Head’s up if you’re one of the 33,000 owners of 2002-2004 Range Rovers. The NHTSA has launched an investigation into those vehicles’ front driveshafts and differentials. The government agency said it had received 38 owner questionnaires pertaining to the situation and 17 of those claimed the drivetrain parts had failed while traveling at 40 mph or more.
Lot Number 1536.1: 1993 Land Rover Defender 110 White/gray/black
Here’s a vehicle that sticks out like a sore thumb among the muscle cars and high profile customs at Barrett-Jackson. It’s Defender 110 number 194 of only 500 made back in ’93. The Defender 110s were real-deal off-roaders that could tackle just about any conditions. This particular one is just about perfect with only 13,500 original miles on the clock. Sure it has the rather antiquated and weak 3.9-liter V8 engine, but 135 hp was considered adequate at the time. OK, maybe not, but still it has enough grunt to make it through most situations you’d encounter thanks to its permanently engaged 4 wheel drive, differential lock and 5-speed manual transmission. Almost seems a novelty to see a stick in a Land Rover nowadays with the public’s penchant for auto trannies.
Land Rover’s Freelander 2 has been crowned SUV of the Year by BBC Top Gear at the magazine’s annual awards celebration hosted by Jeremy Clarkson. First unveiled at the British International Motor Show in London earlier this year, the Freelander 2 is on sale this month, and already, 1,500 of the new models have been sold.
The pic isn’t anything official from Solihull, but it is reportedly based on reality. The fine fellows at Jalopnik found this little Rangie, which looks to be about the same size as the VW Tiguan. We’re digging the exoskeleton look with bold Rover family cues like the large vents ahead of the doors.
Smacking their foreheads and uttering, ‘We could have had a V8!’ Land Rover is apparently considering an LR2 Sport of sorts, according to Edmund’s Inside Line. Why not, when you already have a V8 engine like the Yamaha 4.4-liter V8 from the Volvo XC90/S80 in the corporate warehouse? The plan is feasible as the engine swap would be pretty straightforward. The Freelander 2 LR2 shares many subplatforms with the Volvos.
I’ve finally gotten around to integrating the photo gallery into the design scheme of the rest of the site. It finally looks like part of the family. Enjoy!
Hopefully the potential dispersal of the Ford Premier Group won’t affect this wonderful Jaguar/Land Rover collaboration that is being rumored. By borrowing aluminum (aluminium?) expertise from Jaguar, future Land Rovers could be as much as 1,000 pounds lighter than current models. Utilizing Jaguar’s rivet-bonded aluminum monocoque body design, Land Rover could continue to build large luxury SUVs that are lighter and return even better fuel economy.
This November, Land Rover will begin the sale of an updated Range Rover Sport that will come equipped with either a 2.7-liter, turbo-diesel V6, or a new TDV8 that produces 40-percent more power and torque than its six-cylinder brethren. Only you can’t have either, because they’ll only be available in Europe.
