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.
I?ve 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 didn?t 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, what?s 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. That?s 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 I?d 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) I?d say it?s one of the better offerings in that segment. I also liked the deep cargo area (above).
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