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What is it? The luxurious Range Rover, flagship of the Land Rover line, has received a modest facelift and tech-toy upgrades for 2010, but no full redesign as yet. The interior trim, already nice, has been upgraded further. Despite its large size the Range Rover has unibody construction and fully independent suspension. That helps give it a pleasant, compliant ride and reasonable handling talent. A road-sensing suspension continually adjusts the shock absorbers to cope with pavement irregularities, and the body can raise itself for more ground clearance during off-road excursions. Standard gear includes an enhancement to the stability control system that takes over the braking in emergency situations, applying rapid wheel-specific brake pulses to reduce speed and widen the cornering radius slightly. A new 375-hp 5.0-liter V8 is standard and a 510-hp supercharged version of that engine as an option. Both use direct injection for improved fuel economy.
Also on display was the 2010 Range Rover Sport, with modest updates for the new model year.
What is new or notable? The physical gauges have been replaced with a flat-screen display technology called thin-film transistor, or TFT, which creates virtual instrument displays. The adaptive cruise control system includes a collision-avoidance system that automatically initiates braking if a forward collision looks imminent to the front-scanning radar. Around-view cameras give a view to the front, rear and sides, which can help with parking and lining up with a trailer. An automatic high-beam assist feature automatically dips the headlights to low beam when it detects oncoming traffic.
When will it be available? Fall 2009
Consumer Reports New cars: A to Z
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