Great Review! What are your thoughts about the styling compared to the previous years 08/09? Would you wait for the 2010 or get a great deal on an 08/09 now? Thanks again for the review.
Spent some time in a 2010...
This Friday past, I made my way to a local LR dealership for a small 2010 MY preview event, where they had a new LR4, Range Rover Sport, and Range Rover. It was great seeing the refreshed models in person, mainly because I wasn't quite sure how I felt the RR's updated grille/bumper was going to carry over in person... I was relieved to see that it carries over quite well, though - it's still a very handsome vehicle.
I know it seems trivial, but the updated headlights, taillights, and fog lights were fantastic! The example they showed was an Autobiography edition with the Bournville exterior with the new dark brown ("Arabica", methinks...) interior. The leather headliner might be a bit excessive, but it DID look great, nevertheless. Everything - the black lacquer wood, the leather on the doors, the dash and the ceiling, as well as the new finish on the center stack - felt great to the touch.
As far as the new gadgets and gizmos go, I was pleased with those, too. The virtualized instrument cluster was, of course, awesome. Everything was sharp, clear, and very easy to use with the new steering wheel controls. I wasn't able to plug in an iPod or iPhone, as the necessary (proprietary!) cable wasn't present IN the car. Speaking of portable devices, there are now two connectors located in the center console - one is your standard USB plug, and the other is designed especially for Apple equipment. The surround cameras were enabled, and I think they'd be very useful in reversing and parallel parking maneuvers, but I'm a bit unsure how they'll perform for seeing into blind intersections and around objects. The lights for the blind spot assist were just small, but easy to see, amber LED's embedded into the side mirrors.
Sadly, these vehicles were only for us to look at, sit in, and push buttons on - driving them wasn't an option! As the salesman with me explained, there are only something like 11 of the pre-production examples in the country, most of which were being used for dealer training. For that reason, I'm not qualified to say how it handled when compared to previous years' models. He DID tell me that a 2010 Supercharged RRS was able to go from 0-100mph and back to 0mph before the 2009 SC RRS could go from 0-100mph. (The video is somewhere on the RRS section of this board, if I'm not mistaken). His take on everything is that the new naturally-aspirated engines would perform very similarly to the outgoing supercharged units. I guess I'll have to wait until early August, when it's rumored that there'll be test-drivable models at dealerships.
The last thing I've got to say is that I was told by the same gentleman that customer vehicles would begin arriving late August or early September, with another batch to show up in October. That all sounds about right, according to what members in the RRS board have heard...
I can't wait to see how everything pans out!
Thanks!
-one20
I know it seems trivial, but the updated headlights, taillights, and fog lights were fantastic! The example they showed was an Autobiography edition with the Bournville exterior with the new dark brown ("Arabica", methinks...) interior. The leather headliner might be a bit excessive, but it DID look great, nevertheless. Everything - the black lacquer wood, the leather on the doors, the dash and the ceiling, as well as the new finish on the center stack - felt great to the touch.
As far as the new gadgets and gizmos go, I was pleased with those, too. The virtualized instrument cluster was, of course, awesome. Everything was sharp, clear, and very easy to use with the new steering wheel controls. I wasn't able to plug in an iPod or iPhone, as the necessary (proprietary!) cable wasn't present IN the car. Speaking of portable devices, there are now two connectors located in the center console - one is your standard USB plug, and the other is designed especially for Apple equipment. The surround cameras were enabled, and I think they'd be very useful in reversing and parallel parking maneuvers, but I'm a bit unsure how they'll perform for seeing into blind intersections and around objects. The lights for the blind spot assist were just small, but easy to see, amber LED's embedded into the side mirrors.
Sadly, these vehicles were only for us to look at, sit in, and push buttons on - driving them wasn't an option! As the salesman with me explained, there are only something like 11 of the pre-production examples in the country, most of which were being used for dealer training. For that reason, I'm not qualified to say how it handled when compared to previous years' models. He DID tell me that a 2010 Supercharged RRS was able to go from 0-100mph and back to 0mph before the 2009 SC RRS could go from 0-100mph. (The video is somewhere on the RRS section of this board, if I'm not mistaken). His take on everything is that the new naturally-aspirated engines would perform very similarly to the outgoing supercharged units. I guess I'll have to wait until early August, when it's rumored that there'll be test-drivable models at dealerships.
The last thing I've got to say is that I was told by the same gentleman that customer vehicles would begin arriving late August or early September, with another batch to show up in October. That all sounds about right, according to what members in the RRS board have heard...
I can't wait to see how everything pans out!
Thanks!
-one20
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The gauge cluster looks awesome... As far as the performance goes, 0-100-0, who cares, buy a fast car if you want that type of performance. Great review, thanks!
where did you see it at? im in tampa also and would like to see the 2010 model.one20 said:This Friday past, I made my way to a local LR dealership for a small 2010 MY preview event, where they had a new LR4, Range Rover Sport, and Range Rover. It was great seeing the refreshed models in person, mainly because I wasn't quite sure how I felt the RR's updated grille/bumper was going to carry over in person... I was relieved to see that it carries over quite well, though - it's still a very handsome vehicle.
