary for all occupants, turning every trip into an experience to savour.
The front cabin proportions have an architectural lightness, elevated by a curved, floating glass 13.1-inch touchscreen. The largest ever touchscreen fitted to a Land Rover sits at the centre of the dashboard and Land Rover’s award-winning Pivi Pro infotainment features haptic feedback, making the system even more user-friendly.
The excellent all-round visibility of Range Rover’s Command Driving Position provides complete confidence with the facia’s low top maximising forward vision. The elegant dashboard design features stratified horizontal layers – including exquisitely integrated air vents – so the major controls and features have a clear hierarchy, making the layout immediately intuitive and refined.
The instrument cluster is similarly engineered as a semi-floating glass panel, while the steering wheel echoes the interior theme, with a strong horizontal detail and hidden-until-lit controls.
Everyone travels first class in the New Range Rover and the beautifully tailored seats offer superior comfort and stability for all occupants – even those in the third row. Stadium seating ensures the full-sized third-row seats provide excellent visibility and comfort. This is a true Range Rover execution of a seven-seat interior, so all passengers feel connected to other occupants and headroom, legroom and shoulder room have all been optimised to make use of every available millimetre. Charging sockets for digital devices ensure rear passengers are digitally connected and all seven-seats feature four-zone Climate Control.
The New Range Rover updates its split-opening two-piece tailgate for a new era with the innovative Tailgate Event Suite*, which adds a sense of occasion to tailgate gatherings. It combines Land Rover’s new Versatile Loadspace Floor, which acts as a backrest for customers seated on the lower tailgate, with specially developed leather seat cushions, bespoke audio and additional lighting to provide a luxurious and connected viewpoint.
The intelligent use of colourways inside, with black pillar trims, reflects the floating roof aesthetic of the exterior and makes the pillars themselves less obtrusive, while the Fixed Panoramic Roof or optional Sliding Panoramic Roof bathe the interior in natural light. The low beltline and tall glasshouse also contribute to the tremendous sense of confidence and wellbeing inside. Modernity has been executed in every detail, from door casings to consoles and even inside the new and improved stowage units, which are accessed by elegant gliding covers.
Colour and Materials
The New Range Rover represents the pinnacle of Land Rover’s Materiality strategy; to redefine luxury materials in the automotive sphere, epitomising the elegance, sophistication and refinement of the new flagship SUV.
The exterior colour palette elevates New Range Rover’s elegant proportions and clean surfaces while the interior options are more sustainable, responsible and progressive than ever. The quality and precision of the New Range Rover is communicated through the elements customers touch and feel, and this tactility is a vital part of the luxury experience.
Customers have a wider choice of materials and finishes than before, including innovative textiles and tactile Ultrafabrics™ with a continuation of Land Rover’s pioneering relationship with Kvadrat™ – Europe’s leading manufacturer of premium textiles.
A Kvadrat™ remix wool blend fabric will be offered on Range Rover as a leather-free interior option at the highest specification levels – a first for Range Rover. Its wool-blend is warm and cossetting, making it the perfect cloth to accompany the technical Ultrafabrics™ material. This soft-feeling PU material has all the tactile qualities of leather but is 30 percent lighter and generates only a quarter of the CO2.
The choice of innovative materials extends to the floor mats. They are made using ECONYL® yarns, which are produced using recycled industrial plastic, fabric offcuts and reclaimed ocean plastics. This tactile and responsibly sourced material contains 40 percent recycled content and embodies the concept of modern sustainable luxury.
Customers can still choose luxurious leather with semi- and, for the first time, near-aniline options. The new near-aniline choice is softer, with fewer treatments and less artificial pigmentation for a more natural feel while meeting Land Rover’s demanding durability standards. These responsibly produced leathers have the natural finish and tactility of furniture-grade leather, with advanced techniques used to increase the utilisation of every hide by 10 percent – saving over 42kg of CO2 equivalent per vehicle.
A selection of exquisitely finished veneers complement the upholstery and reflect the modernity of the New Range Rover including a choice of tactile open-pore wood finishes. Beautifully executed micro-metal inlays feature for the first time, drawing the eye through the interior architecture of the centre console, emphasising the technical precision that defines the cabin.
The modernist interior design is embellished with sophisticated jewellery in the form of metal finishes, which have been precisely machined and use a sophisticated hierarchy of dark and satin chrome tones to create visual harmony.
The interior colour palette for the New Range Rover is warm, inviting and contemporary, influenced by refined and sophisticated modern architecture. Colour is used for zoning and for creating diverse experiences in different areas of the cabin that all work harmoniously. The attention to detail extends to the fabrics and is exemplified by the Kvadrat wool blend, which features woven yarns of different colours to create a nuanced effect, layering different shades throughout the textile.
The same exacting approach has been applied to the paint pigments, to create different colour perspectives that emphasise the carefully honed body design, elegant proportions and clean surfaces. The Sunset Gold Paint in Satin Finish embodies this approach, showcasing the sophisticated surfacing of the exterior on First Edition models.
Paint options for the new Range Rover include a selection of 12 solid, metallic and premium metallic shades, among them new Lantau Bronze, Belgravia Green, Batumi Gold and Charente Grey. In addition, customers can select from 14 specially developed SV Bespoke Premium Palette colours while the SV Bespoke Match-to-Sample service provides limitless scope for customisation.
The colour and materials strategy for the New Range Rover reflects the evolution of customer tastes and Land Rover’s awareness of environmental impacts. It represents the culmination of Land Rover’s work innovating materials, processes and technologies and ensures customers can enjoy aesthetics with ethics – evolving new ways of creating beautiful harmonious interiors and demonstrating true modern luxury.
New Range Rover will go on sale in South Africa in 2022, when final prices and specifications will be confirmed.
