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Monthly Archives: March 2018

Land Rover have stopped teasing and revealed the limited-run Range Rover SV Coupé.

The two door edition of the full fat Rangey harks back to the original Range Rover, the vehicle that spawned the luxury SUV segment, and will be limited to 999 examples.

Driven by a 557bhp supercharged petrol V8, producing 516lbf.ft, 0-60mph in five seconds and a top speed of 165mph, it’s the fastest production Range Rover to date.

Unsurprisingly, luxury is at the forefront of the agenda with the SV Coupé. Hand assembled at the Land Rover Special Vehicles plant in Warwickshire, the SV Coupé remarkably shares only two body panels with its more doorsy sibling (the tailgate and the bonnet), and offers multiple new customisations options. Interiors comparable to ‘private jets and yachts’ have swathes of quilted leather options, front-to-rear contrast seating options and three wooden veneers to choose from. Semi-precious badging is obviously an option, too, and the SV Coupé is also the first Range Rover to get 23″ alloys.

More than a hundred paint colours are offered, but colour-matching is also available, ensuring the ability to create a truly unique Rangey.

The suspension have been lowered by 8mm as standard, but still maintains the ability to wade in water of up to 900mm, and can still tow up to 3.5tonnes.

All of this luxury does come at a premium, however, with SV Coupé prices starting at £240,000 and orders will open in the final quarter of year. Plenty of time to decide on the final specs, then.

Subaru have revealed their Viziv Tourer concept for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show – an AWD touring concept akin to the active lifestyle and ready for autonomous tech.

The Viziv Tourer uses a symmetrical four-wheel drive system and a boxer engine, in a frame not much bigger than a current XV. Slightly shorter than the production vehicle, the Viziv isn’t as rough and ready, but has been equipped ‘a crossover mix of values to enhance active lifestyles’. Other than the four-wheel drive system, there’s not too much of an indication as to what these are, but given the brand’s form in practical, robust tourers, you’d be in the minority to doubt its practicality.

 

SsangYong have shown their e-SIV concept in Switzerland. The SUV is the fifth electric concept SsangYong have produced, and aims to combine efficiency, driving capability and an advanced approach to connectivity.

e-SIV stands for ‘electronic smart interface vehicle’, and the interior is aimed at ‘busy people’ and works with modern technology to become a ‘mobile communication space’. This will be achieved via a learning voice recognition system, internet connectivity and autonomous driving ability.

 

Aspects ranging from charging, infotainment and in emergency conditions even driving the vehicle could be controlled via a smartphone app.

The e-SIV would have a cruising range of up to 450km, and charging will take the battery from flat to 80% in fifty minutes.

The new Ford Edge has made its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show, breaking cover in the stylish and sporty ST-line trim.

Among the updates to the SUV are a new engine – a 238bhp diesel unit – and a host of new driver aids.

The powerplant is a new bi-turbo variant of the 2.0-litre EcoBlue engine, and combines with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The driver aids include adaptive cruise with stop-start practicality, alongside lane assist to aid the driver whilst cruising. Post-collision braking is also introduced, a safety precaution that aims to eradicate secondary crashes, whilst evasive steer assist helps avoid collisions altogether.

Tech also inhabits the interior, with heated seats and steering wheel, top level infotainment and a 3D digital instrument cluster.

Prices and release dates are yet to be announced, and we also await confirmation of a four-wheel drive variant – but given it was an option on the outgoing Edge we’d be surprised if there wasn’t.

In what is ‘the first step towards full electrification’, Bentley have announced a hybrid version of the Bentayga.

It will utilise a new V6 petrol unit in conjunction with an electric motor and retains all-wheel drive present in the rest of the Bentagya range – along with Sport, Comfort, Bentley and Custom drive modes. There will also be three electrified drive modes in EV Drive, Hybrid Mode and Hold Mode. The Bentagya hybrid will emit 75g CO2  per kilometre.

The Bentagya hybrid will be capable of 50km purely using the electric motor, and will go on sale in selected markets in the second half of the year.

The new SsangYong Musso pick-up has been revealed at the Geneva Motor Show.

The Korean marque’s rugged new pick-up has a body-on-frame assembly and is built on the same platform as their current Rexton – which won our 4×4 Of The Year title.

It also has SsangYong’s e-XDi220 2.2-litre diesel with 181bhp and 309lbf.ft – that has already impressed us in the Rexton and the smaller Korando. It gets the choice of six-speed manual or automatic transmissions, and part-time all-wheel drive comes as standard. So too does high and low ratio boxes, promising off-road prowess akin to that of the Rexton.

