Posts Tagged ‘Range Rover’

Land Rover has just released fresh details of its new Range Rover Evoque luxury crossover, one week ahead of the 2010 Paris Motor Show.

The Evoque is Land Rover’s attempt at offering a sport utility vehicle that treads lightly. Under that stylish sheetmetal lies a lightweight chassis, electric power steering, and turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, each designed to squeeze more distance from each drop of fuel.

But the real story is the Evoque’s breathtaking design. It’s the most aggressive and street-oriented interpretation of the Range Rover design language, with a rising beltline and sloping roofline that give the car an athletic stance.

Inside, the company’s ties to Jaguar are obvious (both brands are now owned by Indian automaker, Tata). There’s a rotary shifter for the transmission that rises at engine startup, a leather-covered dash, and crisp blue mood lighting.

Although the Evoque is the most street-biased Range Rover model yet, the company claims that it was still put through its paces off road. The Evoque was subjected to over 16,700 tests, including desert heat and sand in the Middle East, thick mud and clay in England, and ruts and deep water from a military proving grounds.

There’s an arsenal of electronic aids to keep the Evoque on track, including Land Rover’s excellent Terrain Response system, which adjusts various software and hardware around the car to suit conditions at the push of a button. Back in urban environments, the new Surround Camera system shows a virtual 360-degree view of the vehicle from overhead, to make parking in tight spaces a snap.

The new Evoque is meaner and greener, but is the world ready for a Range Rover that treads lightly?

Game 2 of the NBA Finals was a disappointment for fans of the LA Lakers.  Fortunately for Kobe Bryant, his drive home should have been anything but.

While the 103-94 loss on the home court was less welcome than a flat tire, Kobe nonetheless got to drive home in his Ferrari F430, a $300,000 sports car that can jet from 0-60 in less than four seconds and put a smile on your face in half that time.  Yowzahs.

For a guy who can afford to drive any car on the planet, the F430 makes for an interesting choice.  It’s not the most expensive Ferrari out there – but it is more focused and visceral than its exotic siblings.

We think that the choice says a lot about Kobe… as do his other rides from Land Rover, Bentley, and Cadillac.

After all, what kind of celebrity would leave a bright pink baby seat buckled into his Range Rover in full view of the paparazzi when he goes out for a date with his wife?

We sneaked a peek into the Black Mamba’s garage as part of a fun story for Fox Sports, analyzing the basketball great’s personality through the lens of his cars.  Have a look at our full report on Kobe and let us know your thoughts on the man and his cars.

I was fortunate enough to attend the New York Auto Show last week.

I love attending Auto Shows…not just because of the shiny new cars, but because you can really see people get excited about designs, features, and how it feels to sit in a certain vehicle.

Although the New York Auto Show is smaller than the Detroit International Auto Show (NAIAS), there was much to see.

2010 New York International Auto Show

Here are some of my thoughts as I walked through the show:

1) Ford Focus: I have seen this vehicle many times before, but every time I see it in person, I am amazed at how beautiful it is.

Ford Focus

2) Ford Transit: It is cool to me that a commercial-type vehicle like the Ford Transit is the 2010 Truck of the Year, and I wonder if we will see any families adopt this vehicle as an unconventional way to drive their family around?I think it would be fun to drive one, just to be different.

Ford Transit

3) Ford Taurus: For a sedan, I was blown away by the enormous trunk.

Ford Taurus trunk is huge!

4) Volvo XC90: I think this is a sharp vehicle and hope more vehicles will bring back the SUV “Tailgate”. It is such a classic and classy look.

Volvo XC90 Tailgate

5) Chevy Aveo: Smart gets a lot of attention, but there are a lot of other low priced options.

Chevrolet Aveo

6) Chevy Volt: Wow! I think GM did a great job with this design and it’s such an exciting direction for them.

Chevy Volt Side View

Chevy Volt Hatchback

Chevy Volt See-Through Rear

7) Chevrolet Corvette: It was fun to watch the crowds swarm the Corvette. People were taking turns sitting inside while their friends and family look photos and told them how great they looked. Little kids flock to this vehicle too. So much energy!

Corvette crowd at NY Auto Show

8 ) Cadillac: The Caddies definitely were definitely flaunting the grills… and New Yorkers were loving them.

Cadillac luxury grill

Cadillac tough grill

9) Acura ZDX: I think the Acura ZDX is beautiful, especially from the rear…and it reminds me a bit of my dream car, the BMW X6. After sitting inside, I learned that it was difficult to get in and out of the backseats.

Acura ZDX Rear

Acura ZDX Rear Headroom

10) MINI: MINI is still so cool and fun…and people get so emotional when they see them.  I loved their display and I think people do think of MINI’s as their little pets. I liked their cardboard box idea too…so clever.

