Regular Range Rover not quite enormous enough for you? Then you’ll be wanting this: the Range Rover long-wheelbase, spied testing in the UK in near showroom-ready condition.
Wow, the Range Rover long-wheelbase is enormous!
A patterned disguise can’t hide the fact this is a mammoth machine. The Range Rover LWB shoves an extra 150mm into the standard Rangie’s 2922mm wheelbase, while the car’s overall length will surpass five metres. Make no mistake; the RR LWB will come close to dwarfing a Rolls-Royce Phantom.
Won’t the long-wheelbase Range Rover be rubbish off-road?
The car’s break-over angles will be compromised by the stretched wheelbase, butit’ll still go way further into the sticks than any owners will ever need it to. And the trade-off is truly limousine-like comfort inside: expect individual reclining rear seats with massage function and bespoke cabin trim options. Don’t forget the normal Range Rover already offers 120mm of extra legroom than the old model and you’ll get a sense of just how opulent and roomy the LWB car will be for chauffeured passengers.
What’s the Range Rover LWB’s target market?
Not the UK: it’ll barely fit on our roads. Instead, the RR LWB is pitched at the Chinese and Russian markets – they’ve got the space, the money, and a cultural leaning towards being driven. Expect the US to lap up extended wheelbase Rangies too – it’s already Land Rover’s biggest market.
Which engines are tasked with hauling the Range Rover LWB around?
The test car in our pictures is running Jaguar’s 3.0-litre supercharged V6, good for 335bhp and 332lb ft. The F-type engine is already seeing duty in the XJ limo, and will be used in US-market Discoverys from 2014. The long-wheelbase Range Rover will also be available with supercharged 5.0-litre V8 petrol power, and the V8 turbodiesel in Europe. A diesel-hybrid version running a turbocharged V6 oil-burner with electric motor assistance is also in the pipeline for a 2014 debut.
How pricey is the XXL Rangie going to be?
It’s thought Land Rover will ask around £150,000 for a Range Rover long-wheelbase. That’s a price bracket no Range Rover has occupied before, and will see the car rivalling the flagship Mercedes S65 AMG and Rolls-Royce Ghost for luxury supremacy.
Browse Range Rovers for sale at LRO.com