Cars Review

 Among the many not-for-U.S.-sale vehicles we adore, there are few SUVs counted. In fact, there may be just one: The Land Rover Defender. Unavailable in the colonies since many of us were in short pants – or at least college – the Defender is the direct descendent of the original Landie and the last bastion of the traditionally butch British utility. Sure, the Defender is no longer quite as hardcore as it was in the Land Rover Series II and III days, but its clearly no Range Rover.

Just take a look at this new XTech Special Edition model, in its military hues of Orkney Grey and Nara Bronze with Santorini Black trim. Sure, it has heated leather seats, but check out that dash: No nav and manual climate controls. And those black alloy 16-inch wheels, shod with 235/85 Goodyear Wranglers are the real deal for off-roading. The Defender XTech Special Edition is powered by a 2.2-liter diesel is mated to a six-speed manual.

Available in both Defender 90 and the longer wheelbase 110 models in two- and four-door body styles, the XTech Special Edition goes on sale in the UK this month, with a starting price of £27,995, or about $43,445.

 The transformation begins with Orkney Grey or model-exclusive Nara Bronze paint, which contrasts with Santorini Black on the roof, headlight surrounds, fenders, bumpers, and door sills. The SUV’s front end receives special gloss-black Land Rover lettering and a body-color grille, while the rear wears a unique Defender decal above the LED taillights. The 16-inch wheels also have been painted gloss black.

The interior gets a blend of Ebony and Almond leather with contrast stitching, as well as woven Land Rover logos in the floor mats, and embossed logos in the headrests. The center stack is painted to match the Defender’s exterior color.

The Defender XTech isn’t just an aesthetic package, though, as it comes standard with extra features like air conditioning, keyless entry, heated seats, a heated windshield, and a rear bumper with an integrated step. The model is powered by a turbodiesel 2.2-liter inline-four engine rated for 121 hp and 265 lb-ft of torque, with a six-speed manual transmission.






 Powered by the 2.2-litre diesel engine with six-speed manual transmission, the Defender boasts 360Nm of torque for effortless towing and excellent driver refinement whether on or off-road.

With a choice of the 90 Hard Top, 90 Station Wagon, 110 Station Wagon and 110 Utility Wagon, a range of standard options and accessories are available to add even more capability and character to this iconic four-wheel drive vehicle.source:lincah.com,autoblog.com,wot.motortrend.com

Specifications prices Modifications and Image 2011 Land Rover Range Rover
The Range Rover Sport might sound like a souped-up version of Land Rovers flagship SUV, but its actually something entirely different. While it shares the Range Rover nameplate, it is actually smaller, less powerful, and less expensive.

First introduced as a 2006 model, the Range Rover Sport shares a platform with the LR4. The trucks exterior has been designed to look very similar to the larger Range Rover. With seating for five occupants, the Sport slots below the LR4 in terms of size, despite being pricier.

The Sport received a modest overhaul for the latest model year, yielding two new engine options and a number of exterior and interior refinements.
INTERIOR
As standard, a 5-inch Thin Film Transistor (TFT) driver information LCD screen within the instrument cluster displays key information in a clean, simple and user-friendly manner. A hard-drive navigation system, part of the HSE and HSE LUX packages, provides fast route calculation.

Part of the available Vision Assist Package, five digital cameras make up the Surround Camera System, relaying to the touch-screen a near 360-degree view from the vehicle. The cameras, which support easier parking, towing and off-road maneuvering, function immediately as the vehicle is started, and have options for selecting and zooming in to assist with close quarter parking and with towing.

The Range Rover Sport design theme emphasizes its position as the most dynamic model in the Land Rover range. Signature LED headlamps provide a technical focal point and feature Range Rover inspired interlocking circle lamps.

The interior, with its cockpit feel and soft-touch finishes, reflects the brand’s standards of quality and craftsmanship. Leather is used extensively on major surfaces, in a wide choice of colors. Rich dark shades border narrow sections in lighter tones, and the effect is completed by a generous selection of fine wood finishes. The soft-touch dash can be wrapped in stitched, premium-grade European leather.

