New Range Rover Scheduled For 2012 Fall Launch

The next iteration of the Land Rover Range Rover will make its debut in fall 2012, and will wear styling inspired by that of the new Evoque. Autocar reports that compared to the current Range Rover (pictured above), the new fourth-generation SUV will lose as much as 990 pounds of mass.

Although the new Range Rover will grow slightly, using pressed aluminum construction is expected to trim curb weight. The SUV’s basic chassis and electrical architecture will be shared with the next-generation Jaguar XJ (Land Rover and Jaguar are owned by the same parent company, Tata Motors), but the chassis will get unique suspension mounts and bulkheads for use in the Range Rover. The chassis also will underpin the next Range Rover Sport.

The growth of the car means it will offer more interior space, primarily in the form of more rear-seat legroom. That also begets longer rear doors, enabling easier access to the SUV. Exterior styling cues will reflect the look of the Range Rover Evoque, with a steeply raked windshield and a sloped roofline, in comparison to the boxy and squared-off design of the current model. The interior is reportedly on target for Bentley-like quality and finish.

Engine choices are expected to mostly remain the same as in the current Range Rover: turbodiesel V-6 and V-8 engines, as well as naturally aspirated and supercharged gasoline V-8s. There also is a possibility of new V-6 and supercharged V-6 gasoline mills joining the lineup. In addition, there is a slim possibility that a plug-in hybrid drivetrain with a diesel or gasoline engine — previewed by the Range_e concept at this year’s Geneva Motor Show — will arrive at a later date.

Assuming all goes to plan, Autocar says the new Land Rover Range Rover will go on sale next fall.

Source: Autocar

Production at Pantnagar Factory impacted by Curfew: Tata Motors

MUMBAI - Tata Motors Ltd. (TTM), India's largest auto maker by revenue, Tuesday said production at its Pantnagar factory in the northern state of Uttarakhand has been impacted as police have imposed a curfew to curb violent clashes between local groups.

"Our operations at Pantnagar have partially been affected due to the problems at Pantnagar, as part of the plant is under curfew," Debasis Ray, a spokesman for Tata Motors.

He didn't elaborate on the production loss, but said the issue is expected to be resolved "in a couple of days".

"We are working on two shifts instead of three," he added.

Tata Motors makes the Ace light truck and Magic, Iris and Winger minivans at the Pantnagar plant. 

New Tata Vista Test Drive and Review by Team-BHP

The Tata Indica Vista Refresh has been launched in India at a price of between Rs. 3.88 - 6.11 lakhs (ex-Delhi).

What you’ll like:

• Variety of engine options (Tdi, Quadrajet, Safire65, Safire90). Take your pick!
• Well-equipped from the second variant & over
• New interiors look and feel much better in terms of overall quality
• Improved gearbox, light clutch and light steering make for effortless city driving
• Spacious interiors. Roomiest in the segment; beats some sedans from 2 segments up
• Absorbent, comfortable ride quality


What you won’t:

• Fit and finish need improvement. Exterior panel gaps are inconsistent too
• Soft suspension setup. Best driven sedately
• Centrally-mounted instrument cluster takes some getting used to
• Niggling issues & irritants persist (as reported by existing Vista owners)
• Tata’s after-sales-service remains a gamble

This report will only focus on the changes vis-à-vis the older Vista.

