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Monthly Archives: September 2018

The latest sports SUV to be unveiled is the Audi SQ2, with the compact S model set to go on sale at the end of the year. Audi will publicly debut the SQ2 at the Paris Motor Show in October.

With little tweaks adding sportiness here and there – such as the 20mm lower stance – the SQ2 looks the part, and should play it, too.

The 2.0-litre TFSI engine kicks out 296bhp and 295lbf.ft, which when paired with the trademark quattro drivetrain will no doubt result in a zesty little SUV. The figures that back this up are 4.8 seconds to 62mph and a limited terminal velocity of 155mph.

Like all current Audi range-toppers, there’s a healthy does of interior luxuries bestowed upon the SQ2. Sports seats are standard, along with a multi-function sports steering wheel and a full-colour driver information system. Choosing the virtual cockpit replaces this with a fully digitised instrument cluster, which can be customised using steering wheel-mounted buttons and is part of the Technology Pack. Much of the furnishings are black as standard, with various metallic trims around the interior – brushed aluminium details on the instrument panel and stainless steel pedal caps and footrest. A combination of finishes are available in the SQ2, with leather and cloth as standard, but alcantara and nappa leather options will also be available.

The multimedia system is extensive, with the range topper comprising an 8.3-inch touchscreen that features touch scroll and is capable of voice recognition, too. The Audi connect package installs a SIM card, which offers the driver several online features such as live traffic information, navigation that utilises Google Earth, plus access to your Twitter account and emails. The myAudi app on your smartphone will connect your mobile to the system to function as a streaming host and also transfer item form your calendar to the car.

Driver assistance includes front collision warning and emergency braking, along with adaptive cruise with stop-and-go traffic assist, which at up to 40mph can assist with steering, accelerating and braking. Active lane assist is also fitted and optional parking assist can automatically pilot the vehicle into a parking space. There are also cross traffic assist, which warns of collisions when reversing out into a road, and side assist alerts the driver of a potential hazard when changing lane.

There are no prices revealed just yet, but they can be expected before sales start later in the year.

Further details of the Ranger Raptor have been revealed on Ford Performance’s Australia website, offering a deeper insight into the specs of the hotly anticipated super-truck than when the truck was revealed in August.

The engine will b a 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel unit that gives 210bhp and 3868lbf.ft – we knew this before, but now Ford have released figures that are important to practical pick-up drivers.

At 758kg the payload comes in lighter than hoped, as does the braked towing capacity which falls short at 2,500kg. This may not be the end of the world for those who wouldn’t be using their Raptor as a workhorse, but it’s a big blow for those who would.

Dimensions of the truck bed have been revealed, too. With a length of 1743mm and a width of 1560mm, the size of the bed isn’t a worry. In the middle, between the wheelhouses, it is narrower – 1139mm – and the width of the tailgate opening is 1485mm.

In terms of economy, the Ranger Raptor is quoted a combined 34.4mpg and 212g/km for CO2 emissions.

With release set for next year, we are still waiting on pricing for the first Ford Raptor to be sold in Europe.

 

 

Isuzu has announced a range of updates to its high-selling D-Max pick-up. Effective from 1 October, the vehicle gains improvements to its suspension, cabin quality and safety tech, as well as a minor increase in payload and a set of new colour options.

The headline story for commercial users and off-road enthusiasts alike will be the move from five-piece to three-piece leaf packs for the rear springs on double-cab models. The result of this is an improvement in ride comfort and reduction in cabin noise, helping enhance the truck’s overall refinement.

This comes with no penalty in terms of overall strength and durability, as the new springs are made from a higher grade of steel. Indeed, the newer material has a higher hydrogen resistance, meaning it will resist corrosion for longer. Towing ability remains unchanged, meanwhile, and a 10kg reduction in kerb weight means a concomitant increase in payload.

On the subject of towing, the D-Max now gains Trailer Sway Control. This uses sensors to detect the onset of trailer swing and reduce speed if sway is identified. Speed is controlled by reducing engine torque and braking automatically. All of thishappens without any input from the driver, however the vehicle’s brake lights will still illuminate to warn following traffic even though the pedal hasn’t been touched.

Inside, the D-Max gains new soft-touch padding on its armrests, binnacle and cubby box lid. This aids the feeling of perceived quality, as does gloss black trim on the window switches, air vents and glove box. These features become part of the spec on all premium versions of the vehicle, as does a new D-Max badge on the glovebox cover.

