by Ross Finlay (02 Jan 04)

Land Rover’s first-ever concept vehicle makes its debut at the Detroit Show, and the company says that the Range Stormer "sports tourer SUV" is a definite preview of an additional model line.

Standing on a brand-new platform, unique to Land Rover and about to be used in the production version, the show car is powered by a supercharged Jaguar V8. Rather than being just bolted straight in, the torque-optimised engine has been modified to allow for serious off-roading, at the kind of fore-and-aft and side-of-a-hill angles at which all Land Rover products continue to perform.

An electronically controlled ZF six-speed automatic transmission is fitted, and the four-wheel drive, as always, is permanently engaged. The familiar low-range transfer box is also included.

Land Rover design director Geoff Upex says that his team wanted the Range Stormer to look "powerful, muscular and edgy". The styling certainly offers a modern take on several traditional Range Rover features, and adds a few new ones of its own.

The clamshell bonnet, minimal front overhang, slim pillars and dead-straight waistline are all familiar styling cues, but the Range Stormer also includes details like a glass roof, a power bulge on the bonnet, and massive 22" Alcoa forged alloy road wheels with custom-made Goodyear tyres.

Special Headlamps Too

Hella bi-xenon headlamps with "crushed ice" lenses swivel with the steering wheel to illuminate the exit from a corner, and side-fitted LEDs provide extra directional lighting.

There’s no indication yet of exactly how many of the items featured in the show car will make the leap to production status, but if even some of them do, it will be well in advance of its rivals.

In this two-door design the side doors are two-piece. The upper part hinges upwards and forwards, while the lower half hinges down to act as a step into the passenger cabin. Also split horizontally, although in more conventional proportions, the tailgate is electrically operated. It’s the same with the floor compartments, which can be lowered to provide additional stowage space.

Inside, the most striking features are the highly stylised seats, two each at front and back. Aluminium-framed, they’re trimmed with dark saddle leather facings, and the same material is used for the centre console and the top of the fascia. The lower part of the fascia, the door trim and the headlining are trimmed in ivory leather, and the floor doesn’t have mats or ordinary carpeting, but a softer-grained leather covering.

Many of the switches, and the instrument faces, are aluminium, and there’s a quirky little fuel gauge. Instead of featuring a needle or a digital display, it uses an actual liquid to show the level of fuel in the tank.

Holding Off On Monocoque

In the familiar 4x4 argument about monocoque versus separate chassis, the Range Stormer designers come down on the side of the latter, but they’re confident that the platform "combines the torsional rigidity and strength of a monocoque with the advantages and versatility of a body-on-frame chassis".

Versatility is certainly the key word where the suspension design is concerned. It uses height-adjustable air springs, and features the new Terrain Response technology developed by Land Rover’s engineering and design centre at Gaydon.

This allows the driver to select any one of six "terrain settings". Normal is for ordinary driving. Dynamic is for high speed or winding tarmac roads. When the going gets rough, deep or slippery, that’s the time to choose Sand or Deep Ruts or Rocks or Grass/Gravel/Snow.

Land Rover managing director Matthew Taylor says: "You’ll be seeing an increasing amount of innovative technology in our future vehicles. Terrain Response is technology that makes driving simpler, not more complicated . . . The special Dynamic setting reflects the high-performance on-road bias of the Range Stormer, for example. But in all programmes, the driver always retains overall control."

Taking advantage of electronic systems supplied by Alps, Terrain Response isn’t just for the show car, but will also appear in future production models, linked with individual technical features like ABS, EBD, Dynamic Stability Control and Hill Descent Control.

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