Stay Tuned: New 2022 Range Rover Will Debut October 26th
From the teasers and spy photos of the 2022 Range Rover, it’s expected the new boss will look a lot like the old boss.
Do not adjust your monitor, the picture above is not out of focus. Or rather, it is out of focus — but that’s intentional. Because what you’re looking at is a teaser image for the 2023 Range Rover, Land Rover’s cash cow and the benchmark for the luxury SUV class. Since it’s a just a preview, the fine points have understandably been blurred out. But there’s enough on display that come Tuesday, it’s clear we’re not going to see some wild reimagining of the country club set’s venerable chariot.
For better or worse, it’ll be an evolution, not revolution. Our friends over at Motor Authority have been keeping a close eye on the camouflaged test mules, and all the spy photos seem to confirm that the new boss will look a lot like the old boss. Expect the standard model to drop first, and the uber-lux long-wheelbase version and the high-octane sport flavor to be fashionably late to the party. The big question is what’ll be under the bonnet.
At this point, Jaguar Land Rover has been quite public about its desire to go green, and that’s led to speculation that a V8 might not be on the menu. The smart money says that along with a mild-hybrid similar to the current base model, there will be a new plug-in hybrid which will sport motors at each axle. Since the current Range Rover plug-in has just one electric motor, and it will be interesting to see how the additional unit impacts performance both on road and off. A fully electric version won’t be available at launch, but rest assured, it’s in the mail.
Given that Land Rover excels at off-road electronic nannies, so much so that Volkswagen Auto Group has been accused of infringing on its patented Terrain Response system, I expect we’ll see some trick applications of torque vectoring with the plug-in. There will also be a new grille with a cool rectangular pattern, and pop-out door handles like the kind seen on its smaller siblings, the Velar and the Evoque. Fans of the split tailgate will also be happy, as spy photos indicate that beloved feature should also return. Look for more info on the 2022 Range Rover next week.
Photos: Land Rover