Range rover tdv8 autobiography of benjamin

Byline: MIKE TORPEY

front seat passenger watches a vampire fang-fest DVD - on the same screen.

And instead of a traditional instrument cluster there's a 12-inch TFT (Thin Film Transistor) screen showing driver info via virtual dials and graphic displays.

The latest king of the executive off-roaders also looks slightly different to its predecessor, though the trademark Range Rover silhouette remains unaltered.

The main changes concern the lights - which are definitely better - along with the mesh grille and more sculpted front end.

Under its banner of e-Terrain Technologies, Land Rover is also stepping up its push for better fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions.

MAKE: MODEL ENGINE: POWER: To that end the new V8 5.0-litre supercharged petrol engine now boasts - wait for it - an average 19 miles per gallon.

secs, top The majority of buyers will of course stick with ECONOMY: CO2 YOU sometimes wonder what can be done to enhance an engineering masterpiece like the Range Rover.

Altering the design isn't necessarily guaranteed to work while rearranging the interior can, if you're not careful, over-complicate the issue.

And when the impeccable road manners and ability to drive up the side of Kilimanjaro are already at the limits of perfection, any improvement is likely to centre on techno wizardry.

Such is the case with the 2010 model year Range Rover. Included in an upgraded cabin is what Land Rover claims to be "the world's first automotive application of dual view touch screen infotainment screen technology".

What this basically means is that the driver can keep an eye on the sat-nav while the proven 3.6 TDV8 diesel, a smooth and sweet unit that nonetheless still only returns 25mpg.

It's a wonderful car to drive though and now handles and rides even better thanks to an adaptive dynamics set-up that continually refines the damper settings both on and off-road.

There are also stronger brakes.

Another improvement is to the award-winning Terrain Response which not only has an updated rock crawl capability but also a sand launch control for easier progress through the very soft stuff.

And if you need to use the Range Rover for towing there's the comfort of knowing that a 'trailer stability assist' will detect any swing and keep the driver in control.

On the safety front, there's now adaptive cruise control which keeps you a specified distance from the traffic ahead and side-mounted radar sensors to spot vehicles in the blind spot.

We're talking a thorough job with this car and while every model - they start at a princely pounds 64,695 - comes well equipped, those opting for flagship Autobiography trim can expect the last word in luxury.

speccheck MAKE: Land Rover MODEL Range Rover TDV8 Autobiography ENGINE: 3,630cc V8 diesel POWER: 271bhp at 4,000rpm PERFORMANCE: 0-60 in 8.6 secs, top speed 124mph ECONOMY: 25.1 Combined CO2 EMISSIONS: 299g/km BiK RATING: 35% INSURANCE: Group 17 PRICE: pounds 75,695 on the road WHAT'S HOT: Space, performance, agility and comfort -the last word in luxury WHAT'S NOT: That 75 grand price tag RATINGS (out of five): LOOKS ............................ 4 EQUIPMENT ..................... 5 RIDE AND HANDLING . . . . . . . . 5 PERFORMANCE ................. 5 VALUE FOR MONEY ........... 4

CAPTION(S):

STAR QUALITY: The new Range Rover now handles and rides even better thanks to an adaptive dynamics set-up