The Exterior Changes:

The black strip appliqué improves the look of an otherwise bland rear

New headlamp cluster, straight from the Manza

New grille & larger logo on a mesh-net background

Fog-lamps also get a chrome contour

175/65 R14 tyres on dual-tone alloy wheels, standard on the GZX / ZX

Chrome garnish on window sills, door handles and rub-rails

Spacing between the letters of the TATA logo has increased

Expectedly, with the new branding, the Indica badge gets smaller now

Dark outline of the tail-lights matches the black strip nicely

The Interior Changes:

New dual-tone interior looks & feels good. Steering-mounted audio and bluetooth controls

New electric switches replace the regular sliders for HVAC air-circulation modes. Only on the top variant

Integrated audio system with Blue5 standard from the second variant (GLX / LX) onward

2-way adjustable lumbar support

Summary:

Tata Motors has usually provided their cars with minor / major modifications through the product life cycle, timed perfectly with intensifying competition. The Indica Vista has had a reasonable market run, thanks to the variety of engines that the hatchback is offered with. Still, too-similar-for-comfort looks to the 1st generation Indica, and the Indica branding, have kept high volumes away. With impending launches in the B-segment space (new Swift, Liva diesel, Brio etc.), Tata decided to give the Vista some enhancements, and boy they have played it well. Unlike Maruti which refreshes their cars by replacing frosted lamps with crystal clear ones and re-launches it (we buy them too!) as an "all-new" car, the engineers at Tata Motors actually seem to have put far greater effort into the revamp process.

Click on image to expand it

 The most significant change is the Manza look-alike front end. Although Tata engineers say that it was a design change due to the market response, I personally think that the Vista and Manza should have gotten the same front end from the time of launch itself; just like the last generation Indica and Indigo. Changes on the Vista’s face include triple-barrel headlamps, a new grille with a larger company logo over a mesh-net background and a new bumper with fog-lamps. The rear end has also been slightly played around with. A glossy, hard plastic black strip runs under the rear windscreen. At first glance, this strip looks delicate & brittle, but it actually isn’t. The tail-lights have been subtly smoked, providing a dark outline which goes well with the black plastic strip. The Indian customer loves chrome and Tata knows this well. Chrome runs all over the body of the face-lift Vista, including the bumpers, door rub-rails, door handles, window sills and fog light contours. Even though there is an ample amount of chrome usage, it does not look ostentatious. The top-end variant gets 14 inch, multi-spoke dual-tone alloy wheels. All these exterior changes make the Vista look that much more mature.

Tata has shelved the older variant badges of Terra, Aqua, Aura and Aura +. These have been replaced with LS, LX, VX and ZX for the diesel models, and GLS, GLX, GVX and GZX for the petrol cars.

On the technical side, there have been some changes too, albeit they are barely noticeable. The available engine options remain the same. All test cars in this case had the Quadrajet diesel engine that produces 73.5 BHP @ 4000 rpm & 190 Nm of torque starting at 1,750 rpm. The engine remains immensely sluggish upto 2000 rpm, at which point the turbo kicks in. For a family hatch-back, the diesel Vista has decent sprinting ability, thanks to the Fiat 1.3L engine. The car comfortably cruises at triple digit speeds, keeping itself stable all the time. On the flip side, the high turbo-lag negatively affects city driveability. The rack & pinion steering (which was light to begin with) has been worked upon to provide an even lighter steering feel. The rear suspension springs have been slightly tuned to provide a softer ride.

There are some improvements on the inside too. The top two variants get electric HVAC (in simpler words, this means that instead of a regular slider for the air-circulation, there are two switches performing exactly the task), adjustable lumbar support and "intelligent" rear wiper (which activates as soon as you put the car in reverse gear + when the front wipers are on) and tilt-steering. What comes as a nice surprise is that Tata now offers a 2 DIN Music System with FM / MP3/ CD with 4-speakers and 2 tweeters, AUX and USB port, Blue5 Bluetooth Connectivity, steering mounted audio-controls and keyless entry right from the LX / GLX variants. Definitely, a first in its class! The top variant ZX / GZX get driver and passenger airbags, ABS with EBD (also available in the VX / GVX) and 14 inch alloys wheels.

Two important things that I think Tata Motors should have added are a dead pedal and height adjustable seat belts. Secondly, the lumbar support just doesn't make the cut, and lacks the expected support to your lower back.

