Spring Rally: SUV time
Some of the vehicles you couldn't take on the track were still very significant ones. The one that called out to me
was the Range Rover Supercharged. It was big, black and, yes, very beautiful. Inside it was upscale all the way. On the
road it was the surprise of the two days.
Ive never been in an SUV that rode so well on the street. The winding Wisconsin roads were relatively smooth in
parts and potted in others, but the Range Rover didnt seem to care. This was my first jaunt out of the track into the
local areas and I got lost on some county roads with names like J, JJ, CJ, A, whats up with that naming convention?
Anyway, as I was frantically looking for my way home, I glanced at the speedometer and saw I was
going way too fast and quickly slowed down. This was without me trying to get up to speed. Once my bearings returned I
could pay more attention to the performance, and this $90,000 SUV flew. The supercharged engine (400 hp, 420 ft. lb of
torque) shifted smoothly no matter the push to the pedal. There was no harsh engine noise, whoosh, nothing. Silent
speed. Thats amazing in such a large vehicle that is, essentially, a box on wheels.
This is one of those times where you understand why people spend this kind of money on such a vehicle. In less than 24 hours Id be seeing a whole other side of this vehicle on the off-road course.
I almost forgot about the new Mercedes M-Class, almost a let down in comparison to the Range Rover, it should still be
considered one fine luxury SUV. The interior materials were top notch and even if not up to par with the Land Rover LR3
(another remarkable turnaround from that company) Id say its one of the better offerings in that segment. I also
liked the deep cargo area (above).
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ells 11:00PM (12/18/2005)
everyone keep in mind this model was developed with BMW before Ford bought Rover. but props to Ford for giving this gracious king more power.
my pops has a previous generation range that i absolutely love, but i gotta give it up for a great design i would love to get my hands on one of these. but a 911 S is a higher priority.
and anyone else want an M6 convertible with a clutch? sounds fun.
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The Oatman 11:00PM (12/18/2005)
One thing I did not like about the new Land Rover is the way that the back kind of drops off (you can see above, that is not an effect of the camera lens). It looks like it has too much junk in the trunk... That will probably not bother most people but I could not get over that detail when I saw it in person.
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Joel 11:00PM (12/18/2005)
It is only fair to note that Land Rover, according to Consumer Reports, sells the very least reliable cars on the road. Their reliability is so bad that they are literally in a category by themselves: substantially worse than Hummer and Jaguar, the next two worst-built cars money can buy.
But it's great that it rides nice.
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Steve 11:00PM (12/18/2005)
That is exactly why you wait two or three years and buy the Rover used. It may be in the shop a lot but at least you didn't pay $90,000 for it. Anybody know what the depreciation rate is on these new Rovers?
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KT 11:00PM (12/18/2005)
Did you notice how tight the turning radius was on this behemoth? I drove one (regular HSE)recently and was amazed how tight it turned. Like someone else mentioned this would be a nice vehicle to buy when it comes off-lease in a couple years.
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J S K 11:00PM (12/18/2005)
David, I believe those roads you were on were all county roads/highways. My favorite one is in NW Wisconsin. County X. My friends and I always referred to it as the "Malcolm X Memorial Highway". :-)
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Chris K 11:00PM (12/18/2005)
I believe the original intention was to name the highways A->Z going as you move from one end of the county to the other, and name the other roads for the roads they connect, but it is pretty random, as you say.
In the end I wouldn't care if it were random, because "AB" and "JJ" are a lot easier to remember than "243" and "263" for me.
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Mark 11:00PM (12/18/2005)
With regards to the Range Rover Sport being developed originally by BMW. I'm not so sure. This is a great vehicle based on the LR3 platform, rather than the BMW designed Range Rover. While it may look like a Range Rover, it's core is LR3 from the engine to the chassis, etc. Smooth ride. I have an LR3 HSE and, after driving a Discovery I for 5 years, I have to say I love this vehicle. Lots of power and a smooth, quiet ride. Hope Land Rover can keep improving itself....
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Fred 11:00PM (12/18/2005)
The Range Rover, is a member of the Land Rover family, and as such we brits are very proud of it.Could I just ask therefore that everyone out side the UK stops refering to them as Rovers. We in the UK would never associate such a national pride with such a national disaster. I live 20 minutes from the factory and see the prototypes th whole time we have had 4 land rovers in the past 5 years, including 2 of the latest generation Range Rovers. There have of course been many little niggles with the cars but, come on their British made what do you expect. If you want reliability you but a Honda. This British Bull dog is king and you should see the standard spec of the UK supercharged, were having one in a couple of weeks. P.S I love being british our speed limit on the "motorway" is 70mph and you dont get stopped or proscecuted unless you do more than 80, hahaha! P.S. The LR3 is actually called a Land Rover Discovery round our parts, wot wot. Ah well tally ho! Of to hunt foxes. Oh wait thats illegal now!?! Damn better go and drink tea with the Queen.
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