Moving to the outside, you get the choice of three new paint colours – Spinel Red, Sapphire Blue and Galena Grey. The range-topping Blade model, meanwhile, becomes available in four colours, with the addition of Obsidian Grey and Spinel Red on top of its existing palette.

The D-Max starts at £16,799 CVOTR for the 4×2 Single Cab model, climbing to £29,799 CVOTR for the top of the range Blade with the optional automatic gearbox. The 1.9-litre Euro 6 diesel engine is retained from the previous model year, as are a 3500kg towing weight and 125,000 mile / 5-year warranty.

Seat is dipping its toe into the large SUV market with the introduction of the Tarraco.

This is the company’s third SUV to date and will be based on the hugely successful Skoda Kodiaq, as the Spanish firm looks to replicate the fortunes of the smaller Ateca and compact Arona.

But the Tarraco has a tougher task on its hands than purely holding its own against its estranged cousin, the Kodiaq, and managing to mimic the popularity of its smaller siblings. You see, the Tarraco is carrying (quite literally) the new face of Seat, with the SUV’s styling dubbed as the debut for Seat’s next generation of design.

Fortunately, there are still some familiar Seat cues, like the triangular LED light signatures and the more aggressive stance in general that Seat utilises over the more conservative VAG brands.

In terms of the Seat brand, the Tarraco will become the company’s flagship vehicle and head up the SUV division. So now would be a good time to find out what makes up a Tarraco!

For starters, the Tarraco is based on the VW Group’s MQB-A platform, created for vehicles boasting longer wheelbases. There will be three levels of trim available from when the vehicle goes on sale at the beginning of 2019: Style, SE and Xcellence, while the Tarraco can be optioned with the usual assortment of power plants from the VW stable.

With regards to four-wheel drive models, customers can choose between the 190hp 2.0-litre four-pot petrol, which comes equipped with the seven-speed DSG auto ‘box, or there’s the two turbodiesel units – again 2.0-litre four-cylinder jobs – available in either 150hp or 190hp tunes. The 150hp version can be selected with the DSG auto or a six-speed manual, although the 190hp model is a purely DSG affair. Other means of power will be introduced in the future…

Meanwhile, we can tell you that the Tarraco will have the benefits of Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC), developed to bring the best of both worlds for when you require comfort on longer journeys, but also composure when you’re not just racking up the miles on the motorway.

Is there a risk the Tarraco will just feel like another Kodiaq? Well, while this may not be a seven-seat Cupra in a sporty Kodiaq frock, the fact the Tarraco is 38mm longer, but 39mm shorter than the Kodiaq tells you there’s a sleeker posture to the Spaniard. Only when we get behind the wheel of one will we be able to confirm whether or not the Tarraco possesses a sporting edge or not.

Elsewhere on the vehicle, the Tarraco will be available in eight different colour options and use LED technology throughout. The vehicle doesn’t just use the latest lighting tech either, as Seat has blessed the Tarraco with the most advanced safety features, including Pre-crash Assist, Rollover Detection and Emergency Call, along with the now common blind spot, lane, traffic jam and emergency assist. Adaptive Cruise Control is standard, too, which is also nice.

Inside, Seat’s 10.25” Digital Cockpit will keep you updated on everything a driver should be aware of, while the 8-inch, ‘floating’ HMI screen keeps everyone else occupied through 21st century means of connectivity. Gesture control functions are to appear for the first time on a Seat vehicle as well, although only with the 8” Navigation Plus.

The Tarraco is Seat’s Kodiaq moment, but will it be as big as they hope?

SsangYong describes itself as ‘the Korean Land Rover.’ This isn’t a reference to individual vehicles so much as to the company itself, which has always specialised in 4x4s, however there’s a parallel to be drawn between the new Rexton and another recent arrival, the Discovery 5. Both are big, lavish and well equipped, with seven-seat practicality to go with their luxury-car intent, and both come on strong with their off-road ability and towing capacity alike.

At the top of the range, however, a Discovery is not many options away from costing you £70,000. Even in fully loaded Ultimate form, as tested here, the Rexton costs little more than half that – and the only option Ssangyong lists for it is metallic paint.

