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2001 May: Land Rover Australia tells us to expect the new Range Rover at the 2002 Melbourne Motor Show.
2000RR3.jpg HEIGHT="180" WIDTH="360" ALIGN="right" ALT="L-R p.r. pic" -->2000: The release of the car is still one or two years away but there is keen interest in the next Range Rover. L30 --> This has been heightened by the sale of Land Rover by BMW to Ford in mid 2000. The next Rangie is believed to share features of BMW's X5 such as monocoque construction and all independent suspension, but to stick to many Land Rover principles such as the extensive use of aluminium. It will also be instantly recognisable as a Range Rover.
Part of the BMW - Ford deal is that the new car can use BMW engines, as originally designed. The main stay will surely be BMW's 4.4 litre petrol V8, with V8 and/or 6-cylinder turbo diesels sure to be popular in Europe where fuel prices are #@%! However, Ford have some nice 6 cylinder and V8 engines as used in cars by Land Rover's stable-mate Jaguar so one has to wonder about a switch at some time even if Bob Dover, Land Rover CEO, denies any such move. late '00 -->
There are also persistent stories, or is it rumours, about a BMW V12 powered model. Even if there are design plans and prototypes, the company itself may not know whether such a car will actually reach the sale room.
Two things made RR1 great - the engine and the flexible coil-sprung suspension. Innovation continued through RR1 and RR2 with the introduction of air-bag suspension. But the competition always gets tougher; Range Rover III will have to top this to keep its reputation as one of the most capable (stock) off-roaders
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