Land Rover: New Cars 2014

Range Rover Evoque update (February)

Land Rover claims the introduction of a nine-speed automatic transmission and new driveline technologies will make the updated Range Rover Evoque up to 11 per cent more fuel efficient when it arrives in February. The new ZF nine-speed replaces the current six-speed auto across in all four-wheel-drive variants, including TD4 and SD4 diesels and the Si4 petrol. The latter is exclusively equipped with the brand’s Active Driveline system, which intelligently switches between front- and four-wheel drive for enhanced efficiency and agility. Seven driver assist features are also new to Evoque in 2014: auto perpendicular parking, auto parking exit, adaptive cruise control, closing vehicle sensing and reverse traffic detection, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, and wade sensing.

Land Rover Discovery (February)

The 2014 Land Rover Discovery will get a new look, a new V6 engine and significant new badging when it hits showrooms in February. For the first time in history, ‘Discovery’ badging replaces ‘Land Rover’ at the edge of the bonnet, while the number ‘4’ has been removed from the tailgate. The 2014 Discovery line-up will be an all-V6 affair, with JLR’s new 3.0-litre supercharged petrol engine replacing the outgoing model’s 5.0-litre V8. The V6 – familiar from the new Jaguar F-Type – produces 250kW and 450Nm, and claims combined cycle fuel consumption of 11.5L/100km, making it roughly 17 per cent more efficient than the V8. Further distinguishing the 2014 Land Rover Discovery is a refreshed front end comprising new grilles and bumpers, redesigned headlights and LED daytime running lights, and an enhanced range of driver assistance, comfort and safety features including wade sensing, blind spot monitoring, reverse traffic detection and T-junction cameras.

Range Rover LWB (March)

The first long-wheelbase Range Rover in two decades will arrive in March, introducing new levels of comfort and luxury to the brand’s flagship four-wheel drive family. Designed primarily to appeal to the ‘bigger is better’ US market and the heavily chauffer-driven Chinese market’s love of cars with extended rear legroom, the Range Rover LWB’s wheelbase grows 200mm to 3122mm, creating an additional 140mm for rear-seat passengers. The LWB is available with either traditional bench or individual executive seats, the latter able to be reclined 17 degrees. It will be offered in Vogue, Vogue SE, Autobiography and new LWB-exclusive Autobiography Black specifications, with hybrid variants due in the third quarter of 2014. Expect a moderate price premium over the SWB models, with the top-spec LWB Autobiography Black to cost well in excess of $250,000.

Range Rover, Range Rover Sport updates (August)

The introduction of Land Rover’s first hybrid powertrain will headline the changes to the updated Range Rover and Range Rover Sport line-ups in August. Shared between both model lines, the hybrid system teams a 215kW/600Nm 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6 diesel engine with a 35kW electric motor for combined outputs of 250kW and 700Nm. An eight-speed automatic transmission sends drive to all four wheels, motivating the duo from 0-100km/h in under seven seconds while consuming a claimed 6.4L/100km on the combined cycle. Interior capacity of both is unchanged, despite the addition of the motor, lithium-ion battery and inverter. The Sport will also gain the 250kW/700Nm 4.4-litre turbo-diesel V8 that is already available in the larger Range Rover. New technologies added to both models include auto perpendicular parking and auto parking exit, 360-degree park distance control, lane departure warning and traffic sign recognition.

Read CarAdvice's Range Rover Hybrid Review.