That’s where the ‘Korean Land Rover’ diverges from the real thing. At screen price, this range-topper will stand you £37,500 – low-to-mid-range Disco Sport money, then, and for that you’ll get a level of luxury designed to put you more in mind of a Range Rover.

Are we comparing like for like? Well, Land Rover is a premium brand now – whereas Ssangyong’s mission for market share is heavily driven by value for money.

But with the Rexton, the Korean company is selling on a great deal more than price alone. Outside and in, the vehicle is presented as a bold, confident quantum leap forward. And, while it may be a lot cheaper than its rivals, it’s around 30% more expensive than the outgoing Mk1 Rexton.

In last month’s First Drive article about the Rexton, we commented that the Ultimate model has ‘a lovely quilted leather interior that genuinely looks and feels as if it belongs in a vehicle costing three times as much.’ Under the lengthier scrutiny of a full test, is that impression sustained?

Very nearly. In fact, yes it is. The design of the leather finish on the seats, as well as to the dash and door elements, looks as good once you’re used to it as it does at first glance. Premium styling is about small details, and this is a detail that works. The leather itself is very nice, too – no small matter when so many vehicles still put you in something that feels more like vinyl.

There are usually at least a few details that become irritating in any car, but in the Rexton they’re few and far between. The sun visors feel rather light and flimsy, and there’s a sound module in the vehicle which plays an array of ridiculous electronic tunes when you climb aboard, switch off the engine, open a door and so on, but we’re into the realms of splitting hairs with criticisms like that.

Those odd noises are loud enough to win you the odd sneering look in a car park, which is a bit at odds with the whole image of elegant class the Rexton wants to portray. But your kids will find them entertaining, which is probably more important.

Also more important is an excellent driving position with plenty of space and good views in every direction. The seats lack adjustable lumbar support, but we found that after several hours on board, we weren’t feeling any worse for the want of it.

You won’t suffer for riding in the back, either. Legroom here is excellent – one tall adult can easily ride behind another without either having to compromise.

The Rexton is also available with a third row of seats. This is best used for children, but unlike in some seven-seaters they won’t be cramped up with the second-row headrests right in their faces. They fold flat, too, with a twin-height floor allowing you to create a pretty vast cargo bay for when you finally run out of excuses for putting off that trip to Ikea.

To help turn it into a surrogate van, the Rexton has a fold-and-tumble second row whose action might be old-fashioned but, in an era when more and more SUVs have given up on trying to deliver a flat floor, works like a charm. You also get a large stowage bin in the right-hand boot wall, a full-width hidden compartment when the floor is in its upper position and, on all models, a power inverter providing mains electricity through the back of the centre console.

It all goes to make the Rexton every bit as practical as it is comfortable. Between its classy styling, quality materials, lavish equipment and excellent usability, we’d say SsangYong has created the best interior you can get in any comparable SUV at this price point.

Last month, we lamented the ride quality of the Rexton we drove on the launch. We said our gut feeling was that the 255/50R20 tyres on the Ultimate model were too low-profile to let it settle, whether on minor roads or dual-carriageways.

What we didn’t mention was that after returning from our test drive, we told SsangYong’s people that we thought the vehicle had a wheel out of balance – which their tech guys soon confirmed. And now, having spent a week in one and put hundreds of miles on it, we’re ready to set the record straight.

Something else we mentioned last month is that the 2.2-litre diesel engine is beautifully smooth, strong and quiet. The Rexton’s ride doesn’t quite match it, with a trace of low-level fussing at the back, but in comparison to the vehicle we drove on the launch, the one tested here fairly glides on the motorway.

There was none of the roughness we had previously experienced on smaller roads, either. So our sole misgiving about the Rexton’s road manners (and it was a big one) is hereby erased.

It’s not perfect. In particular, body control on uneven surfaces isn’t great, with enough wide-to-side movement at times to be unpleasant. This was on roads we know of old to ask questions most vehicles struggle to answer, however; the Rexton didn’t disgrace itself here, but neither did it excel.

In town, ride quality is better than we expected over sharp speed humps and so on. Body roll is well controlled here, too, and there’s no harshness when you hit pot holes – just a muted, albeit quite heavy, thump. Again, most of it comes through the rear.