Front and rear seats feature a deep, sculpted shape. Electrically adjustable side bolsters are available on the front seats. Ambient lighting adds to the premium feel of the cabin, with white LEDs that cast subtle halos around interior door handles and pockets, as well as on the dash and center console area.
EXTERIOR
The front brakes for the naturally aspirated vehicle are four-piston units mated to 14.2-inch ventilated front discs, while the rear brakes are single-piston units and with 13.8-inch rotors. The supercharged model sports 15-inch discs with six-piston calipers in the front, and 14.3-inch discs with single-piston calipers in the rear.

The recent update included LED headlamps combined with a new two-bar grille, revised front bumpers and widened fenders. At the rear, new light clusters and a revised bumper design mirror the smoother front-end. The interior was also redesigned, using higher quality materials, soft-touch finishes and better craftsmanship to create an environment that is "truly worthy of the Range Rover brand," the company said in a statement.

Steering response is improved on the Range Rover Sport with the stiffening of the front suspension lower arm forward bushing, enhancing the sense of driver involvement with the vehicle at higher speeds.

The Terrain Response system boasts a series of improvements, including improved performance when tackling challenging terrain like sand or large rocks. For soft sand conditions, a "sand launch control" mode makes for noticeably easier drive-away.

New, speed-dependent wheel-slip targets for the traction control system permit only very limited initial wheel-slip, helping to prevent the wheels digging down into the sand. The system also has an improved rock crawl program for better control while traversing boulders or driving through rocky terrain.

Because the Range Rover Sport was designed with strong on-road performance in mind, it features the "Dynamic Response" suspension system delivers flat cornering, tight body control, and sharp steering response.

Six airbags are provided including two in front triggered by a longitudinal impact, two seat-mounted for front occupant thorax protection in a side impact, and two side curtains that deploy from the ceiling for the head protection of all outboard occupants

An adaptive front lighting system with bi-xenon headlights that turn to follow steering inputs are standard on the Supercharged model and optionally available on the Range Rover Sport HSE.
ENGINE
The LR-TDV8 4.4-litre with parallel sequential turbocharging replacesthe outstanding LR-TDV8 3.6-litre and is unique to the Range Rover. Theall-new LR-TDV8 combines superior power and massive torque with unparalleled levels of refinement. Despite the extra performance, this V8 engine is cleaner too, delivering even lower fuel consumption and CO2emissions than its predecessor. The combined cycle fuel consumption of the new LR-TDV8 4.4-litre is 30.1mpg, making this the first Range Rover ever to better 30mpg.

With 313PS and 700Nm torque, the Range Rovers new powertrain reducesCO2 emissions by an impressive 14 percent from 294g/km to 253g/km. The new diesel engine is helped in this respect by its marriageto a new, electronically controlled, ZF 8HP70, 8-speed automatic. This combination is enough to catapult the Range Rover from rest to 60mph in amere 7.5 seconds and complete the 50mph-70mph dash in just 4.0 seconds while the top speed increases from 125mph to 130mph.

Available only on 4.4-litre LR-TDV8 models, this smart transmissionintegrates with the diesel engine to deliver the most efficient operating regime in all conditions. To reflect the performance of the new 4.4-litre LR-TDV8, diesel models are fitted with the same Brembo-based braking system fitted to the 5.0-litre LR-V8 supercharged model. The system comprises 380mm ventilated front discs with unique, lightweight aluminium six-piston opposed action monoblock callipers. 365mm ventilated discs with single piston sliding callipers are fitted at the rear.

 New for 2011 highlights:
• Standard Extended Leather Package and contrast stitching on seats, center console and door panels on HSE LUX and Supercharged trim levels.
• New Vision Assist Package includes:; Adaptive Front Lighting System (AFS; swiveling headlights); Automatic High Beam Assist (AHBA), and a Surround Camera System.
• Standard audio system now comprises 240-watt harman/kardon® electronics and amplifiers and 9 speakers (including subwoofer).
• Optional Premium Audio includes 480-watt harman/kardon digital surround sound; 13 speakers plus subwoofer; HD radio, and satellite radio (satellite radio standard on Supercharged model).
• New paint colors: Fuji White, Baltic Blue and Siberian Silver.
reference:www.carsession.com,www.leftlanenews.com,www.autospectator.com