Eight-point body mounts and wheel-arch linings are in place to add sophistication to the pick-up, making the cabin quieter and more comfortable. Bluetooth and DAB radio are present across the range, whilst an 8″ infotainment screen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and wi-fi mirroring are available on higher spec models.

The pick-up bed is sized to carry a Euro pallet, and houses 12V/120W power outlets, plus rotating hooks to help when strapping cargo down.

The manual can tow a braked trailer of 2,800kg, whilst the automatic can tow 200kg more, and both can haul an unbraked trailer of 750kg.

Specifications for the UK are yet to be announced, but the new Musso is expected to go on sale this summer.

 

Skoda have revealed their concept SUV, the Vision X, at the Geneva Motor Show.

The concept is the first hybrid to wear the Czech company’s badge, and showcases a combustion engine that runs on petrol and naturally compressed gases (CNG) for the front axle, and is supplemented by electric motors powering the rear wheels. The 1.5-litre unit has been developed to work with CNG and is fitted with a turbo, resulting in emissions of a mere 89g CO2 per kilometre.  CNG units are considerably more efficient than their fossil fuel counterparts, and the G-Tec Skoda example is capable of using biogas – something that opens the possibility of carbon neutral emissions.

Alongside the green drivetrain, images of equally green bodywork have also broken cover, and the styling of the SUV shows a sporty advance on the current Skoda family look. The interpretation of a modern crossover is a hint at what a third Skoda SUV would be and also a look forward to the future of the brand – that has targeted a plug-in hybrid Superb for next year and electrification of the whole range by 2025.

The electric motor can offer 52lbf.ft in the rear axle on demand, which will be useful off-road and compliments the 130bhp and 147lbf.ft on tap from the drivetrain. It also utilises regenerative charging when braking or coasting to keep the power supply topped up.

 

 

With front, rear and all-wheel drive selectable, the Vision X is a versatile concept. That continues inside, with infotainment extensively available thanks to a wide dash, with a large glass-like display that rises from the centre console. The concept also previews systems that do everything from find parking spaces, offer ride sharing or vehicle rental and the Vision X will even pick the kids up from nursery when you can’t – or at least it would do.

To further the active lifestyle appeal of the Vision X concept, it’s boot is home to two electric skateboards, charging ports and a pair of helmets plus a drone to film the knarly kick-flips and grinds. In a sentence that could be taken from a budget adaptation of Transformers, the backs of the rear seats also detach and double up as spinal protection for skateboarding.

Concepts often feel like gimmicks to simply get people interested, but the plausibility of the Vision X, plus Skoda frequently referencing it as a study, give the impression that at some point, we might actually see something like this in production.

 

BMW have revealed the latest addition to their X range – the X2. The small SUV will get the xDrive all-wheel drive system across the board, with one engine available at launch and more joining it throughout the year.

The X2 xDrive20d will be available with SE, Sport, M Sport and M Sport X trim levels on the table. The initial engine produces 190bhp and 295lbf.ft, sprints from standstill to 62mph in 7.7 seconds and has a top speed of 137mph.

Order books are open, with prices starting at £33,890 for the X2 xDrive20d SE.

Mercedes-Benz recently released the X-Class pickup, and not long afterwards a few adventure themed concepts. They’ve announced they are now updating the range with a new engine – and permanent all-wheel drive – and will debut the model next week at the Geneva Motor Show.

The X350d utilises a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo diesel, that’s good for 258bhp and 368lbf.ft, and does 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds. A seven-speed automatic gearbox comes as standard, with paddle controls behind the wheel, as does stop-start functionality. Off-road transmission mode is featured alongside comfort, eco, sport and manual gearbox settings.

The 4matic all-wheel drive system has a low-range box and a two-stage transfer case, and distributes the power with a 60:40 bias in favour of the rear axle.

The X350d will come with two trim options, including the range-topping Power No pricing has been announced for the UK yet, but is expected to follow after the debut in Switzerland, given that it will be available from the middle of 2018.

Jaguar have officially unveiled their all-electric I-Pace in a live broadcast tonight, 1st March, before it makes its debut in the metal at the Geneva Motor Show in five days’ time.

The electric SUV has a pair of batteries powering the axles with 400bhp and 513lbf.ft. This means the I-Pace clocks a 0-60mph time of 4.5 seconds and is said to be able to charge from flat to four fifths of its battery capacity in 85 minutes, and a charge of 30 minutes giving 80 miles – both with rapid charging.

Now on sale, the I-Pace will cost from £63,495 with S, SE and HSE trims are joined by a limited number of First Edition models.

 

The ‘Fully Charged’ documentary, about the making of the I-Pace, was played after the launch.

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