El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Land Rover just unveiled what will be the first new, redesigned Range Rover in a decade. This is only the fifth generation of the large off-road luxury SUV since the model was introduced in 1970. A sleek new design, with smoothed off corners and edges, retains the classic proportions, but gives it a more modern look to better compete in an increasingly crowded world of high-end SUVs.
The Range Rover used to have a pretty straightforward role. When it debuted decades ago it was off-road transportation for farmers, ranchers and hunters. It became an icon of luxury as those who owned large tracts of land or went on hunting safaris tended to be wealthy. Over time, the Range Rover's luxury image found its way to suburban driveways, big-city restaurant valet lines and shopping mall parking lots far from its rugged origins. The "luxury off-road SUV," once an oxymoron, was born.
Now it faces increased competition from brands like BMW and Mercedes, which also offer richly appointed large SUVs. Even Jeep, not previously a competitor, recently introduced the Grand Wagoneer, an opulent off-road-capable SUV that can cost over US$100,000 with options. Lexus, too, recently unveiled a fully redesigned LX, a luxury model based on the Toyota Land Cruiser, an SUV frequently used in rugged environments.
And that's just the gasoline-powered options. Big, electric, high-dollar SUVs like the Tesla Model X and upcoming GMC Hummer EV SUV are coming, as well.
This puts the prices for the new Range Rover, which start at $104,000, in good company. Special long-wheelbase First Edition models will start at $163,500. Land Rover is accepting orders for the vehicle now, although it won't be available until next spring.
Once just a larger Land Rover, Range Rover has become its own sub-brand. Other models include the smaller Range Rover Sport, the futuristic-looking Range Rover Velar, and the smaller Range Rover Evoque. The original Range Rover model, still just called the Range Rover, is the icon of the brand, though.
The new Range Rover will be available with a 523 horsepower turbocharged V8 engine, and a 395 horsepower 6-cylinder version with a mild-hybrid system will also be available. It will have a relatively weak electric motor that will add its power to the gasoline engine to increase fuel efficiency.
But a third option, a plugin hybrid, will be available in 2023. With a fully charged battery, this 434 horsepower SUV will be able to go about 100 kilometres before the six-cylinder engine will be needed, according to Land Rover. That's relatively long electric range for a plugin hybrid. Plugin hybrid SUVs from BMW and Volvo can travel less than half as far without using their gas engines.
A purely electric version will come out in 2024, according to Land Rover
Four-wheel steering, which allows the back wheels to turn along with the front, will give the Range Rover the tightest turning circle of any Land Rover vehicle, according the automaker.
The new Range Rover maintains the SUV's overall squared-off shape and proportions, but gives them a smooth, modern design. The door handles now sink into the doors when not in use, smoothing the sides.. Where there had been slats behind the front the wheels, there is now simply a rectanglular shape vaguely suggestive of a vent. The taillight has been simplified to a thin staple-shaped line going across the SUV's back end.
The change in design has followed a gradual shift in the SUV's customer base, said Gerry McGovern, head of design for Land Rover.
"In Britain, it was always the vehicle of the landed gentry, the establishment, the farmers, the people who lived out in the country, that went shooting, all this sort of thing," he said. "It still has that. It still has a core following, but it's much more than that now. It's entrepreneurs, it's people that are successful, it's people that are creatively minded, or design literate."
It even retains its off-road capabilities, Land Rover executives promise, though they may rarely be tested.
"What we've said is that our vehicles always have to be the best-in-class for capability. Whether people use it or not, it's part of that charm," said McGovern.
He likened it to expensive dive watches that, their makers claim, can go thousands of feet under water. Many owners might never even wear them in the shower, but they appreciate knowing the watch has that sort of capability.
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.
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Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
Thieves killed two Australians and an American on a surfing trip to Mexico in order to steal their truck, particularly because they wanted the tires, authorities said Sunday.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.