Talking of the rear, the Ultimate model has an auto box as standard, and very good it is too. Oddly, though, this also means independent rear suspension – lower-spec EX and ELX vehicles come as standard with a manual unit and live back axle. We’re not sure why Ssangyong does this, and as yet we haven’t had the chance to drive a Rexton with a manual box, but we can certainly see why these models might appeal to off-road traditionalists the way a modern Discovery, for example, might not.

As it is, the Rexton is better on the road, in almost every way, than the one we drove on the launch led us to expect. It’s smooth, quiet and powerful, with decent refinement and a balance of ride and handling which, considering it’s a proper off-road vehicle, can’t really be faulted. We do think a manual box is likely to make it more entertaining when you’re hustling through corners, but that’s getting into the realms of personal preference.

Thus far, everything we’ve done in the Rexton has been in models with the auto box and live rear axle. This isn’t the combination we’d choose for off-road work, but the vehicle has already done enough to convince us of its abilities.

Predictably, axle articulation is poor. However the electronic traction aids allow the vehicle to keep plugging away over steep, slippery and/or uneven ground – they cut in startlingly early on occasion, and at one point they actively defeated the vehicle from making it up a hill by cutting the throttle just when a bootful of gas was required, but even on road tyres the Rexton is able to keep moving most of the time without you needing to scare yourself

Hill descent control is pretty essential on big drops, even with a manual mode for the auto box. We’d assume the manual doesn’t need this assistance – and indeed that with a live back axle, it’ll offer a lot more in the way of travel than the vehicles pictured here.

We also think the 235/70R17 and 255/60R18 tyres on the EX and ELX alike sound a lot more promising for off-road use than the low-profile 20-inchers on the Ultimate. A low-spec manual may be a lot more truck-like – but you may consider that that’s no bad thing.

It’s pretty obvious what the big news is here. You can have a Rexton for as little as £27,500, and even the poshed-up range-topper tested here only costs £37,500. As we mentioned earlier, if you want a premium badge that sort of money gets you surprisingly little.

SsangYong heaps it on by selling its vehicles with an unlimited-miles five-year warranty, too (at time of printing). And service intervals are far enough apart, with just an intermediate check required every year.

Running costs will be on the high side, however. While 34.0mpg and 219g/km are not calamitous figures for an off-roader with a 3.5-tonne trailer weight, they’re hardly great for a school-run SUV.

The big deal, however, is certain to be depreciation. There was a time when SsangYongs lost their money quickly enough to be downright frightening; that’s changed, as it did for the likes of Kia and Skoda, and the Rexton is sure to be SsangYong’s strongest performer yet in this area. How it can be expected to fare in comparison to a premium vehicle that’s more of a known quantity, however, is another matter.

This review was first featured in 4×4, July 2018 issue.

Skoda will debut an exciting new SUV at the 2018 Paris Motor Show. We don’t know too much about the Kodiak RS, but what we do know is exciting.

The 237bhp diesel unit in the top-spec sporty SUV will be the most powerful diesel engine ever utilised by a Skoda, and there will be adaptive suspension and all-wheel drive. The RS’s dash will feature Skoda’s latest virtual cockpit with a fifth Sport setting, plus a dynamic sound boost that monitors and controls the engine sound depending on the selected driving mode.

We can’t see much else from the video, other than the Racing Blue – a colour Skoda hasn’t put on an SUV before – which will be exclusive for the Kodiak RS.

For more than that, we’ll simply have to wait and see…

 

 

The Jeep Cherokee has been updated for 2019, with a new interior, two diesel powerplants, an array of safety tech and will come to the UK only in the top two trim levels. The new face is much less squinty, too.

Much of the interior adjustments are simply aesthetic, with a styling refresh and rejig that is dominated by the 7-inch touchscreen astride the dashboard. The rest of the central console has been redesigned, offering more cubby holes and storage space designed for everyday essentials such as keys and smartphones et al.

On the face of it, the exterior styling has been toned down, with the Cherokee looking less troubled than it did at initial launch in 2014. Full LED headlights with running and fog lights as standard. The rear has had a slight makeover too, with design tweaks and a new tailgate made with lightweight composites that can be automatically activated by a low-down kicking motion.

To maintain the off-road capability as the heart of the brand, 4×4 versions of the Cherokee have three off-road systems to cope with all terrains and weather conditions – plus a rear drive module that is 8kg lighter than the last generation. Jeep Active Drive I gives full-time 4WD, Active Drive II ads low-range capabilities and the third mode equipped is rear axle disconnect. Selec-Terrain is also fitted which offers snow, sport, sand/mud and automatic terrain specific modes.

