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2015 Range Rover Undergoing Track Testing at the Nurburgring

Land Rover recently announced 2015 model year updates for its benchmark SUV model, the Range Rover. With it being less than two years old, you'd think the company is only going to make minor changes, but as you're about to see, they are taking things very seriously.
2015 Range Rover 1 photo
Photo: screenshot from Youtube
Our friends at TouriClips just posted this fresh clip showing what Land Rover is doing to ensure the 2015 is good to go by the time it reaches customers. According to them, the first prototype, licensed BK63XTV, should be the updated big diesel. The model everybody knows as the Range Rover SDV8 will pack 40 extra Nm (30 lb-ft) of torque for a grand total output of 339 PS and 740 Nm (546 lb-ft).

The British SUV experts have also updated the ZF 8HP70 eight-speed automatic gearbox. Not wanting to bore you too much with the details, we'll just say that the torque converter has been re-engineered with an incorporating twin-spring damper. The V8 will thus be more pleasant to drive and between 5th and 8th gear will provide better in-gear acceleration, however, none of this will come with a detriment to fuel consumption.

The other prototype, wearing license plate VX12OMM, sounds like the Range Rover Supercharged and could be testing the features for the new Autobiography Black trim level, a range-topper with 21-inch and 22-inch wheels, LED taillights and darker chrome trim.

Another, less likely, possibility is that a more powerful 5-liter supercharged engine is finding its way under the bonnet. At the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the company showed a 550 hp version of the SUV's younger brother called the Range Rover Sport SVR. It's not quite ready for production yet, but is likely going to be the fastest model ever made by the British manufacturer.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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