Author: Steve Allen |
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Land Rover has reinforced its positioning of Range Rover as the world’s finest all-terrain SUV with the introduction of advanced driving technologies and an all-new model from Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) – the Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic.

Since it redefined the luxury SUV sector more than 46 years ago, the Range Rover has achieved more than one million sales and sits at the pinnacle of the Land Rover family. A unique combination of peerless refinement, timeless design and unrivalled all-terrain capability has seen Range Rover products used to transport Royalty, and to undertake grueling expeditions.

2017 Range Rover © Tata Group

2017 Range Rover © Tata Group

The original Classic model debuted in 1970 and over four generations the luxury SUV has established itself as a design reference, representing the ultimate in all-terrain luxury. New for the 2017 model year, the Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic brings new levels of on-road performance to the Range Rover, powered by a 550HP supercharged V8 engine.

Building on the successful launch of the long-wheelbase Range Rover SVAutobiography, the SVAutobiography Dynamic is available exclusively in standard wheelbase specification and comes fitted with specially configured suspension designed to optimize its road holding agility while maintaining the vehicle’s trademark refinement, comfort and off-road capability.

The 2017 model year Range Rover also debuts a selection of innovative new driver assistance technologies. These features include Advanced Tow Assist, an intelligent driver aid, which takes the stress out of reversing a trailer; as well as Intelligent Speed Limiter, which automatically adjusts the vehicle’s speed to suit the speed limit using Traffic Sign Recognition technology.

2017 Range Rover © Tata Group

2017 Range Rover © Tata Group

In addition, Driver Condition Monitor and Blind Spot Assist – which is designed to gently steer the vehicle back into its lane if sensors detect the driver is steering into the path of another road user – are added to an extensive selection of advanced driver assistance features.

Interior changes include the addition of a new larger 10.2-inch touchscreen display, powered by the Land Rover InControl® Touch Pro™ system. The pinch and zoom tablet-style touchscreen is powered by an ultra-fast Intel quad-core processor and provides a host of new features including customizable homepages, enhanced satellite navigation functions and instant access to the driver’s favorite apps.

Gerry McGovern, Land Rover Chief Design Officer, said: “Range Rover has been the world’s leading luxury SUV since its debut more than 46 years ago. Design is fundamental to this vehicle and the latest refinements reinforce its status as the ultimate luxury SUV. By offering our customers more choice, more technology and more power, we ensure Range Rover remains in a class of its own.”

New SVAutobiography Dynamic added to the Range Rover line-up

2017 Range Rover © Tata Group

2017 Range Rover © Tata Group

Shared with the Range Rover SVAutobiography, the SVAutobiography Dynamic features a potent 550HP 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine delivering 502 ft-lb of torque through an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission.

The interior of the SVAutobiography Dynamic builds upon the desirability and refinement expected by Range Rover customers. Inside owners will find the front 20-way adjustable leather seats finished in a unique diamond quilted pattern with contrast stitching are available in four exclusive color ways which complement the Ebony perforated leather headliner, giving an immediate impression of luxury.

The dashboard and door panels feature a Grand Black veneer, with an additional Red keyline finish on the door panels. In addition, key features, such as the rotary shift controller, start/stop button and pedals have a sophisticated knurled finish. Underlining the dynamic enhancements made to create the SVAutobiography Dynamic, the paddle shifters are finished in anodized red (except when specified with a tan interior) while the driver’s handbook is bound in quilted leather chosen to match the interior.

2017 Range Rover © Tata Group

2017 Range Rover © Tata Group

The new addition to the range is identified by a series of unique exterior features. The side vents, hood finisher, grille, front bumper accents, Range Rover script and tailgate trim are all finished in Graphite Atlas. Customers have a choice of 21- and 22-inch alloy wheel designs, as well as three unique finishes. The SVAutobiography Dynamic is also the first Range Rover available with eye-catching red brake calipers and Brembo brake technology.

The Jaguar Land Rover SVO division has fine-tuned the suspension to achieve the optimum combination of on-road performance and comfort. Revisions to the suspension provide a lower ride height (0.3-inches/8mm lower) and enhanced tuning which offers more immediate chassis responses.

2017 Range Rover © Tata Group

2017 Range Rover © Tata Group

The SVAutobiography Dynamic also features two driver-focused technologies designed to deliver improved body control and agility. Dynamic Response improves vehicle handling and occupant comfort by reducing the amount of body lean during cornering through the use of active anti-sway bars. The system controls the front and rear axles independently, delivering increased low-speed agility, superior high-speed stability and greater steering precision. Adaptive Dynamics active damping monitors vehicle movements up to 500 times a second, changing damper valving settings in response to driver inputs and changes in the road surface; providing greater control without compromising the vehicle’s peerless refinement.

In keeping with its more purposeful character, the SVAutobiography Dynamic features bright chrome quad tailpipes which enhance its distinctive V8 soundtrack.

Mark Stanton, Director of Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations, said: “The Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic has been specially developed by the Special Vehicle Operations team to deliver a more engaging driving experience. It delivers the ultimate combination of performance and Range Rover luxury, befitting its unique position in the portfolio.”

2017 Range Rover adds convenience through innovative technology

2017 Range Rover © Tata Group

2017 Range Rover © Tata Group

The Range Rover is the ultimate expression of luxury and 2017 model year customers can access more advanced driver assistance technologies than ever before. Advanced Tow Assist debuts and assists the driver with the potentially difficult task of reversing while towing a trailer.

