Range Rover (2011): first pictures, new V8

Land Rover might only have revised the Range Rover last summer, but there’s now a new version, complete with a bigger and better 4.4-litre TDV8, plus it's available as a limited-run Autobiography Black special edition to celebrate the car’s 40th birthday.

For a start the engine has grown from 3.6 to 4.4-litres, but still retains the twin sequential turbochargers. That means 309bhp (up from 267bhp), while the torque figures climbs from 472lb ft to 516lb ft. But the new engine is cleaner and more economical too, thanks in part to a new ZF-sourced eight-speed auto that replaces the six-cog ‘box; the Rangie’s CO2 output drops from 294g/km to 253g/km, while the fuel consumption improves from 25.4mpg to 30.1. It’s the first time the Range Rover has achieved over 30mpg.

Performance, of course, improves too, with the 0-60mph time dropping 1.1sec to 7.5 seconds, and the top speed is up 5 notches to 130mph. And to match the performance, the new TDV8 gains the same Brembo braking kit as the supercharged 5.0 V8, so there’s 380mm discs up front and 365mm discs at the back.

The Range Rover’s big, chunky Command Shift gearstick has been replaced by a Jag-style rotary selector, and to avoid confusion the rotary Terrain Response dial has been swapped for some switches. Terrain Response also gains a Hill Start Assist program, and a Gradient Acceleration Control program to ‘provide safety cover on severe gradients when the driver does not have Hill Descent Control engaged’

Other tweaks include the option of more exterior colours, more optional alloy wheels, and a new exterior design pack, that’s imaginatively called Exterior Design Pack – it consists of a different front bumper and grille, revised side vents and sills, a new rear bumpers and stainless steel exhaust finishers.

Finally there’s the Autobiography Black, a special edition built to celebrate the Range Rover’s 40th birthday. Only available in black, its gets unique 20-inch wheels and lots of black trimmings, and just 700 will ever be made.

By Ben Pulman