Range Rover – known for their plush yet rugged SUVs – has unveiled a fifth member of their family and this one sits lower. The British marquee has previewed the Range Rover GT, a 5-door grand tourer that wears the current Ranger Rover aesthetic only in a more compact form.
The all-new Range Rover GT will be the first all-electric car from the brand’s new Electrified Modular Architecture (EMA) platform and will be manufactured in Halewood, UK. It will be initially available as a battery-electric vehicle only, but the platform is flexible enough to accommodate hybrid powertrains later in its lifecycle.
Range Rover did not completely show the exterior of their grand tourer. It was clad in a luxe camouflage that uses a flowing golden pattern with reptilian-esque scales. Their in-house team implemented a design that reflects the topographic contours of Gaydon, the home of Range Rover’s Creative and Engineering teams, to evoke a sense of journey. This mesh of digital design with native inspiration reinforces the Range Rover GT as the most sophisticated the brand has created so far.
The cabin utilizes the same design philosophy as the exterior, that of purity, precision, and quiet modernity. There are design cues from the current Range Rover, only the GT takes it further in both prestige and reduction.
You can see it at first glance. The steering wheel has narrower spokes with less buttons, the gauge cluster is now on top of the dashboard while being lower and wider, while the touchscreen takes center stage along with the bare center console.
The spoke on the steering wheel is narrower with less icons to start with. The gauge cluster for the driver was also placed on top of the dashboard instead of being embedded, but is also a low and wide screen. At the center is the huge touchscreen without any buttons near it. They also did away with the shifter for the Range Rover GT that resulted in a very clean design for the floating center console.
Technology was woven into the architecture instead of being obvious. This refers to the air vents that are seamlessly integrated into the dash, blowing air out of the whole width of the cabin. The woven textile also hides the speakers from being seen, leading to a more pleasant and cohesive view of the front section.
The seats look like they were taken straight out of the flagship Range Rover. There’s sufficient bolstering, multiple textures, a contoured headrest, and a slim chrome accent under the headrest.
“The Range Rover GT will redefine the grand-touring segment with the ability to deliver beautiful and engaging GT poise, proportions and long-distance refinement while offering capabilities no conventional GT can match,” said Martin Limpert, Managing Director for Range Rover. “We have spent the last few years working obsessively on the fundamentals of the GT formula, reinterpreted in a sophisticated, uniquely Range Rover way. The result is the most car-like, yet unmistakably capable, Range Rover ever created, now possible on our electrified EMA architecture – complementing our existing powertrain portfolio to deliver a complete set of options for every customer need. Its blend of effortless EV performance, first-class long-haul refinement and all-terrain capability is pure Range Rover; while its calming interior previews our vision of a modern grand tourer.”
The prototypes of the all-new Range Rover GT are undergoing final global testing. More details will follow later this year, according to the brand.