The 2.2-litre MultiJet II turbo diesel engine is mated to a nine-speed sutomatic transmission, with outputs of 195bhp and 332lbf.ft. The new and upgraded transmission now features new control software and for the first time offers manual control via paddle shifters on the Cherokee.

Standard safety features include both active and passive functions, with eigh airbags, rear parking camera, electronic stability control, electronic roll mitigation, active forward collision warning plus pedestrian emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, cross-path detection, lane departure warning, advanced brake assist and an active speed limiter.

As with all Jeeps, customisation will be a big part of the Cherokee’s offensive, with over 90 model-specific products in the Mopar aftermarket arsenal, ten bodywork colours to choose from and five different wheel options.

There’s no word yet on pricing or release specificities for the 2019 Cherokee, but we will keep you updated when there is.

Mercedes-Benz have released information on the new GLE ahead of the SUV making its debut at the 2018 Paris Motor Show in October, with the production model hitting UK salesrooms in early 2019.

Chief among the talking points with the new GLE is the E-Active Body Control system. The 48-volt hydropneumatic active suspension system actively controls the air suspension’s spring and damping forces individually for each wheel. This means not only body roll will be managed, but the pitching and squat is controlled which will come in handy when driving sans tarmac – or over British pot holes.

The launch model will be the GLE 450 4MATIC with EQ Boost. The in-line six-cylinder petrol engine will lead the charge, with diesel options and a plug-in hybrid to come following launch. The in-line six available straight off the bat is electrified with 48-volt tech offers combined consumption figures of up to 34mpg with an output of 362bhp and 369lbf.ft. The EQ boost offers an extra 184 torques and 22bhp on top of that over short periods. This added grunt comes from the integrated starter/alternator which is also responsible for energy recuperation. the 48-volt onboard unit powers high demand units such as the water pump and air-conditioning compressor.

Every example of the GLE will be available with 4WD, and a nine-speed automatic will feature across the range. In four cylinder models the transfer case carries the power to the axles in a fixed 50:50 ratio. The other engines, i.e. the 450 available at launch, an electronically manned multi-disc clutch is used and allows the transfer case to offer from 0-100% of the torque between the axles.

Inside, the GLE’s interior extends the touchscreen multimedia system debuted in the new A-Class onto two screens measuring 12.3-inches each – which come as standard across the range. The MBUX multimedia system has been updated and includes ’40 or so’ new functions in the upcoming GLE – among which there is off-road support and extensive displays tailored for off-road driving which are visible on the instrument cluster. Other features in the system include favourite controls signalled by hand gestures, adaptive drivers seat adjustment (it chooses a position based on your body dimensions) and can read your e-mails out to you, becoming a mobile office.

Merc’s suite of driver aids in extensive on the GLE and sees the debut of Active Distance Assist – a faction of cruise control that can detect a tailback and automatically reduces speed to 62mph as a precautionary measure. If necessary the system hands over to the stop and go function, significantly reducing the driver’s workload. The cruise also has route based speed adaptation, which reads road signs and adjusts the speed of travel accordingly. Other driver assistances include active steering assist, active brake assist, emergency brake assist, blind spot assist as well as trailer assist.

Prices are yet to be announced, as are further details on the rest of the range, but there is still plenty of time before the latest of Merc’s seven SUVs comes to market.

 

Vauxhall Mokka X 1.4T Elite Nav

Vauxhall’s 4×4 range is a bit of a strange one. The company launched an SUV offensive last year – but the new Crossland X and Grandland X models don’t actually have four-wheel drive.At all. Anywhere in the range.

That leaves another newcomer, the Insignia Country Tourer, which strode off with the Crossover Estates category title in our 2018 4×4 of the Year awards. It does have the option of all-wheel drive, so that’s a step in the right direction. And then there’s the Mokka X, an actual SUV with a smattering of 4×4 options throughout the upper half of its range.

The Mokka X is available with two engines, a turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol and a 1.6 CDTi diesel. Each unit can be had in 4×4 form with any of the the top three spec levels out of a range of five; what we have here is the 1.4T in Elite Nav form, which is one step down from the top.

