CarGurus' Preview

Your choice: fast or faster? The new 2010 Land Rover Range Rover gets one of two new Jaguar-sourced AJ-V8 5.0-liter engines, with your choice of natural aspiration or supercharging. These have of course been modified to accommodate the front differential, a deep oil sump to ward off starvation, with waterproofing to necessary components, but the numbers tell the real story. 375 sits proudly in the columns for horsepower and torque with the naturally aspirated version, while supercharging boosts those figures to 510 and 461, respectively. The sole transmission is a revised ZF HP-28 six-speed automatic, which together with the engine enhancements is expected to produce an increase in the not-yet-released EPA estimates as well.

Exterior changes center around the front of the vehicle, with LEDs now gracing the iconic interlocking ring headlights, and a new perforated, horizontally split grille offers distinct styling as well as cooling to the more powerful engines. Foglights have been relocated below the restyled bumper cap, and a triple theme has been incorporated into the fender vents, LED side indicators, and LED taillamps.

Expect a lot of noise, good or bad, surrounding the deletion of a traditional gauge face for a 12-inch thin-film-transistor screen, touted as the largest in any vehicle ever made. Another 12-inch display is fitted in the center console, and this sports several unique features, primary amongst them the Parallax Barrier “Dual View” technology that displays two different images depending on viewer position. This means the driver will see the navigation map from his side of the vehicle, while the passenger will see a movie displayed from his angle, for a simple example. Further interior enhancements include more and softer leather, as well as special attention paid to interior materials and build quality throughout, such as new “luxury grade” European leather trim for the headliner and pillar and door casings, satin chrome-plated-finish fascia buttons, and satin black and natural wood trim and finish. The revamped steering wheel also gets multi-direction thumbpad controls.

Adaptive Cruise Control, Emergency Brake Assist, and Blind Spot Monitoring come standard, as well as a new braking system. Naturally aspirated Range Rovers come with four- and one-piston calipers front and rear, biting into 14.2- and 13.8-inch rotors, while supercharged versions are halted by six-piston calipers up front and the traditional one piston in the rear, with larger rotors - 15 inches in the front and 14.3 out back. Options include Automatic High Beam Assist (AHBA) and a 360-degree five-camera surround viewing system.