Arden revs up the Range Rover with the AR7

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German tuner Arden is best known for giving Jaguars sharper claws, but it occasionally takes on Range Rovers, as well. They recently released their AR7 package that includes an understated body kit, larger wheels and tires, new interior appointments and, of course, a boost in power that comes from an increase in displacement of the supercharged V8 to 4.5-liters. The result is 480 horsepower and 422 lb-ft torque with a 0-62 mph time of 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 149 mph. The OEM-look body kit includes a wider front fascia with a stainless steel grille that fits nicely with the upper grille, as well as wider wheel arches, side skirts, and a rear fascia. The three-piece forged wheels come in either 22" or 23" sizes, and larger brakes with 6-piston calipers up front and 4-pistons on the rear. Finally, the customers have a variety of choices with upgrading the interior, including leather and alcantara seats in any color as well as chrome, carbon fiber, or aluminum accents. Check out the full details in the press release after the jump.
[Source: Arden]
Gallery: Arden Range Rover AR7
PRESS RELEASE:
Elegance, discreet sportiness and understatement have always been the characteristics of British cars. The car enhancement specialist and registered automobile manufacturer from Krefeld was unable to resist the attraction of these vehicles over 30 years ago. It has for many years been a refuge for customers wanting it to individualise their Jaguar or Range Rover and emphasize its typical characteristics. Arden's latest development is the AR7. It is based on the Range Rover LM, which Arden completely converts and provides with more overtaking prestige. The base vehicle which is impressive due to its sheer size becomes captivating with its extraordinary sporty look. Meanwhile enhanced performance of the Range Rover compressor motor contributes to the sporty driving performance.
Superior performance
Arden obtains not less than 480 HP from the from the supercharged V8, its cubic capacity having been raised to 4.5 litres. Together with the torque which has been increased to an ample 680 Nm, this provides the not exactly light Range Rover with an appealing driving performance. The sheer power catapults the British SUV from nought to one hundred km/h in 6.5 seconds. Outstanding engine power goes without saying. Even if speeds beyond 200 km/h do not happen often due to the flow of traffic, the Arden AR7's 480 HP make over 240 km/h possible.
Arden bodykit: better look, better driving behavior
Arden adapted its aerodynamic components to the Range Rover's basic design in a masterly fashion. As usual with Arden, the kit looks as though it fits seamlessly. The completely re-designed, in total 6 cm wider front apron, which replaces the production part, features a hand-made stainless steel grill and air vents. These features emphasize not only the dynamic and powerful appearance, they also provide more effective air supply to the cooling units behind. Arden has made substantial improvements to the aerodynamics, effectively reducing lift to the front axle; this has a lasting benefit on handling performance at higher speeds. The LED daytime running lights deserve special attention. They comply with the future European standards and are harmoniously integrated right and left above the large air intakes. To complete the powerful appearance, Arden also enhances the Range Rover with wheel arch extensions, side skirts and a newly developed rear apron, which like the front apron features several grill inserts.
With regards to harmoniously designing the rear area, Arden adapted the design of the exhaust tail pipes of the stainless steel sport exhaust system, which was exclusively hand-made for the new AR7, perfectly to the design of the rear apron. The system which produces a marvellous resonant sound ends in rectangular tailpipes, with its openings characterized by a horizontal center bar, so that they do not appear too overpowering and meet Arden's standards for understatement.
"Bigfoot"
The "Sportline" wheels have a large share in the appearance of the Arden AR7. Arden offers the three-part forged wheel in 22" or 23". The increased size compared with the production Range Rover clearly improves the handling of the SUV and gives the driver more driving pleasure.
Whoever decides on enhanced power should also think of suitable braking performance. So that the Arden AR7 comes to a standstill as quickly as it accelerates, Arden incorporates at the front a 6-piston and at the rear a 4-piston braking system which distributes its power emphatically on the internally ventilated and perforated brake disks.
Elegant interior
The interior does not come off badly with Arden either. In the in-house saddlery all of the interior work is carried out to the highest precision and converted into the customer's requirements with great attention to detail. Leather and alcantara are made to measure in any colour desired, a wide variety of high-grade woods are processed and also chrome, carbon and aluminium applications are made for customers.












Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mondo 5:32PM (12/21/2007)
That is actually not a bad package overall. The RR is ostentatious by definition but this doesn't overdo it too much. I kinda like it.
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Xcountryflyer 5:41PM (12/21/2007)
Land Rover meets Scion
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Kevin 5:50PM (12/21/2007)
So... for probably about the same price as a Cayenne Turbo, you end up with an SUV that's uglier, slower, handles like a pig (relative to the Cayenne; admittedly, not a ballerina either, but it's miles ahead of the RR) and significantly less reliable.
...Why?
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Mobius_1 6:02AM (12/22/2007)
Because rappers don't care about handling as much as bling and Porsches don't have enough chrome or large enough rims lol
Peter Rockwell 6:25PM (12/21/2007)
And with such shallow approach, departure, and breakover angles, you can't get very far off road to get stuck. If it's going fast you want, there are much better tools; if it's the all-terrain capability of a Range Rover you want, there are much better tools.
To quote Kevin, "why?"
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Bill 7:03PM (12/21/2007)
I love Range Rovers... they are one of my favorite cars on the road today, but this is a bastardization.
Fugly.
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AlexP 9:55PM (12/21/2007)
Am I the only one noticing how Ford of America enjoys taking design cues from its Land Rover designers every now and then? I mean, the last Escape looked like one of the previous LRs (I don't remember exactly which one)... And the upcoming Flex seems to have a lot of things in common (design speaking, I couldn't tell you about the parts personally) with the Range Rover.
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Landy 12:58AM (12/22/2007)
Alex - you're right! I thought the same!