The real big news about the 2019 Land
Rover Range Rover and Range Rover Sport is the introduction of
the P400e
plug-in hybrid trim, which can apparently drive 31 miles on its
battery alone. Both SUVs get a few other little updates for the new model year
but a water wading depth sensor sounds like the most fun.
Range Rovers, even the hybrid, can drive through almost
three feet of standing water according to Land Rover. At least, as long as
there’s traction below the surface. Somehow I doubt too many owners ever
stretch the limits of that, but for those who do, or want another neat blinking
display to look at, the Wade Sensing system is optional on all variants for
2019.
As explained in Land Rover’s announcement:
The system provides real-time wading depth information
relative to the maximum wading capability for the current location of the
vehicle. Using sensors on the underside of the door mirrors, the system reports
this information to the driver via a dedicated display on the vehicle’s
touchscreen. The system also provides the driver an indication of the vehicle’s
position/angle, and can estimate when the vehicle is potentially going into
deeper water or coming out of the water. The driver is able to turn on the Wade
Sensing feature using a soft button in the 4x4i menu.
This has been a feature in other markets for a long time,
but I guess 2019 is the year Land Rover decided Americans also needed to know
exactly how deep the puddles we’ve been driving through are.
You can see an old version of it in action on a Discovery 4
right here:
On new U.S.-spec Range Rovers, you’ll be treated to a much
more modern looking display, like this:
So Wade Sensing will join a tilt-and-roll gauge, a
drivetrain status and differential position alert, a little infographic of
where your front wheels are pointed, and other fun frivolous items baked into
the command console of well-appointed Range Rovers.
I know most people only by Land Rovers for luxury, but as
long as the company is still coming up with toys like this, I choose to keep
the faith that somebody, somewhere, will treat their $100,000 SUV like a
workhorse and put it through hell on off-road adventures.
source: https://jalopnik.com/2019-range-rovers-will-be-easier-to-drive-in-water-1828205909
by Andrew P Collins
http://www.boscheuropean.com
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