1996 Range Rover P38a

Range Rover P38a (4x4), 1994-2001

The Range Rover P38a was in production from 1994 to 2002. Styled in house, it is a front-engine, all wheel drive estate car seating five adults.

The Range Rover P38a was a replacement for the much-loved Range Rover Classic. It built upon the late LSE with air suspension, a range of Rover V8 engines in 4.0 and 4.6 litre forms, and a BMW-sourced 2.5 litre diesel. Its more aerodynamic body and electronic complexity may have earned it detractors, but as time passes it becomes ever more greatly accepted within the classic Land Rover community. The basic range at launch consisted of the base, SE and HSE models, supplemented by special editions including four series of Vogue SE, a Vogue 50 anniversary edition for 1998, and eventually the "production" Vogue as a regular range topper.

There were a number of changes over the years, primarily at the start of the 1999 model year when the engine management systems of the V8s were changed. Early cars are known as GEMS cars, later cars as Thor cars. For the following model year, the orange indicator lenses were replaced by clear and smoked units and the headlamps received an insert to create the illusion of twin rounded lamps within the rectangle. Specials such as the County would become regular line models, replacing the entry level variant, and collectible models such as the Holland and Holland would be introduced.

Land Rover replaced the model in 2001 with the new L322, which used BMW componentry within an all new Land Rover architecture. The last P38as were sold in 2002.

Today, the closest competition would come from cars such as its L322 successor and the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Mercedes would introduce the ML series as a Range Rover rival too, and this may have an appeal for regular use on road. Land Rover continued the Classic alongside the P38a for the first year of production, as a cheaper entry model, though this situation has been reversed with today's values. Nonetheless a Range Rover Classic, or an early Discovery, would make excellent in house alternatives to the P38a.