Using the vehicle’s existing Surround Camera System this new technology enables drivers to guide a trailer into position with minimal effort. By following the trajectory lines overlaid on an image from the rear-facing camera displayed on the central touchscreen, Advanced Tow Assist is able to steer the vehicle to follow the path selected by the driver using the Terrain Response 2 rotary controller.

Advanced Tow Assist is designed to assist even the most inexperienced drivers to maneuver a trailer into position– the intelligent set-up even alerts the driver if they are approaching a jack-knife situation.

Specialist Technology Enhances All-Terrain Credentials

2017 Range Rover © Tata Group

2017 Range Rover © Tata Group

Peerless all-terrain capability is a cornerstone of the Range Rover family and the new 2017 model year Range Rover adds a pair of new technologies designed to reinforce its off-road credentials:

Low Traction Launch is a manually selectable driving mode designed to assist drivers when pulling away from a standstill on slippery surfaces such as wet grass, snow or ice. By controlling the amount of torque that can be applied by the driver, the system reduces the likelihood of wheelspin to maintain traction and ensure smooth acceleration.

The feature can be accessed independently through the central touchscreen and the driver is prompted to engage Low Traction Launch whenever Grass/Gravel/Snow mode is selected using Terrain Response 2. The system remains active until the vehicle reaches 18.6 mph (30km/h).

All-Terrain Info Center relays useful information about the vehicle’s configuration and is the hub to access a number of driving and off-road features using the touchscreen. These features include displays for vehicle geometry, drive assist controls, slope assist and wheel information.

This evolution of the Land Rover 4x4i provides the customer with clear and easy access to all off-road features.

Improved Connectivity and Intuitive Interactivity

2017 Range Rover © Tata Group

2017 Range Rover © Tata Group

The introduction of Land Rover InControl® Touch Pro™ infotainment is a significant enhancement to 2017 model year Range Rover. The system delivers improved satellite navigation functionality and connectivity while its intuitive operation is augmented by the new larger 10.2-inch touchscreen display3.

InControl Touch Pro introduces a series of new app services to Range Rover. InControl Remote allows customers to remotely control vehicle functions such as activating the climate control to cool or heat the car ahead of departure, set and deactivate the alarm, and even start the engine. The app will alert owners if their vehicle alarm has been triggered.

Additional InControl Touch Pro Services include live apps that can be downloaded to the system to provide information such as weather reporting and flight tracking.

Improved satellite navigation and services

2017 Range Rover ©2017 Range Rover © Tata Group Tata Group

2017 Range Rover © Tata Group

As part of the new InControl Touch Pro™ system fitted to 2017 model year Range Rover, the fully integrated satellite navigation has been extensively developed with a range of new features including door-to-door routing. The comprehensive system allows customers to set a destination on the Land Rover-dedicated smartphone Route Planner app which can navigate owners to their vehicle, before transferring further directions to the in-vehicle system. Once parked close to their destination, the system will switch back to the smartphone to guide owners to their chosen location on foot.

Commute mode automatically learns frequently used routes, such as the journey to work, and recommends the best route dependent on live traffic data. Meanwhile, the sharing function allows owners to share their destination, arrival time and current location with friends, family and colleagues.

The driver is also able to view a partial or full navigation screen within the Virtual Instrument Display, depending on their preference. Rear passengers can also view the journey time and distance to destination using the built-in rear seat entertainment system and even browse navigation maps and send suggested destinations to the driver, who can choose to reject or accept them using the central touchscreen display.

Advanced Driver Assistance Features

2017 Range Rover © Tata Group

2017 Range Rover © Tata Group

The 2017 model year Range Rover introduces a host of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) to the model line. Standard driver assistance technologies include Rear Park Distance Control, Cruise Control and Speed Limiter, Lane Departure Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB). AEB is an intelligent technology that, when activated, uses a forward facing camera to detect a risk of collision and warn the driver of potential danger2. If the driver fails to respond to the warning, the AEB system is designed to apply full emergency braking to slow or stop the vehicle.

An additional, optional, Drive Pack includes existing features such as Blind Spot Monitor, Traffic Sign Recognition and Reverse Traffic Detection, as well as an Intelligent Speed Limiter, which uses the Traffic Sign Recognition hardware and navigation speed limit information to automatically adjust the vehicle speed to meet the prevailing speed limit.

Driver Condition Monitor is also now available, designed to analyze data such as steering inputs, road speed and time of day, to alert the driver to possible fatigue situations which may compromise driver safety.

The Drive Pro Pack takes the features from the Drive Pack and adds Adaptive Cruise Control with Queue Assist, Intelligent Emergency Braking, Lane Keep Assist, and Blind Spot Assist. Blind Spot Assist is designed to automatically apply gentle counter steering if the driver begins to change lanes towards a vehicle in the blind spot of the vehicle. Lane Keep Assist is another new feature for 2017 model year Range Rover. It provides gentle, corrective steering input if it detects the vehicle drifting out of the lines marking its lane.

Unique Colors and Finishes for Most Luxurious Range Rover

The level of personalization available for 2017 Model Year Range Rover is taken to new heights with the introduction of new exterior finishes available through Special Vehicle Operations.

A mix of 19 new colors give customers a more varied choice of metallic and pearlescent colors, all available in either gloss or satin matte finishes. Options include a wide range of traditional colors as well as bolder, more contemporary choices.

The 2017 model year Range Rover arrives at U.S. retailers later this year, with a starting price of $85,650; the 2017 Range Rover SVAutobiography Dynamic is priced from $170,995.

4.7 Out of 5
EXTERIOR STYLE / DESIGN
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