The Range Rover
Toyota and Land Rover took home the top brand honors in ALG's 2015 Residual Value Awards, which will be presented this week at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Jaguar Land Rover has announced that a new division of the British manufacturer will be dedicated to "bespoke commissions," as well as heritage products and apparel. Oh, and the new Special Operations division will also be behind JLR's halo cars from now on. It's that last one that is the most tantalizing, as the last real halo product to see production from Jaguar was the XJ220. The Range Rover, meanwhile, has always had its own kind of halo reputation, although the Land Rover brand itself has never really gotten into the game with a dedicated model. According to JLR, the new halo models will focus on ultra-high performance and luxury with a limited run of vehicles. The bespoke models, meanwhile, will give the wealthiest customers full sway over how vehicles are outfitted, with unique paints, trims and other accessories. The new SpecOps division will be run by John Edwards. Jaguar Land Rover is getting serious about global expansion, and that means it can't only build its vehicles in the UK anymore. The British automaker is cutting the ribbon at its new plant in China tomorrow, marking the opening of its first factory outside the UK. In 2016, it will open another factory in Brazil. But the latest intel has it that JLR is looking into a US factory, as well.
I live down south, 30 miles from london, not far from Henley. I don't know where you're situated, so I don't know how long it would take you to get there. When I first went that way I had a 1981 Series III Land Rover Safari Estate and it took a while via the M1, Huddersfield, Bradford, Saltaire, Skipton. Last time I went was early last month in a 1995 Land Rover Discovery, but that was from near Kirkbymoorside where I was staying at the southern edge of the N Y Moors. I went via Northallerton, Bedale and Kettlewell (that would have originally been 'Ketil's Well') . Mind you, you can't drive that fast in some places, no matter what you're in. Get yourself up there, wherever your starting point. It can't do you any harm. There's a lot of scenery to see whichever route you take! I love the way you start your walk with a nice pint! Buck Inn, and what lovely names, Kettlewell! I would love to see, another great trip, and through such lovely countryside, wonderful!
Second, Ford would have more control in establishing the technological level that it would like to operate at. Each supplier would have their access limited by functionality and need. Ford would be able to update and modify the program with little or no program changes needed on any of the supplier鈥檚 systems. Security of the system could be centralized and the risk of proprietary information or software getting out would be minimized. Third, the initial investment for both sets of suppliers would be minimized. This could lead to overall lower material prices and decrease the risk of losing valuable Tier 2 suppliers. Currently, the working relationship with Tier 2 suppliers is in fact non-existent. If something should happen with the Tier 1 supplier, Ford would essentially lose the relationship with all of the Tier 2 suppliers working under that one supplier. Having a direct relationship with each Tier 2 supplier would effectively create a more stable environment for that supplier because they would not only have a relationship with the Tier 1 supplier but also directly with Ford. Ford could successfully realign the purchasing department with the product development area and would cut costs and increase efficiencies along the way.
Speaking of the engine, the engine inside the 2008 Acura RDX is a great one. While the engine is only a 2.3 liter engine, it uses the variable flow turbo charger to kick out 240 hp and 260 lb of torque. For even more power, the car comes with a special Sequential SportShift manual feature that has special power shifters that are mounted on the steering wheel. It also sports a great all wheel drive system that keeps it doing great in rain, snow, and even in off road conditions. Even though the 2008 Acura RDX may not really look like it is built for speed, it can do 0-60 in a not too shabby 7 seconds. Also, the car can pull off the quarter mile in just 15.5 seconds, which is great for a crossover vehicle. With great ABS and EBD brakes, you won't have a problem stopping this car either. Other great safety features in the vehicle include front driver and passenger airbags and there are side curtain air bags included with the vehicle as well.
In addition, city driving could make the oil break down before its time. All those things lead to expensive engine damage and they make good service history vital. Most late model Sports will be dealer serviced, and you should always look for a car with service records. There鈥檚 no easy way to check service status otherwise. Gaining access to a spark plug to evaluate freshness used to be a 2 minute job on the first Range Rover. Now it鈥檚 an hour-plus task. The transmission fluid can鈥檛 be checked with a dipstick on these trucks. To service it, you replace the integral pan/filter and fill with fresh fluid from below. If you buy a truck with 50k on the clock, and there is no record of recent undercar fluid services I would advise doing them all right away just to be safe. Newer Range Rovers require special synthetic oil, and we urge you to follow their recommendation with respect to oil and grade. The late model trucks have gone to an extended oil change interval and we鈥檙e not so comfortable with that.