"Please do not feed the MINI"

11) VW Routan: There were lots of families looking at the Routan, including these 2 cute kids. I wonder if it will be a contender?

VW Routan Minivan

VW Routan Cute Kids in Seatbelts

12) Nissan Leaf: I hope Nissan’s Electric Vehicle, the Leaf, does change the world !

Nissan Leaf Electric Vehicle

Nissan Leaf Rear Design

13) Hyundai: Kudos to Hyundai’s designers. The vehicles are looking good and are reflective of what US and European customers are buying today.

Hyundai Sonata front view

Hyundai Sonata side view

Hyundai Sonata rear view

Hyundai Genesis Coupe

14) Land Rover: How can you not love this vehicle?

Beautiful Range Rover

15) BMW: The new 5-Series is slammin! I am a big fan of the Gran Turismo package too.

BMW 5-Series

Hope you enjoyed the photos. Would love to hear your thoughts/comments or see your photos, which are undoubtedly better than mine.

Range Rover recently teamed up with the prestigious English gunmaker, Holland & Holland, to create what they consider to be, “the most luxurious off-roader ever built.”

Did they succeed?  Judge for yourself: this Rover features custom leather upholstery and breathtaking woodwork hand-selected to match the owner’s gun collection.  Customers can choose from seven exclusive exterior paint colors, four different types of wood, and a seemingly endless number of leather options.

While there is something to be said for lavish trim and an opulent exterior, there are two amazing and never-before-seen amenities (limos excluded) that make this Range Rover stand out:

First, there’s a custom console with functioning refrigerator and an amply-stocked liquor cabinet.  The cabinet includes a one year supply of top-shelf whiskey, gin, vodka, and champagne – as well as custom crystal ware.

To the rear, there is a trunk-mounted gun cabinet replete with custom woodwork.  Yes, a luxury gun cabinet… in the back of a Range Rover.  And it’s functional, too, with enough space to fit guns, ammunition, and hunting accessories.

If a vehicle’s worth can be measured by the labor put into it; the H & H Overfinch is the gold standard.  Over 150 hours are spent customizing and fitting the interior trim and more than 130 hours are spent painting and hand polishing the exterior.

This luxury off-roader is old-world luxury on wheels.  Make that fast wheels (the 503-hp supercharged V8 does 0-60 mph in less than 7 seconds and has a governed top speed of 140 mph).

So what’s keeping us all from buying this amazing vehicle?  Production is limited to 100 vehicles and they cost a cool £139,650 in the UK and about $182,597 for export.  At that price, this Range Rover will have to stay on our already long list of dream cars.

For those of you who can afford a Range Rover with expensive rifles and a never-ending supply of alcohol, please do be careful about how you mix those three ingredients.

Which cars do dad’s, both young and old, find most attractive?  Some of the answers may surprise you a bit.  Get this one… the Nissan Cube is #3 on the Honk list.  And while many people think this car is unsightly, it’s easy to recognize that polarizing cars mean some people will actually love it.  It’s a statement car for sure.  Since this list is based on people who actually purchased the cars, it is really based on buyers of their cars and how much more do they love the design than others (we index off a baseline and then take the most beloved and rank them).  So while you may not love the Cube, it is certainly ADORED by those who own them.  The results came from over 5,000 Dads!

Side note: We have some incredible data over at Honk that enables us to take a peek at answers to very specific questions from our users.  All of our lists are based on actual consumer input and is not conjured up by a bunch of gear heads on a computer.  We are committed to enhancing our user experience by blending interesting data with tools.  Go ahead and take a look.  If there’s a burning question  or a fun list you’d like us to pull, we’d be happy to give it a shot!  In the near future, we will be actively posting these lists and they will dynamically be part of our search tool (launching in February).

The Top 33 Best Looking Cars for Dads

1            Porsche 911

2            BMW M3

3            Nissan Cube

4            Audi A5/S5

5            Land Rover Range Rover

6            Saturn Sky Roadster

7            Hyundai Genesis

8            Volkswagen CC

9            BMW 6 Series

10            Mercedes S-Class

11            Audi R8

12            Jaguar XF

13            Audi TT

14            Audi A4/S4

15            Chevrolet Camaro

16            Audi Q7

17            Audi A6/S6

18            Infiniti QX56

19            Audi A3 Avant

20            BMW 3 Series

21            Lexus LS460

22            Chevrolet Corvette

23            Infiniti FX35

24            Mini Cooper

25            Audi Q5

26            Cadillac CTS

27            Mercedes SL Roadster

28            Chevrolet Avalanche

29            Dodge Challenger

30            Nissan Maxima

31            Mini Cooper Clubman

32            Cadillac Escalade

33            Chevrolet Suburban