Pedigree means everything at the top end of the sport-utility market, and no luxury SUV has more pedigree than the Land Rover Range Rover. The Land Rover name dates to 1948, when the Rover group began building bare-bones 4x4 vehicles of immense off-road capability. The Range Rover emerged from that tradition in 1970, billed as the first Land Rover civil enough to be driven by a person in a business suit. With its solid-axle front and rear suspension, pushrod V8 engine and four-speed manual transmission, this two-door SUV was quite rudimentary by today's standards. But it was immediately popular among wealthy U.K. consumers with a taste for the safari aesthetic. Sales didn't officially start in the U.S until 1987, though quite a few Range Rovers were imported through the gray market in the years preceding.
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Now in its third generation, the Land Rover Range Rover still carries considerable prestige. From an off-road perspective, it's one of the most capable SUVs available at any price. From a luxury perspective, it's probably the most elegant and distinctive utility vehicle on the market, despite a few rough edges. High pricing keeps all but the very rich from buying a new Range Rover -- a fact that only adds to the appeal of this elite 4x4.
Current Land Rover Range Rover
The Range Rover's most recent redesign came in 2003. Although it looks much like its predecessors on the outside, this Range Rover is very different underneath. Engineered in the late 1990s during the brief period when BMW owned Land Rover, the third Range Rover employs unibody construction (instead of body-on-frame architecture) and a fully independent suspension (instead of solid axles). These changes make all the difference when cruising on pavement, as the Range Rover now delivers the composed ride and secure handling expected of a true luxury SUV. Yet BMW engineers went about their work carefully so as not to compromise all-terrain ability. Permanent four-wheel drive is standard, and the Range Rover's height-adjustable air suspension provides up to 10.8 inches of ground clearance, along with generous approach and departure angles.
