Most of the changes to Land Rover's extensively revised 2014 Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models - which will be available to order from their world debut at Frankfurt on 10 September, with first deliveries scheduled for early in the new year - aren't visible from the outside.
There are new driver aids - including traffic sign recognition, lane departure warning and automatic perpendicular parking - and a new connectivity package called InControl that keeps driver and passengers in touch with their world.
In addition to the previous engine choices, there are 250kW hybrid models for both Range Rover and Sport variants, and an upgraded 4.4-litre SDV8 turbodiesel for the Sport.
The big-dog diesel gets even bigger muscles thanks to a revised intake system with dual intercoolers, a new sump, new cast-alloy engine mounts and revised mapping for a quoted 250kW and 700Nm.
Driving through a ZF 8HP70 eight-speed automatic transmission, the SDV8 Sport accelerates to 100km/h in 6.9 seconds and tops out at 225km/h when the Dynamic Pack is fitted.
THE REST OF THE RANGIES
The upgraded Range Rovers will also be available with two petrol engines - the 375kW five-litre supercharged V8 and 250kW three-litre supercharged V6 - and two diesels - the 190kW three-litre turbocharged V6 and the 215kW three-litre supercharged V6 (Range Rover Sport only).
Land Rover's first hybrids share the same powertrain - a three-litre SDV6 turbodiesel through an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission with a 35kW electric motor-generator in place of the torque converter. Total outputs are 250kW and 700Nm torque, good enough for a 0-100km/h sprint in less than seven seconds, at a quoted cost of 6.44 litres per 100km
NEW BLACK DESIGN PACK
Available on Vogue, Vogue SE and Autobiography derivatives, the pack includes a range of parts finished in gloss black, including the bonnet and tailgate badges, grille, side-mirror housings, door handles, bumper vanes, side vent graphics, wheel nuts and tailgate finisher, as well as a choice of new 21 or 22” alloy rims.
Inside, the options list now includes power seat-back articulation for the driver and front passenger, and larger 260mm infotainment screens for the rear-seat passengers.
DRIVER AIDS
Land Rover seems to be uncomfortably aware that the Range Rover is a very big, very tall vehicle and a real mission to park; its existing automatic parallel parking system has been updated with a parking exit feature that helps the driver to get out of a parallel parking bay, perpendicular parking (which automatically positions the car centrally in a parking bay) and 360-degree parking sensors that track objects along the sides of the car at up to 16km/h.
Optional extras now include a forward-looking camera that monitors the car's position between lane markings, and provides tangible feedback through the steering wheel if it wanders out of its lane without using the indicator. The same camera is also used for a new traffic sign recognition system that identifies speed limit signs, no-overtaking signs and a variety of other warning and information signs.
INCONTROL
This (optional) new connectivity package has three facets: a remote smartphone app (available on both iOS and Android) that enables owners to check their Rangie's security, lock status, fuel and washer fluid levels, and tyre pressures from a remote location.
It also incorporates journey tracking to manage a logbook (nice for reps, crucial if you're self-employed), plus it'll tell you where you've parked your Range Rover (no blonde jokes, Cyril!) and the quickest route to walk there.
That also has its serious side: if you report your car stolen it'll set off a silent alarm at a secure operating centre and keep tracking the car until it's recovered.
Finally, new 3G and WiFi antennas inside the car ensure stable wireless connectivity for passengers' smartphones, tablets and laptops.