The new Range Rover, revealed this week, is possibly one of the smoothest looking cars that we have ever seen. The skin is so uncluttered that it is striking. Instantly recognisable as a Range Rover with its design cues and proportions it just reinterprets everything with an eye of extreme modern minimalism. Less is more might be a cliche, but then cliches are cliches for a reason, and this one fits the Range Rover perfectly.

“It is possible to respect your DNA and still project forwards – and that is what we have done. The modernist nature of our design philosophy doesn’t follow fashion or trend. It’s free from superfluous detail, resulting in a form which speaks to modernity, yet is full of charm and delivers new levels of emotional engagement. The new Range Rover is quite simply the most desirable ever created,” Gerry McGovern, chief creative officer, Jaguar Land Rover, has said.

Once we get over the initial ‘wow’ it’s time to check out what this new SUV is all about. It is a significant shift in the way the company has been treating the brand and tries to embody a fair bit of contemporary thinking into it. For instance there are petrol-hybrid power trains of 510ps and 440ps with pure electric range of about 100km. And it’s available with sustainable leather-free textiles for upholstery.

The new architecture that the Range Rover is built on, MLA-Flex in company parlance, provides Standard and Long Wheelbase options, and, for the first time in a Range Rover, a seven-seat option. It can also accept hydrocarbon, hybrid and all-electric power trains. The pure electric will arrive in 2024.

Among creature comforts, worth mentioning is the active noise cancellation through the audio system that helps create a very quiet vehicle interior. There is also an advanced air purification system.

The new SUV will be built exclusively at Land Rover’s Solihull plant as of now.