Meet the most shocking car in Range Rover’s long history.
No one prepared us for this. Whilst in England to spend time with Range Rover’s latest and greatest (upcoming) SUVs, the brand dropped an absolute bombshell on us: the Range Rover GT, an all-new fifth model in the brand’s lineup. It is what Range Rover calls “a new expression of the grand tourer formula, created to deliver peerless long-haul comfort, effortless performance and signature Range Rover breadth of capability.”
More information will come later this year, but for now we know this new grand tourer will start as an EV built on the brand’s new EMA electric architecture, with plans to offer a hybrid later as well.
Shown in heavily camouflaged form, the exterior shows a far lower profile than anything we’ve seen from the brand, well, ever. That said, the Range Rover GT still intends to be quite capable when the pavement disappears. It’s not a small vehicle by any means, looking nearly as long as a full size Range Rover. Despite its frameless windows, its door seals are as elaborate as those found on the rest of the model line, which hints at river crossing being a possibility. And, even though its ground clearance is lower, we know the brand can work magic with its clever air suspension. In other words, we would be shocked if the Range Rover GT wasn’t built to be just as capable off-road as its four siblings.
Range Rover GT Interior Design
Leaving that speculation behind, what we did get a closer look at was the brilliant and very architecture-forward interior. The mixture of hard lines and flowing curves evokes aspects of both modernism and brutalist architecture; it’s hard not to see parallels between this interior and the works of Canada’s own Arthur Erickson — especially where the front door panels meet the dashboard, and the use of a full glass-panel roof that lets in ample natural light.
The dash panel feels stark in contrast to much that’s in the market these days, but that’s not a complaint. Rather than bombarding the driver with screens, the Range Rover GT will come standard with a heads-up display, and a new single-screen design paired with a driver display in place of a traditional instrument cluster. The driver display is visible above the steering wheel (rather than through it), and thanks to an SUV-like command seating position, overall visibility from the driver’s seat is quite impressive.
Clad in a mix of woven textiles and Ultrafabrics, the finishes found throughout the Range Rover GT are on point as well, echoing the brand’s ongoing migration towards more sustainable luxury materials over traditional leathers. Both space and storage throughout the vehicle are ample, which is fitting for the grand tourer segment. As one of SHARP’s resident tall folk, I can confirm that even if both driver and rearward passenger are over six feet tall, both occupants are left with room to spare.
Why The Range Rover GT Matters
This car is a wild departure from what we know of Range Rover thus far; that’s a given. Range Rover is just starting its lengthy electrification journey, but already we can see this technological revolution is opening up new possibilities. The GT is merely the first, beautiful, example. The EMA platform allows the brand to deliver both a sleek, low-slung shape and all-terrain capability. It’s a proposition that many drivers (and not just the Range Rover faithful) will find appealing.
It’s hard not to see the excitement across the brand’s executive team, but Managing Director Martin Limpert’s notes on the topic summarize it perfectly.
“The Range Rover GT will redefine the grand-touring segment with the ability to deliver beautiful and engaging GT poise, proportions and long-distance refinement while offering capabilities no conventional GT can match,” Limpert said. “We have spent the last few years working obsessively on the fundamentals of the GT formula, reinterpreted in a sophisticated, uniquely Range Rover way. The result is the most car-like, yet unmistakably capable, Range Rover ever created, now possible on our electrified EMA architecture – complementing our existing powertrain portfolio to deliver a complete set of options for every customer need. Its blend of effortless EV performance, first-class long-haul refinement and all-terrain capability is pure Range Rover; while its calming interior previews our vision of a modern grand tourer.”
What Will The Range Rover GT Cost?
Herein lies the million dollar question. The price of the Range Rover GT has yet to be announced, leaving ample room for speculation. If the flagship full-size Range Rover starts at around $150,000, and the Sport is just over $100,000, it’s safe to speculate that the Range Rover GT will cost somewhere between those two figures. We could be wrong, but the GT feels much more like a halo product than something aimed at an entry tier. Hopefully those details come by the end of the year. We’ll have more details as we get them, so watch this space.
