Range Rover marks its 55th anniversary by ushering in the biggest transformation in its history. Yes, the Range Rover Electric is coming soon, and the anticipation is building, but perhaps what’s most remarkable about this revolutionary new EV is just how true it stays to the brand’s DNA. In many ways it’s the most “Range Rover” Range Rover yet, simply delivering more of the things we love: more refinement, more capability, more quiet and more effortless performance.
Refined Design
Throughout its long history, Range Rover has always understood the power of silence. Its vehicles have always preferred to whisper rather than shout. It’s a tradition that goes back 55 years to the original Range Rover, penned by Spen King and finessed by David Bache. The design was pure, devoid of unnecessary frills or ornamentation, but it nevertheless turned heads. It married form and function so seamlessly that it became the first car to be exhibited at the Louvre in Paris.
For the Range Rover Electric, designers followed the same principle. It’s a refined design, with no frivolous details, nothing meant to shout ‘Hey, this is an EV!’ to the world. The idea here was to marry purity of form and function with the aesthetic refinement clients expect from Range Rover.
Silent Driving
Refinement goes deeper than design, of course. It goes back to the way the first Range Rover, and indeed every Range Rover since, has felt from behind the wheel. The 1970 original was revolutionary precisely because it combined luxury car refinement with go-anywhere off-road capability. It was equally at home in Chelsea as it was in the mud at your country estate, just as the modern Range Rover is at home in Rosedale and Muskoka, Kitsilano and the Sunshine Coast.
For its upcoming electric offerings, Range Rover is taking the same philosophy but amplifying it. The cabin of a Range Rover has always been quiet, but without a combustion engine it’s now nearly silent. Active noise cancellation technology allows the engineers to fine-tune the sound design of the cabin, creating an oasis of calm on the road.
“We are on target to create the quietest and most refined Range Rover ever created,” said Thomas Muller, Range Rover’s executive director of product engineering. And trust us, it makes all the difference when you’re stuck in gridlocked traffic after a stressful day.
Effortless Performance
It’s no secret we love Range Rover’s torquey V8s with their effortless, tidal wave of power, so we were happy to see the company promise Range Rover Electric will, “deliver performance comparable to a flagship Range Rover V8.”
With electric power, there’s no lag, no waiting for turbos to spool up, no need to shift down a few gears before taking off. You can have all the power of a V8 in an instant; it’s the very definition of effortless.
In keeping with the effortless theme, Range Rover Electric will offer a unique take on single pedal driving that works while off-roading. In conjunction with the Terrain Response system, it will bring the vehicle to a complete stop and engage Hill Hold, enabling the driver to move off again without having touched the brakes at any point. It’s been stress-tested in the slippery Arctic terrain and on towering sand dunes and performed exactly as confidently as you’d expect from Range Rover.
Added Capability
More performance requires greater control. That’s where the Range Rover Electric’s Integrated Traction Management system comes in, taking full advantage of the precise nature of electric motors. The system can maintain optimal grip on treacherous terrain by managing wheel slip up to 100 times quicker than is possible with a V8 engine. In practice, it means the vehicle can respond to changing conditions almost before you’re aware they exist, no matter if you’re driving down the highway in a downpour, or up to a snowed-in ski chalet.
Similarly, the advanced new ThermAssist technology works behind the scenes, automatically optimizing range and charging performance no matter if it’s winter in Winnipeg or a sweltering Toronto summer. It reduces heating energy consumption by up to 40 percent and works in temperatures as low as -10C to recover heat to warm the cabin.
“In its driving character, Range Rover should seamlessly combine capability and refinement,” said Matt Becker, the company’s vehicle engineering director. “Delivering both in an electric vehicle in a way that doesn’t diminish the vehicle in other areas is incredibly challenging. By increasing its torsional stiffness and improving its responses, we’ve been able to maintain a customary Range Rover driving experience that feels familiar.” In other words, if Becker and his team have done their jobs well — and they have — the Range Rover Electric will look and feel exactly like a Range Rover only better: more capable, more refined, more quiet and more effortless. It stays true to the brand’s 55-year tradition, and indeed to Spen King’s original vision. Paradoxically, by embracing revolutionary electric power, Range Rover has created its most traditional vehicle yet.