I know it seems trivial, but the updated headlights, taillights, and fog lights were fantastic! The example they showed was an Autobiography edition with the Bournville exterior with the new dark brown ("Arabica", methinks...) interior. The leather headliner might be a bit excessive, but it DID look great, nevertheless. Everything - the black lacquer wood, the leather on the doors, the dash and the ceiling, as well as the new finish on the center stack - felt great to the touch.
As far as the new gadgets and gizmos go, I was pleased with those, too. The virtualized instrument cluster was, of course, awesome. Everything was sharp, clear, and very easy to use with the new steering wheel controls. I wasn't able to plug in an iPod or iPhone, as the necessary (proprietary!) cable wasn't present IN the car. Speaking of portable devices, there are now two connectors located in the center console - one is your standard USB plug, and the other is designed especially for Apple equipment. The surround cameras were enabled, and I think they'd be very useful in reversing and parallel parking maneuvers, but I'm a bit unsure how they'll perform for seeing into blind intersections and around objects. The lights for the blind spot assist were just small, but easy to see, amber LED's embedded into the side mirrors.
Sadly, these vehicles were only for us to look at, sit in, and push buttons on - driving them wasn't an option! As the salesman with me explained, there are only something like 11 of the pre-production examples in the country, most of which were being used for dealer training. For that reason, I'm not qualified to say how it handled when compared to previous years' models. He DID tell me that a 2010 Supercharged RRS was able to go from 0-100mph and back to 0mph before the 2009 SC RRS could go from 0-100mph. (The video is somewhere on the RRS section of this board, if I'm not mistaken). His take on everything is that the new naturally-aspirated engines would perform very similarly to the outgoing supercharged units. I guess I'll have to wait until early August, when it's rumored that there'll be test-drivable models at dealerships.
The last thing I've got to say is that I was told by the same gentleman that customer vehicles would begin arriving late August or early September, with another batch to show up in October. That all sounds about right, according to what members in the RRS board have heard...
I can't wait to see how everything pans out!
Thanks!
-one20
Thanks for sharing. It sounds like they are even better than expected in terms of updates and tech.
In regards to the Range Rover's new look, I'd have to say that it's an evolutionary type of thing - it's definitely not anything out of left field. I quite like the look of it, though. Believe it or not, the front-end look of the car has been simplified just a little.rangeenvy said:Great Review! What are your thoughts about the styling compared to the previous years 08/09? Would you wait for the 2010 or get a great deal on an 08/09 now? Thanks again for the review.
As far as making a choice between the 08/09 and the 2010, I'm all for the incoming modelI I love the toys, gadgets, and gizmos, as well as the new look, so I might be the slightest bit biased. Pricing for the '10 has been released, and at $79,275 for the HSE and $95,125 for the Supercharged (with a $14,500 premium on Autobiography editions), I'd be willing to call it a reasonable buy.
Ah, I see I need to change my profile information! I spent some time in Tampa for school, but I'm back home in Atlanta now, which is where I saw the 2010s. The only place in Florida that I know had a similar event was LR Palm Beach. I've heard that LR might get some demo cars at the beginning of August... we shall see!Ace 95 said:where did you see it at? im in tampa also and would like to see the 2010 model.
I'm guessing I'm the only one who thinks the TFT display is completely ridiculous. "Virtual analog gauges, complete with chrome surround reflections simulated..." to me is like being marketed a digital Rolex. Part of the beauty of things, to me, is the actual craftsmanship: real metal, real movement, nothing virtual or simulated. I'm interested to see it in person, but my first impression is that of a passing fad.
I understand where you're coming from, and I can appreciate what you're saying. That said, what appeals to me about the new display isn't so much that is "cool" because the gauges are virtualized, but the fact that more options and settings are available to you without having to take your hands from the steering wheel, as well as the fact that navigation instructions can be displayed there, and that things can be reconfigured on an as-needed basis. I hope that it's more useful than gimmicky!RattleItHome said:I'm guessing I'm the only one who thinks the TFT display is completely ridiculous. "Virtual analog gauges, complete with chrome surround reflections simulated..." to me is like being marketed a digital Rolex. Part of the beauty of things, to me, is the actual craftsmanship: real metal, real movement, nothing virtual or simulated. I'm interested to see it in person, but my first impression is that of a passing fad.
Thanks!
-one20
But those "analog" gauges you love so much are in fact just an analog face with a digital electronic motor behind it. There probably hasn't been a cable actuated instrument since the 80's!
You are probably the only one! It isn't a fad, it's basically going to be the new standard down the road. The display makes it possible to access a huge number of features all from the steering wheel, its without question an awesome feature... Assuming 3 months into ownership the screen doesn't start falling apart and losing pixels.RattleItHome said:I'm guessing I'm the only one who thinks the TFT display is completely ridiculous. "Virtual analog gauges, complete with chrome surround reflections simulated..." to me is like being marketed a digital Rolex. Part of the beauty of things, to me, is the actual craftsmanship: real metal, real movement, nothing virtual or simulated. I'm interested to see it in person, but my first impression is that of a passing fad.
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