So the new Range Rover is upon us and well, it looks nice, but not different. At least not different enough for a car that many were expecting to follow the Evoque into new territories of style and design.

However, when you delve deeper into the details of the new Range Rover, styling and design start to take a backseat. The big scoop as it were for this incarnation is that the ‘RR’ has shed a whopping 420kg off of its curb weight. There’s no doubt that will make for a massive difference.

Weight is a vital importance to any modern car and with the Range Rover, it could be a game changer. Dropping so much weight will undoubtedly make the car much more about drivability and even performance.

A lighter car is a faster and more agile car, not to mention the benefits it’ll have for CO2 emissions and fuel economy, bringing down fuel costs dramatically for both petrol and diesel plants.

Taking cues from some of the latest supercars, Range Rover have brought the weight down by introducing a brand new aluminium monocoque body/chassis – a first for an SUV – and is possibly the most radical implementation in the model’s 42 year history.

The other bombshell, if you like, is that the range topping model will require a sum of around £120,000 from the buyer; entering the Range Rover into a new realm of luxury based vehicles. Even the base model will start at £70,000.

The fact is, is that people will still buy them thanks to such individuals as the super-rich footballers and business men and women who like to stay on top of the latest must have products, even those with UK fuel cards for business.

The newer luxury direction sees Range Rover offer not just the standard three-person rear seat layout, but also an ‘Executive’ layout that sees the back transform into two separate seats and a centre console running through the middle of the cabin. The Evoque’s floating roof has also been
borrowed and added.

Engine wise, there will be three to choose from, including the Discovery’s 3.0 litre V6 and the current Range Rover 4.4 V8 with a few updated features. The sole petrol option will be a variation of Jaguar’s superb 5.0 supercharged V8.

There will be only one transmission this time round and no manual. Every engine will drive through an eight-speed ZF automatic ‘box. The suspension has been upgraded also thanks to an all-independent air system, and similarly new subframes have made the body stiffer to add to an
already 39% lighter body, so expect body roll to be at a minimum.

Range Rover will reveal the new 2013 model to the public at September’s Paris Motor Show and production is expected to start at the end of summer, with deliveries rolling out at the end of the year to around 160 markets.

About the author: Sam Bisby writes for Fuel Card Services with UKfuels.co.uk, offering fuel card solutions as BP fuel card services, Shell fuel card services and business fuel cards.

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