The 2022 India-spec Range Rover is here and it is bigger than it has ever been. The fifth-gen flagship SUV from Land Rover is offered with two powertrain options, three trims, comes in standard and long-wheelbase form and in 5- and 7-seater configurations.
2022 Range Rover: exterior design
At first glance, the new Range Rover seems much like the previous model, but it has adapted the Land Rover’s ‘Reductionism’ design language quite adeptly. It's the details where the new model differs from the previous ones.
The front has sleek headlamps with Range Rover’s signature LED daytime running lamps (DRL) design. The grille is also sleeker than before, while the air vent at the bottom sports two thick slats that house the fog lamps.
Over to the sides, the silhouette is unmistakably Range Rover. The ‘gill’ motifs are now more pronounced and Land Rover has opted for flush-fitting door handles for a sleeker look. The SUV we checked out was the long-wheelbase version with the five-seat configuration and it looked stately.
At the back is where the new Range Rover looks the most stunning. The new LED tail-lamps, merged with the gloss black panel sporting Range Rover badging, are said to have the most powerful LEDs in existence. They face inwards and reflect light through mirrors placed at the back of the tail lamps. When not in use, they become invisible and the back shows an inverted ‘U’ shape gloss black panel.
2022 Range Rover: interior and features
The real party piece about the Range Rover is its interior, where it feels much more premium than the previous generation model. The biggest highlight of the interior is the 13.1-inch floating touchscreen infotainment system that runs the latest generation of Land Rover’s Pivi Pro operating system, and using this you can control all of the major functions.
Land Rover has retained physical dials for the climate control system that can be pushed or pulled to access other functions. In their normal state, the dials control the temperature; when pushed, they can be used to access seat ventilation, and when pulled, they control the fan speed. All other climate controls are accessed through touch-sensitive buttons that have haptic feedback. The new Range Rover also gets a 13.7-inch digital instrument cluster that can be customised to have three different mini-screens.
This is the first time the full-fat Range Rover gets a seven-seat configuration and that is exclusive to the long-wheelbase version. Land Rover claims that the third row can seat two six-foot-tall adults in comfort. The one we checked out didn’t have the third row, and we’ll reserve our opinion until we actually sit in it. Since the new model is longer than the one before, the second-row legroom has a substantial improvement.
Rear passengers also get a pair of 11.4-inch touchscreens that are mounted at the back of the front seats. You can connect any device using the HDMI port found in the centre armrest, and power the device (if needed) using the socket placed between the front seats. There’s also an 8-inch touchscreen controller that adjusts the rear seats, front passenger seat for the chauffeur mode and the sunroof.
The new Range Rover has a 35-speaker, 1,600W Meridian Signature Sound System with active noise cancellation that drowns out wheel vibrations, tyre noise and engine sounds through a counter-cancelling system.
2022 Range Rover: powertrain and platform
The India-spec Range Rover gets a choice of three engines. There's 3.0-litre, six-cylinder Ingenium petrol and diesel engines; the former producing 400hp and 550Nm of torque, while the latter churning out 350hp and 700Nm of torque. The range-topping engine is a 530hp, 750Nm 4.4-litre, twin-turbocharged, V8 petrol engine sourced from BMW. All-wheel drive, as well as all-wheel steering, is standard across the range.
As always, the new Range Rover gets Terrain Response 2 system with six driving modes for optimising the driving characteristics depending on the terrain.
Notably, the six-cylinder Ingenium engines also feature 48V mild-hybrid technology that help improve efficiency. Land Rover, at the moment, does not have any plans to introduce the plug-in electric hybrid powertrains in India.
2022 Range Rover: price and rivals
The new Range Rover’s prices start at Rs 2.38 crore and go all the way up to Rs 3.43 crore (ex-showroom). It is available in four trims – SE, HSE, Autobiography and First Edition. It will take on the likes of the Mercedes-Maybach GLS and the Bentley Bentayga. You can also read and watch our reviews.
Also see:
2022 Range Rover image Gallery
2022 India-bound Range Rover Sport priced at Rs 1.64 crore
from Autocar Indiahttps://cdni.autocarindia.com/ExtraImages/20220824052402_Range%20Rover.jpg
