VW hasn’t created a range-topper; they’ve created an all-out Armageddon which will bulldoze everything in its path. The R50 has three tonnes of pure terror and an engine that will rival a super car’s. Yep, that means it’s in the running with the likes of BMW, Porsche, Mercedes and Audi. Even LandRover fans will be making eyes at the R50, after all it is a spectacular piece of design and its diesel engine is one of the most powerful in the world. With 552lb ft of tug it can tow items thirty times its weight, it accelerates from 0-62mph in 6.7 seconds and a top speed of 146mph.
Much like ice-cream though, you can have too much of a good thing as we discovered after a morning of trying to unstick its back-end. With the Continuous Damping Control activated, the handling didn’t falter but the same couldn’t be said for our stomachs. It’s a wholly unnatural experience heaving a mammoth 4x4 around tight bends and staging a traffic-light shoot-out in just 0.2 of a second slower than a Golf R32 hot hatch but surprisingly enough the R50 is very compliant. It stays right on course and ends up where you want it to. The brakes were also a test of guts; they worked fine but they didn’t let you know that until you’d properly stamped on them.
Now some would say that all these hyper-performing, fuel guzzling pimp-mobiles are quite unnecessary but so is cutting your hair and wearing clothes and most of us still do that. Sure, you wouldn’t buy an R-50 to make a political statement, you’d buy it because it’s the best you can afford and it makes you feel good. Well it does until someone points out the 22.4mpg figure which drops to 14mpg around town and then you’ve got the 333g/km emissions which will mean you have to fork out £400 a year in tax.

The upside is that while others are cashing in on their 1-litre run-arounds with no air-con and cramped leg space, you will be cruising around in luxury. VW’s new range-topper adds even more goodies to the previous Altitude V10 TDi flagship which include 21-inch Omanyt ten-spoke alloys, a body-coloured roof spoiler, a re-styled bumper and oval tailpipes trims. After-market style wheel arch extensions are also in force alongside blue brake callipers. The radiator grille then gets a matt chrome finish as well as there being louvers and honeycomb-style inserts in the airdams.
Standard equipment extends to Nappa leather sports seats, ‘R’ logos on the pedals, heated outer rear seats and a ski sack and net partition built in to the luggage quarters. Bi-Xenon headlights which can curve their lighting to see around bends are also included within the £61,990 package and there’s no excuse for getting lost with that DVD touchscreen Sat Nav. Okay so it hasn’t got a droptop (VW have to leave something to West Coast customs) but it does have 2Zone climate control so you’re Armani whites will be staying crisp and smelling good.

Source:Covercar

Range Stormer

Land Rover made history at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, by unveiling its first ever concept show car, the Range Stormer.

The Range Stormer is a high performance, sports tourer SUV concept car, which showcases a future design direction for Land Rover. It also previews a new production model that will enter a fresh market segment for the company and will be an additional model line in the Land Rover portfolio.
Commenting on the new concept, Land Rover's managing director Matthew Taylor, said: "The supercharged V8 Range Stormer gives a taste of our forthcoming new entrant in the booming high performance SUV segment. The production vehicle that follows will share many of its styling and technical innovations. It is very much conceived to be an on-road, performance machine, as well as class-leading off-road like all Land Rovers."

Geoff Upex, design director at Land Rover, added: "The challenge was to translate fundamental Land Rover design values into a concept for a high performance machine that looks powerful, muscular and edgy. We certainly want to challenge established views of our vehicles, but the Range Stormer is still clearly an authentic Land Rover."

Future technologies previewed with the concept include an all-new platform that will be the basis for future full-size Land Rover models. This advanced, integrated platform, unique to Land Rover, will provide the underpinnings for the production vehicle inspired by the Range Stormer.

Another major innovation showcased is Terrain Response. This smart and simple-to-use new Land Rover technology delivers the best possible on- and off-road composure and control by optimising the entire vehicle set-up, including suspension, powertrain, throttle response and traction control.

The driver simply selects the appropriate Terrain Response setting from the six available and the vehicle does the rest, using technology that offers a choice of settings from 'dynamic' for high speed work to 'deep ruts' for extreme off-roading.

Matthew Taylor concluded: "You'll be seeing an increasing amount of innovative technology in future Land Rovers. But technology that makes the driver's task simpler not more complicated, such as Terrain Response." The Range Stormer was completed with the support of suppliers Alps (electronic systems), Hella (interior and exterior lights), Alcoa (22" forged alloy wheels) and Goodyear (custom made tyres).

source:press release range rover