Source: Team-BHP Official Car Reviews
 

A Purring Jaguar XJ

The Britishness of the Jaguar has always been one of our proudest achievements.

Like the pomp and ceremony of a Royal wedding, you just knew it was going to be sublime with everything you asked of it.

Historically, Jaguar simply does, and does well.

The Big Cats of old reeked of cigar smoke, walnut and leather (I’m on about used ones at this point) and somehow that just felt right.

Nowadays of course, they have moved on, with the introduction of the brilliant XF which even now continues to win awards.

And then we got the new XJ which I’ve recently tested.

There are not that many on our roads yet, which is rather nice when you drive one – it gives a feeling of exclusivity.

But don’t let the rarity of this Cat give you the impression there’s anything wrong with it – far from it.

After a week with the 3.0-litre diesel Portfolio SWB version I confess it was one of not many cars for which I really wanted to refuse to hand back the keys to the collecting driver from Coventry.

Today’s version breaks Jaguar tradition – it’s both modern and very svelte and it revels in its modernity where others have felt, shall we say, ‘stuck’ in the past.

In many respects it looks like the XF from the front, but a little beefier and at the back.

In short, one could be forgiven for thinking one was looking at a futuristic concept.

My diesel version stirred 275 horses at 4,000rpm, with a limited top speed of 155mph, and 0-60 taking six seconds dead.

The torque figure of 600Nm looks like a typing error but isn’t; nor is the fact that the XJ produces just 184g/km and has fuel returns in the region of 40 miles to the gallon.

So it’s quick yes, and it’s frugal too, but what’s best is its refinement.

You barely notice the engine noise at all. And when you open the taps it remains barely audible, just like a Jag should be.

The emphasis is quite clearly on comfort and that is easily achieved.



My test car (I would like to think of it as mine...) had the Jet trim inside and it suited the car perfectly; no bumps or bangs, squeaks or rattles in there, no sir.

You can have standard wheelbase, as was mine, or you can go for the LWB, the latter a full 12cm longer for the rear seat passengers.

And whichever trim you opt for, much is made of standard equipment and not a long options list to choose from, save for a DAB radio, adaptive cruise control and the like – things I don’t feel are immediately necessary.

The cabin is modern and very impressive, the dash is angled away from the driver to produce a roomier feel and all the buttons and bits are edged in chrome.

There is an 8in touch-screen monitor through which all the majority of functions are controlled, much better indeed than fiddling around like you do in an Audi or a BMW with their complex info systems.

Against the might of the German competition, the Jaguar falls about right price-wise when you compare like-for-like.

I can hear some of you now saying paying £55,000 (the entry-level) for a diesel Jaguar, you must be mad. But are you? I don’t think so

This whisper-quiet, frugal yet potent diesel is the way forward. It’s just whether or not you want a Jag on the drive. I do.

Source: Ilkeston Advertiser

New Land Rover Certified Pre-Owned Program in the US

Land Rover makes some very lovable SUVs, but does the thought of buying one used give you chills? Fear not, because the company's new certified used car program is actually pretty impressive. "From the Land Rover LR2 to the Range Rover, Land Rover vehicles have always been known for their capability and stylish presence, making them highly desirable," said Kim McCullough, Brand Vice President, Land Rover North America. "We are excited to be able to offer an all-new Select Certified Pre-Owned program that will provide consumers with a thoroughly-inspected and factory-backed pre-owned Land Rover model."

The new program is offered for any Land Rover or Range Rover that's less than five model years old and has fewer than 60,000 miles on the odometer. After a 150-point inspection, the program offers up to a six-year, 100,000-mile warranty. However, that's not from the used car purchase date, that's from brand new. So say you bought a three-year-old Range Rover Sport with 50,000 miles? That's a three-year, 50,000-mile warranty remaining. CPO cars also get the same perks as new car sales, like a free subscription to OneLine magazine and opportunities to visit Land Rover driving schools and events. Roadside assistance is also included.