Whipping up a Storm (From Free Press Series)

Whipping up a Storm

Range Stormer is a high-performance, sport tourer SUV concept car, which showcases a future design direction for Land Rover and the company's increasingly bold approach to new technologies.

It is also the first Land Rover concept to preview a new production model, one that will enter a fresh market segment for the company.

This will be an additional model line in the Land Rover portfolio, joining Range Rover, Discovery, Freelander and Defender.

One major innovation is Terrain Response. This smart and simple-to-use new Land Rover technology delivers the best possible on-road and off-road composure and control by optimising the entire vehicle set-up, including suspension, powertrain, throttle response and traction control.

The driver simply selects the appropriate Terrain Response setting from the six available on Range Stormer, varying from 'dynamic' for high-speed work to 'deep ruts' for extreme off-roading.

Natural materials dominate in the cabin, with leather and oak alongside aluminium.

As well as covering the seats, dark saddle leather is also used on the top roll of the dashboard and centre console. For contrast, the lower facia, door inners and headlining are all finished in ivory leather, and even the floor is covered in a softer, grained leather.

The seat frames, a striking part of the cabin design, are aluminium, as are many of the switches.

Others are swathed in leather. Instruments are back-lit, with aluminium faces. The fuel gauge is especially novel. Instead of a needle, a level of liquid drops as the fuel tank empties.