Report: Range Rover dropping V8 base engine in favor of supercharged V6

Filed under: Car Buying, SUV, Land Rover, Luxury, Off-Road

The 2013 Range Rover is on waiting lists so long that Land Rover isn't even importing the base model for lack of sufficient uptake in view of limited resources. When that backlog is all cleared up, there's a 15-page booklet worth of changes coming for the 2014 model year, the biggest of which is the disappearance of the naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V8 engine. It will be replaced in the base Range Rover and the HSE with a supercharged 3.0-liter V6.

The new Rangie's aesthetics have changed to help it improve its overall Earth friendliness, and that's the reason given for the engine switch: following "the widespread industry trend to downsize engines due to GHG [greenhouse gasses] legislation which requires continuing efforts to improve emissions and fuel consumption." The V8 produced 375 horsepower and 375 pound-feet of torque, the supercharged V6 gets 340 hp and 332 lb-ft. That slows the 0-to-60 mile-per-hour time from 6.5 seconds to 7.1, but improves gas mileage by two miles per gallon across the board to 16 city, 22 highway and 18 combined and CO2 emissions drop by 22 percent. Stop/start will come standard on both the V6 and the supercharged 5.0-liter V8, that latter engine still standard fitment on the Supercharged and Autobiography trims.

Elsewhere on the velveteen exploration mobile, the price of the Adaptive Cruise Control will drop from $2,000 to $1,295. The Active Rear Locking Differential gets combined with the Tow Package; both are available separately on the Supercharged and Autobiography trims for $1,400 total right now, combined the two will cost $1,300 on the 2014 model. The LED signature lamps, an option with the Vision Assist package, will be standard across the range, and two new colors are added and one disappears. Click the link below to read the entire document, and you might want to rearrange your place on that waiting list if you're read something you like.

Range Rover dropping V8 base engine in favor of supercharged V6 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 14 Feb 2013 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments