Range Rover gets updated engines and more bling

This latest evolution of the 4x4 icon revolves around more bespoke luxury taking it ever more upmarket – and cementing its place under the recently announced JLR umbrella.

Personalisation is the watchword here with a bespoke commissioning service for customers of SV and Autobiography models. There’s been plenty of customisation available before but now the sky’s the limit, so much so that no two Range Rovers need ever be alike.

Tick the SV Bespoke box on your order form and you’ll get an invitation to a super-posh commissioning suite. Here you will be able to umm and err over 230 colours, 391 internal colourways, a multitude of materials and finishes as well as hand-crafted details like special embroidery and those gold badges. Not what you have in mind? A paint-to-sample service means Range Rover can replicate any colour you want.

Range Rover says the highly personalised result can be just as unique as its owner – so, no surprise, the owner’s name can be inscribed into the illuminated treadplates. It’s all very much in line with what Mulliner offers Bentley buyers or Bespoke offers Rolls-Royce customers.  

The Range Rover’s oily bits aren’t the focus of this refresh – the latest, smoothed-over model is barely more than 18 months out of its box and the all-electric Range Rover is still a year away. But there has been some fiddling under that seamless new body. Your 2024 model year Range Rover now comes with a little more of everything: power, performance, efficiency and range for electric-only running.

Most to benefit are the two six-cylinder plug-in hybrid variants which thanks to a bigger new 160kW electric motor now boast total system power of 510PS (380kW) or 460PS (343kW). This is around a ten per cent power boost and enough now for a best 0-62mph in the more powerful variant of just 5.0 seconds. 

CO2 emissions are down to 16g/km and electric range sees a small rise to 74 miles officially. For the first time, you can get this powertrain in the long-wheelbase SV model.

Petrolheads may still go for the V8 which now gets the mild hybrid treatment, taking power to 615PS (459 kW) and giving an efficiency boost.

Other changes? The anti-body-roll actuators that made their debut on the Range Rover Sport are fitted, and there are tweaks to the adaptive cruise control – for both country road driving (when it uses sat-nav data to take into account the twisties), and off-road exploring. That’s right, a Range Rover you can take to the middle of nowhere and turn on the cruise control.

So how much for all this? There’s the recommended prices (they start at £103,720 as before) and then there’s the bespoke price and if you have to ask what that is, you probably can’t afford it. Gold badges don’t come cheap.