March 9: Less for more - the new Range Rover SV Coupe

 Someone thought that this was a great idea. Take the swoopy Land Rover Evoque suv and offer it as a two door coupe to go along with the regular and expected four door. Let people know you don't have any friends or if you do, make them work to ride with you. There's some logic to this as suvs, including Land Rovers started out as two doors and had the four doors added as families wanted the versatility of this type of vehicle. Of course that was years before this Evoque appeared and market trends had changed. Good college try, but at over $5000 more than the four door, this Evoque found few takers. I think I saw my first one last week and they've been out of the line for several years.

More history...........when Land Rover decided to offer a bigger and more civilized suv for all those very British gentlemen sheep farmers, they only made it as a two door........

.....but as demand grew, so did the Range Rover and those extra doors were added, along with a touch of prestige, as this became the country estate ride of the royal family.........

What better way for Liz and Phil to cruise their innumerable acres than from a high perch in a Range Rover. Wellingtons and a tweed jacket were popular options among the Downton Abbey set.

Flash forward to today, where the Land Rover line reeks of money. The product mix covers everything from want-a-be's to those with real money, as the SVA Dynamic model sells for just over $200k CDN. Never a shortage of fat wallets lining up for any new Land Rover when it hits the showroom floor. Time to rethink the coupe idea? Apparently so, as the Geneva auto show this week saw the unveiling of a new Range Rover model, the SV Coupe (as in a real coupe with two doors)........

And in Land Rover tradition, when two doors are removed the price goes up and up and up. How far? Way up into nose bleed territory. But this is a very special two door. Only 999 will be built and only those with royal aspirations need apply, since the starting price before the sheep shearing option will be $295,000 US dollars! Take a deep breath folks, as that is very serious money.

Trying to start a new trend? Check out that gorgeous interior. Yes, even the back seat passengers are coddled like royalty, but notice anything unusual? You got it, those back seats are a different colour leather.

Not exactly a Ripley's moment, but strange nonetheless. Watch for it in Corollas ten years from now.

Priced like a Bentley, interior like a Rolls, exclusivity like a Ferrari. Want to bet they'll be sold out by the time you finish reading this blog?

Until next time.......