Have to post this video just because it’s perfect.

LAND ROVER BRINGS TWO LUXURY DIESEL SUV MODELS TO NORTH AMERICA MARKET

– 2016 model year Range Rover Td6 and Range Rover Sport Td6 diesels to deliver 32 percent increased combined fuel economy; 28 miles per gallon on the highway

– Diesel vehicles to debut at 2015 North American International Auto Show

– Diesel technology to be available across Land Rover lineup in coming years

(MAHWAH, NJ) – January 11, 2015 – Land Rover will offer consumers the option of fuel efficient diesel powertrains in two 2016 model year luxury SUVs, the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. The Range Rover Td6 and Range Rover Sport Td6 SUVs will deliver 25 miles per gallon combined, a 32 percent improvement over the supercharged V6, and reach a high of 28 miles per gallon on the highway.

The two new luxury diesel SUVs debuted at the 2015 North American International Auto Show and go on sale Fall 2015.

Land Rover has employed a combination of new and proven innovative technologies to bring North American customers an engine with exceptional refinement, efficiency and performance.

The 3.0-liter Td6 turbocharged V6 diesel engine delivers effortless performance thanks to 254 horsepower and a low-end torque output of 440 lb-ft. Peak torque arrives at 1,750rpm in the Td6 while the gasoline V6 produces its 332 lb-ft (450 Nm) at 3,500 rpm. This high torque output at low RPM, makes the diesel Range Rover and Range Rover Sport models particularly well suited to towing heavy loads and off-roading where reaching maximum torque at low RPM is extremely beneficial.

Similarly, the low-end torque of the Td6 allows the vehicles to deliver 0-60 acceleration times comparable to the higher horsepower V6 gasoline models. The Range Rover Sport Td6 and Range Rover Td6 accelerate from 0-60mph in 7.1 and 7.4 seconds respectively, compared to 6.9 and 7.1 seconds for gasoline V6 models.

Preliminary fuel economy figures for the Range Rover Sport and Range Rover of 22 mpg (city), 28 mpg (highway) and 25 mpg (combined) represent significant gains over traditional gasoline alternatives. The combined figure equates to a 32 percent improvement over the gasoline V6 engine. Total range increases to 658 miles, a gain of 8.0% for the Range Rover Sport and 3.3% for the Range Rover.

These improvements underline a dedication to meeting and exceeding the expectations of luxury SUV consumers. Both the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport have seen significant advancement in fuel efficiency, safety, and design. As part of a complete model redesign for the 2013 and 2014 model years, the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport respectively, have moved to all-aluminum platforms, gained the option of V6 engines and have had significant design changes in an effort to continuously improve Land Rover product offerings. With the addition of Td6, we are advancing these vehicles even further.

Designed from the ground up, the Td6 provides efficiency and refinement. Its block is constructed using Compacted Graphite Iron (CGI), which has a higher tensile strength than standard grey cast iron, better fatigue strength than aluminum, and added stiffness. Its overall advantages in weight and strength mean the block can be lighter and smaller which make it compact in size. The deep-skirted, cross-bolted design and one-piece structural aluminum oil sump of the Td6 help the engine to absorb combustion noise effectively which improves refinement.

Prior to its introduction in the US, improvements have been made to the Td6 helping to achieve an additional eight percent increase in overall fuel efficiency. These include the addition of a water-cooled turbocharger for maximum performance and durability at high operating temperatures; and new ball bearings, vanes and nozzles to improve efficiency.

A Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system uses Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) to reduce NOx emissions, ensuring the Td6 achieves US LEV 3 status. The DEF is injected into the exhaust and, as the resulting mixture passes through the SCR, NOx is turned into harmless nitrogen gas.

The reservoir for the DEF is located in two areas, the main is under the floor with the secondary located under the hood. Combined they hold enough fluid for approximately 10,000 miles. Diesel exhaust fluid is commercially available and owners can top the fluid level up themselves or take it to their nearest Land Rover dealer if the reservoir needs replenishing.

In addition to the cleansing efficiency of the SCR, every aspect of the Td6 engine has been optimized to ensure emissions are as low as possible. This includes the new Low Pressure EGR system which has been critical to success of Td6 emission ratings and further improves fuel economy.

Unlike traditional High Pressure EGR systems, which recirculate gases directly from the exhaust manifold to inlet manifold at high pressure, the revised design takes gases at low pressure – after the DPF filter in the exhaust pipe – and feeds them back to the turbocharger inlet. From here they pass through an intercooler, resulting in a lower peak combustion temperature.

The higher the peak combustion temperature, the more NOx is produced, so the low pressure EGR system has the effect of reducing the harmful emissions contained by exhaust gases, by lowering the peak combustion temperature and improving efficiency.

Elsewhere, a two-stage oil pump reduces engine losses while a revised design for the fuel-injectors has been introduced to improve efficiency and reduce hydrocarbon emissions. The injection cycle also employs an innovative two-stage process to eliminate the traditional ‘knock’ associated with diesel engines.

Attention to detail ensures diesel derivatives deliver traditional Range Rover refinement. Innovative dual-isolation engine mounts, as well as windshields featuring a special acoustic laminate, help reduce noise levels. Refinement on Range Rover models is further enhanced by the design of the bulkhead between the engine and vehicle interior, which minimizes the transmission of engine noise into the cabin.

The fuel filler neck on diesel Land Rover vehicles is fitted with a misfueling protection device. This device will prevent the narrower gasoline fuel nozzle fitted to gasoline pumps from being inserted into the filler neck on the vehicle, reducing the likelihood of adding the wrong fuel.

Tested and Proven in the USA

The latest Td6 diesel has been tested extensively to ensure it meets the expectations of US buyers. Early in the development process Land Rover conducted test drive clinics with premium SUV buyers to determine whether customers would notice a difference between the driving feel of diesel versus gasoline models.

