New Range Rover design kept clean and plush

The new Range Rover has been unveiled. Now in its fifth generation, the model builds on many of its existing design principles but also comes with numerous fresh ideas.

When creating the shape, the exterior design team focused on creating uninterrupted lines. Both the shoulder line and the roof line are clean and sharp, keeping the top half of the car in check. The shoulder line, which extends out from the headlamps at and finishes behind the rear wheels, is also unbroken but doesn’t rely on protruding wheel arches like many other SUVs. Instead, the body work is kept clean too, and doesn’t bulge at the arches or feature any angular shapes.

The busiest section of the Range Rover is the front face. The same distinctive lighting signature as seen on the previous Range Rover is present, with the L-shaped LED strip connecting to a small rectangle. But on this new model, the rectangles extend into the chrome outline of the grille, which is a little untidy but also creates character. A new grille pattern also includes several layers of rectangles – a theme is emerging. The headlamps and grille are fused together in a neat package, with the hood panel sweeping over the top in one clean stroke.

The lower mask features a large air intake, again rectangular in shape, which almost stretches the width of the car. In the centre of the intake are two rectangular chrome strips with a narrow strip of lights positioned at either end. A small black bumper also includes a central chrome strip, which subtly reflects the shape of the grille.

The rear of the new Range Rover is curvaceous in comparison to the front. Although the wheel arches seem tapered from a sidewards view, it’s a different story when looking at the rear end – the body work juts out from the sills and arcs over the rear wheels before meeting the bumper. The light bar emphasises this shape, with two sections that run vertically on the outside of the trunk lid. Elsewhere, clean horizontal lines in the body work and bumper keep the back grounded. It’s a bit unusual, but somehow works.

On the inside, the new Range Rover is somewhere between plush and minimalist. Numerous steps have been taken to reduce clutter, but there is still quite a bit going on. For example, the air vents are semi-hidden under the top section of the IP and are contained with a clean horizontal section. In contrast, there is a busy little climate control unit that sits on the bridge between the centre console and the IP, featuring two large dials and a collection of small buttons. There are also switches on the doors to adjust seats, a host of touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel, and a few on the centre console too.

Just above the climate control unit is the 13.1-inch touchscreen, which curves slightly to follow the shape of the IP. Unlike the unit on the previous generation Range Rover that was embedded into the IP, this screen floats just above in its thin case. As a result, it appears far more slick and modern, helped by some sharp graphics.

Elsewhere, a familiar story of high-quality materials to create a luxuriousness is evident. A leather alternative from Ultrafabrics and Kvadrat is used to clad most of the IP, doors, and even lower section of the centre console. The upper part of the centre console is finished in wood, and includes patterns made from very narrow white lines to inject some detail and colour. There is also wood on the doors and, when the middle rear seat is folded down to make a console, a wooden panel is placed above a small touchscreen that can be used to adjust the rear seats, climate settings in the back, and ambient lighting.

Land Rover says that this latest Range Rover draws on “50 years of evolution” while developing its “modernist design philosophy”. Chief creative officer Gerry McGovern describes the model as “quite simply the most desirable Range Rover ever created.” This plush and pricey (starting at £94,400 for the base spec) example reflects one of the many directions that the SUV segment as a whole is headed.