Walkaround

The Range Rover cuts a distinct profile, instantly recognizable as a Range Rover. Its contours are smooth and taut, with just enough curvature to suggest substance and strength. Compared to less exclusive, but more conspicuously massive SUVs, the Range Rover looks trim, muscular, and athletic, like a formidable middleweight fighter next to a costumed television wrestler, a look bolstered by the Range Rover's comparatively short wheelbase and markedly robust approach, break-over and departure angles.

The front end is strong and horizontal, capped by Range Rover's trademark clamshell hood. High-tech lighting clusters housing bi-xenon headlamps (with power washers) wrap around the corners. The optional adaptive headlamps turn several degrees in the same direction as the front tires to better illuminate corners. Punctuating the bumper are two serious-looking round ports with deeply recessed foglamps and a long, horizontal slot feeding air to the engine. Taillights echo the futuristic look of the front and incorporate a bright-light rear foglamp.

Viewed from the side, the latest Range Rover features a high beltline and a flat expanse of sleek metal dramatically slashed by vertical louvers that extract hot air from the back of the engine bay to help cool the engine.

The Supercharged model is set apart by a silver-metallic, mesh-design grille and side vents and monochromatic exterior paint scheme with black-on-silver badging. Dual, chrome exhaust tips signaling the presence of the more powerful engine are set back beneath the rear bumper to maintain the same, ground-clearing departure angle as the HSE.

Ground clearance ranges from a minimum of just under nine inches to just over 11 inches, depending on the height-adjustable suspension's setting.

Underneath the skin is a steel monocoque structure with an integrated chassis that improves ride and handling and gives the Range Rover the ability to tow, haul and tote just about anything on or off road.

Towing capacity with trailer brakes is more than 7700 pounds, for instance, unbraked, almost 1700 pounds, while top governed speed is 120 mph in the HSE, 130 mph in the Supercharged.

Interior Features

The Range Rover features a spacious, well-appointed interior that has been subtly yet extensively revised and updated for the 2007 model year. The interior design was inspired by expensive racing yachts and features gorgeous wood-trimmed dashboard support pillars.

The dashboard, the center console, the interior door panels and even the seats themselves are new. Also new are things you can't see: The cabin is quieter, thanks to triple-laminated of window glass and a revised ventilation system that not only operates more quietly but more efficiently (due in part to a new pump that pushes air to those sitting in the back seat).

New safety measures for 2007 include side airbags relocated from the doors to the seat backs to better achieve optimum protection regardless of whether the seat is forward or aft on its tracks. There's also a new knee-protection bag for the driver. The front passenger's frontal airbag has been revised and now emerges upward and then toward the passenger's seat rather than coming straight out of the dashboard, which should maintain full protection while helping to reduce injuries caused by airbag deployment.

The dashboard and center console feature switchgear that is more intuitive in its placement and operation. The controls also are a little better oriented around the driver.

One of the new controls is the knob that manipulates the Terrain Response system. First introduced in the Land Rover LR3, the system is now on the Range Rover. Terrain Response allows the driver to set a dial to any of five road conditions, from dry pavement to snow to rock crawling. The vehicle's onboard computers and mechanical components then adjust to provide optimum traction for those conditions. One of the five settings is designed for on-road use, three for off-road use, and the other for wet or snowy roads or off-road trails.

The center console features revised and good-sized cup holders for 2007. To free up some real estate for cup holders and Terrain Response controls, the ignition key has been moved from the center console to a more traditional place on the dashboard. Two gloveboxes are provided for storage.

The new seats on 2007 models come not only with the capability of being heated, but also of being cooled. They are covered in sumptuous leather, of course, something we've long enjoyed on Range Rovers.

Front and rear passengers have plenty of room and enjoy not only an elevated view, but all the wood and leather and luxury of a limousine. The Range Rover's ride is smooth and quiet. It's true luxury.

Carrying a lot of gear is no problem. The Range Rover's tailgate is divided horizontally with a shorter-than-traditional bottom half to ease loading and unloading. That bench-like lower half was designed to support the weight of two adults, making this a perfect vehicle for tailgate parties, or for pulling on a set of waders, or for a quick picnic lunch, or any of those other times you might want a tailgate, often good, memorable times.