World Auto News & Reviews

Workhorse, tow car, law enforcer, status symbol, people carrier, mud plugger; few cars can claim to fulfil any of these duties with genuine conviction. Yet since 16 November 1989 – 20 years ago today – one car has consistently met all those challenges and more, earning itself iconic status as the ultimate all-purpose vehicle. That car is the Land Rover Discovery.

Designed originally to plug the gap between the utilitarian attributes of the iconic Land Rover Defender and the more luxurious characteristics of the flagship Range Rover, Discovery soon became the perfect niche vehicle for the growing demands of the family 4×4 market.
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Confirming earlier rumors, Land Rover managing director Phil Popham has revealed that the iconic off-road brand is readying a replacement for its venerable Defender model. The Land Rover Defender has soldiered on relative unchanged for the past 61 years.

Although the Defender is still as surefooted as a mountain goat, Popham says the redesign is necessary to comply with modern safety and emissions regulations. Land Rover was forced to stop selling the Defender in the United States after 1997 due to a lack of mandatory air bags.
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The Range Rover Sport has been a popular model for Land Rover since it debuted in 2005 as a 2006 model, but the British automaker’s first attempt at a sporting ‘ute was by no means an out-of-the-ballpark home run. Customers complained about the Range Rover Sport’s sub-par interior materials and lackluster powertrains – even in Supercharged-guise – but Land Rover has all but solved those issues with the Sport’s 2010 refresh.
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Following Monday’s spy photos, Land Rover has confirmed the Range Rover LRX will join the line-up in 2011.
Set to debut next year, the production LRX will adopt the sporty styling pioneered by the aggressive LRX Concept. According to Land Rover design director, Gerry McGovern, “The new vehicle will be a natural extension to the Range Rover line-up, complementing the existing models and helping to define a new segment. It will be true to the concept and have many recognizable Range Rover design cues including the signature clamshell bonnet, the floating roof and the solid ‘wheel-at-each-corner’ stance.”
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Land Rover customizer Overfinch has teamed up with British sportgun and rifle maker Holland & Holland to create a limited production Ranger Rover. Based on either the 5.0-litre 503HP Supercharged or TDV8 diesel versions of the new 2010 MY Range Rover, the Holland & Holland features a raft of exterior and interior enhancements. On the outside the special Range gets 20-inch alloys (22’s are optional) fitted with all season Mud & Snow tyres, special cast exhaust outlets and various tidbits from Overfinch’s depot such as the headlamp and tail light treatments and the bumper trims.
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