Without informing participants that they’d be driving diesel models, the Land Rover team gathered feedback using in-vehicle video and audio recordings, data loggers and post-drive interviews. The results of the program were conclusive; consumers participating in testing clinics in major US cities could not identify if they were driving a diesel vehicle during a 30-minute test drive.

Land Rover engineers embarked on US testing schedule to ensure the new diesel engine could handle all US climate and terrain conditions. By the time US sales have begun, the test fleet will have completed one million test miles.

The test fleet has targeted the most extreme climates and diverse terrains imaginable across the US. The new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport diesel have navigated from sea level to altitudes of 14,000 feet during the grueling test program. To meet the unique demands of the North American climate, engineers have undertaken testing year round, from the coldest winter days in Minnesota, to summertime in the deserts of the Southwest.

OId news(MY15.5 info is out and added to bottom of this post) but I wanted to get it up here for anyone looking, formatting it a little odd but it’s all there.  Red indicates new for MY2015 and basically all the SVR changes.

Update as per this post: SVR 2015.5 Model Year MSRP & Invoice Pricing, Specs, Options:

Soft Door Close & InControl Remote & Protect now included in the Vision and Convenience Package

InControl Remote & Protect (011BB)  now available for $400

Fixed Panoramic Glass Roof including Power Blind (041CX) available for No Charge

Metal Roof (041CY) available for No Charge

A few neat finds will be posted in the coming days but if you’d like to check it out yourselves, head on over to TOPIx and start reading, all the Discovery Sport documentation is live.

http://topix.landrover.jlrext.com/

Direct link to Discovery Sport Quick Start Guide

One thing I noticed is that they have different documentation for the models with a CD player vs the models without.  The CD models seem to use a very lightly modified version of the current Infotainment system.  While the models that don’t come with the CD player get the updated InControl Touch system.  In the video linked here, we can see the old/current system still in use but the model in the video does have the CD player.  Confirmed inclusion of a CD player for the US market is still unconfirmed.  Brochures show it both with and with out but it’s not listed a feature.  This is probably just the normal Land Rover worldwide confusion that always seems to happen.

A new feature, at least new to me, found in the Owner’s Handbooks – QR codes that link to instructional videos.

I guess we’re still waiting until launch for them though because this is all you get when you read them:

• Jaguar Land Rover reveals its ‘360 Virtual Urban Windscreen’ research, which uses transparent roof pillars to give the driver a 360^o view outside the car
• To aid navigation on busy urban roads, a ghost car could be projected in front of the car for the driver to follow
• The concept uses future Heads-Up Display technology to provide information to keep the driver’s eyes on the road and reduce distraction
• ‘360 Virtual Urban Windscreen’ and ‘Follow-Me Ghost Car Navigation’ are part of a suite of new concept technologies that Jaguar Land Rover is developing to reduce the potential for accidents

Whitley, UK: Jaguar Land Rover has launched a research project to develop technologies that will offer drivers a 360^o view out of their vehicle, uninterrupted by the pillars that support the roof.

A screen would be embedded in the surface of each pillar inside the car and would take a live video feed from cameras covering the angles outside the car usually obscured in the blind spots created by the A, B and C-pillars.

Pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles would be visible all around the car – and by combining the transparent pillars with an advanced high quality Heads-Up display, the movement of other road users could be highlighted to the driver with an on-screen halo moving across the car’s virtual windscreen.

When the driver indicates to change direction, when they move their head to look over their shoulder during an overtake manoeuvre, or as the vehicle approaches a junction, the system would automatically make the left or right-hand side pillars transparent.

Dr Wolfgang Epple, Director of Research and Technology, Jaguar Land Rover, said: "Our ultimate aim is to reduce road accidents and enhance the urban driving experience. The Jaguar Land Rover research team is developing this technology to improve visibility and to give the driver with the right information at the right time. If we can keep the driver’s eyes on the road ahead and present information in a non-distracting way, we can help drivers make better decisions in the most demanding and congested driving environments."

The full potential for the 360 Virtual Urban Windscreen would be delivered by connecting the virtual windscreen to the Cloud. By connecting the car to roadside infrastructure and businesses in the urban landscape, the Virtual Urban Windscreen could present information ranging from petrol station prices to the number of parking spaces available, so drivers won’t have to look for this information themselves.

The connected car could also enhance navigation by advising the driver to turn left or right at more visible landmarks, such as pubs or shops, rather than just road signs or street names. 

While the most intuitive and efficient way to navigate to a specific location is to be able to follow someone who knows the best route – so the Jaguar Land Rover team is developing ‘Follow-MeGhost Car Navigation’,which projects an image of a vehicle in front of the driver’s car for them to follow, turn by turn, to their destination.

"Driving on city streets can be a stressful experience, but imagine being able to drive across town without having to look at road signs, or be distracted trying to locate a parking space as you drive by," added Dr Epple. "We want to present all of this information on a Heads-Up Display in the driver’s eye-line, so the driver doesn’t have to seek it out for themselves and take their eyes off the road ahead."

Jaguar Land Rover’s InControl system continues to grow.  Here are some new videos featuring the new justDrive app for InControl.  Official PR follows videos

Jaguar Land Rover announces next stage of its award-winning InControl infotainment and connectivity platform

• Silicon Valley’s CloudCar develops voice-activated multi-purpose app, justDrive, for use in Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles within company’s proprietary inControl Apps system
• Using one of the most advanced voice recognition packages in the world, justDrive offers the driver a unified, voice-enabled interface with a wide variety of apps and services including Spotify, Twitter and Yelp
• Jaguar Land Rover opens its first overseas R&D facility in Portland, Oregon, to develop future infotainment and connected car technologies

(more…)