Inside, the cabin has a tidy, light, airy feel to it, with chic styling that’s clearly aimed at a youthful audience. The materials look good – better than they feel to touch in some cases, though there’s nothing to fault in the way it’s put together and oddment stowage is better than average for such a small SUV.

The vehicle’s diminutive size doesn’t prevent you from getting comfortable up front, and there’s a good, high driving position which gives you an excellent view all round. We found the seats a little flat in the base, but head and leg room are in generous supply.

Space in the rear is a lot less generous, with limited leg room meaning it’s definitely best suited to children. The seats don’t fold or recline, but they do drop down with a 60:40 split to create a decent- sized cargo bay. The folding system is pretty old-school, with the squabs tilting forward to make space for the backs to nestle into. This allows them to fall nearly flat – they do live a bit of a slope, but no step for you to wrestle your stuff over.

The tailgate aperture is as wide as you could ask for, if a little rounded at the bottom corners, and the floor is nice and low. This does mean you have a lip to lug your shopping over, but that’s the price you pay for gaining every last scrap of cargo capacity.

The typical Mokka X buyer is likely to be more interested in the vehicle’s infotainment offering, at any rate. And this is very good, with all the usual high-end features like sat-nav, DAB, Bluetooth and phone mirroring joining the list as you move up the range. Vauxhall also offers the OnStar system, which gives you features like a 4G wi- hotspot, vehicle tracking and enhanced phone pairing features. Want to be able to find your vehicle in a crowded car park by using an app to honk the horn and flash the lights? It’s done.

On the road, the Mokka X is a very easy SUV to drive, with light direct steering that makes relaxing work of city streets. You pay for this at higher speeds, however, where the lack of weight becomes a lack of feel.

Nonetheless, handling is perfectly fair, with all the grip you could reasonably want and a bit of body roll to keep you honest in corners. It’s not trying to be a sports car, but if you drive it for what it is the results are perfectly satisfying.

Performance-wise, the 1.4T engine has plenty of zest and the manual gearbox to which it’s mated in 4×4 models has a really slick, light action that’s well suited to easy driving around town. You might find it a bit short on crispness if you wish every car in the world was a Lotus Elise (sorry, VX220), but for real-world Mokka X drivers it’ll be just fine.

The engine is good and quiet, too, with nothing to note in the way
of drivetrain vibration to disturb you. The suspension does get a bit fussy, though, with pattery jolts coming into the cabin on all but the smoothest of surfaces. It does a good job of damping out the impacts when a jagged-edged pot- hole jumps up to get you, though.

Noise-wise, the engine remains quiet at speed, though wind and road noise build to the point where they’re a bit intrusive on the motorway. Here, the feeling of lightness that makes it so good around town has a tendency to turn itself into an element of brittleness that makes it harder to feel settled.

Thus the Mokka X is not a bad SUV – just one that needs to be chosen for the right reasons. If the vast bulk of your miles are done around town, or at lower speeds on country lanes, it may well be a better answer to your needs than you’d expect. And if four-wheel drive matters to you as much as it should, it’ll give you something no other SUV with a Vauxhall badge on its bonnet can deliver.

First featured in 4×4 Magazine, September 2018 issue.

So, the boffins over in Coventry have been busy creating a brand-new, modern yet old-school, never seen before item for the inventory of their Classics department. Doesn’t sound right, does it?

The product in question is infotainment for classic vehicles that use a single DIN sized fitting and run on negative earth electrics. And we’re absolutely into it.

The retro styled black or brushed silver aluminium units looks super smart and period but offer a wealth of the functions only available in cars born later – and with twice the DINage.

Sitting centrally on the unit is a 3.5-inch touchscreen betwixt two rotary controls and more traditional buttons line the edges. Navigation is offered in up to 32 languages, and the route can be visually relayed in 2D, 3D or as turn arrow instructions. The unit also picks up travel alerts.

Being as it is 2018 and everyone is addicted to their mobile phones, whether they’ll admit it or not, there is Bluetooth connectivity and a microphone – if you want to use to phone connection to make one of those phone call things rather than blast beats.

The whole idea is a bit jarring, and the words classic and infotainment don’t feel like they should share a sentence for another half century or so at least, but we can’t help feeling there’s a degree of merit here that will certainly win people over.

Purists may turn their noses up at the idea, but Land Rover are proving that they are still aware of their foundations in Classics.