Land Rover today provided a first look at the fifth-generation Range Rover luxury SUV, which will arrive in Canada in April sporting a new design and updated tech and luxury features.
Judged solely by its shape, the 2022 Land Rover Range Rover doesn’t appear much different from its predecessor, but look more closely at the details, and you’ll see where Rover’s designers focused their efforts.
The new Range Rover’s ultra-smooth body panels look almost like video game renderings in the photos Land Rover supplied with today’s announcement. The modern aesthetic is amplified by hidden-until-lit exterior lighting that is especially striking in the rear, where the taillights look like black styling accents when they’re extinguished.
Under those slick lines is a new platform Land Rover calls MLA-Flex, which supports short- and long-wheelbase models and seating for four, five, or seven people.
Initially, the Range Rover will come with soft-close doors; next year, though, Land Rover will roll out the brand’s first power-assisted doors that open and close on their own and can be controlled through the car’s infotainment system.
As before, the Range Rover has a two-piece hatch with a top half that swings up and a bottom-hinged lower piece that opens like a pickup truck tailgate. New is an optional tailgate event suite, which turns the lower portion of the tailgate into a bench with tailored leather cushions, audio controls and extra lighting. The backrest doubles as a new cargo area divider dubbed the versatile loadspace floor, designed to corral smaller cargo and keep it from sliding around while you’re driving.
In five-seat models, there’s also a new rigid cargo cover that automatically moves out of the way when the tailgate opens.
If you’re sitting in one of the Range Rover’s proper seats, you’ll enjoy next-generation noise-cancelling speakers – up to 35 of them, if you opt for the available 1,600-watt Meridian Signature sound system – and an electronic air suspension that uses navigation data to make predictive adjustments to optimize handling and ride quality.
Infotainment controls will be housed in a 13.1-inch touchscreen, and the driver gets a 13.7-inch digital info display, voice controls will be handled by Amazon Alexa, and over-the-air updates will let Land Rover upload the latest software to your Range Rover whenever it’s available.
The 2022 Land Rover Range Rover’s performance comes from a choice of two engines. The SE trim will start with a 3.0L turbo inline six-cylinder with mild-hybrid assist for 395 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque; optional in SE and standard in Autobiography and First Edition packages will be a new twin-turbo 4.4L V8 making 523 hp and 553 lb-ft and boasting a 4.6-second zero-to-100-km/h sprint.
A standard all-wheel steering setup countersteers at low speeds for a tighter turning circle, and turns all four wheels in the same direction at higher speeds for better stability. If you venture off-road, you’ll benefit from a standard active locking rear differential, and Terrain Response 2 drive modes.
And that’s just what’s coming in 2022: the 2023 Range Rover will add a 434-hp plug-in hybrid powertrain promising about 100 km of all-electric driving, and the first-ever all-electric Range Rover will follow in 2024.
When the 2022 Land Rover Range Rover lands in Canada next April, prices will start at $126,400 for the SE six-cylinder and $139,300 for SE V8 models; the top LWB Autobiography will come in at $177,200.
2022 Land Rover Range Rover Pricing
SE SWB six-cylinder: $126,400
SE SWB V8: $139,300
SE LWB V8: $145,000
Autobiography SWB V8: $174,800
First Edition SWB V8: $182,000
Autobiography LWB V8: $177,200