LA show: Range Rover steps up flagship luxury

THE most luxurious Range Rover yet has been unveiled by Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) on the eve of the Los Angeles motor show where it will be shown to the public for the first time tomorrow.

Costing a tick under $400,000 in Australia for the supercharged V8 version, the facelifted long-wheelbase SVAutobiography flagship boasts a fridge capable of holding two bottles of wine for rear seat passengers who can enjoy a cold drink while stretching out in 1.2 metres of legroom and relaxing on sumptuous leather seats that not only recline by 40 degrees but offer a hot stone massage and heated rests for calves and feet.

Buttons on a cabin-length centre console allow the two back-seat passengers to close the rear doors without reaching for a grab handle, as well as deploy rear tables and fire up the 4G Wi-Fi or 10-inch TV touchscreens.

The seat-back-mounted screens feature what JLR calls a digital butler, allowing passengers to swipe information from one screen to the other.

Complete with a clock from high-end watchmaker Zenith, the super-luxurious Rangie appears to be JLR’s response to a number of high-end luxury SUVs from rivals such as Maserati and Bentley: anything you can do ...

All that luxury will cost, however, as Australia pricing will start at $372,400 plus on-road costs for the 4.4-litre V8 diesel – a hefty $24,789 above the similar variant in the current range.

The price of the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 version jumps $26,189, to $398,900 plus on-road costs – by far the most expensive mass-produced Range Rover in this market.

The refreshed Range Rover SVAutobiography is scheduled to arrive in Australia about May-June, about two months after the rest of the 2018 Range Rover range lands in showrooms about March.

Land Rover chief design officer Gerry McGovern describes the SVAutobiography as “the epitome of luxury, comfort and refinement”.

“Our standard-bearer for quality and precision exemplifies the attention to detail and sophistication that has been a hallmark of our most luxurious SUV stretching back almost 50 years,” he said.

Although the SVAutobiography will come with a variety of powertrains overseas – including JLR’s new plug-in petrol-electric hybrid – JLR Australia has elected to go with a similar two-variant range as before – a 415kW supercharged 5.0-litre petrol V8 and a 250kW 4.4-litre diesel.

The stretched SVAutobiography sits on a 3120mm wheelbase – 198mm longer than the standard 2922mm version – hence the extra rear legroom.

Land Rover says the revamped “executive class” seats, with deep foam cushioning and quilted stitching, will be central to the appeal of the SVAutobiography, each unit of which will be hand-finished at JLR’S SVO Technical Centre.

Electrically operated, the rear seats are separated by a hidden fridge that, if wine is not your go, can also hold four 600ml bottles.

The right-hand seat can be folded to accommodate longer loads. In the back, a power-deployable “Veneered Loadspace Floor” can be optioned by customers who want luggage loading to be “easier than ever”.

The SVAutobiography will be unveiled in LA alongside the extreme Discovery SVX, Range Rover Sport SVR and standard-wheelbase SVAutobiography Dynamic.