The rear seats are split 60/40 for versatility when moving cargo and people. Luggage hooks on the floor of the cargo area are designed to keep items secure. The full-size spare tire is stored in a well under the cargo floor.

The DVD-based navigation system features a 7-inch, touch-screen, dash-mounted VGA display and is quite sophisticated. An off-road mode with elevation contours that can guide to a destination, and also track where you have been, laying out electronic bread crumbs, to make it easy to return to your start point. It offers voice-activated commands. It uses a single disc mapping the entire continental United States so there's no need to change when driving across the country.

In addition to the usual trip computer functions such as fuel consumption, range, speed and the like, the Range Rover's instrument panel has an interface that shows what the wheels and suspension are doing and direction of travel. Drivers can see front wheel position when slogging through muddy ruts without getting out of the car.

The premium Harman/Kardon surround-sound system boasts 710 watts and 14 speakers. It can be controlled by voice command, steering wheel controls, or the touch screen. The telephone system integrates the owner's mobile phone with the car, allowing hands-free operation and voice commands, either by placing it in a cradle or using wireless Bluetooth technology.

The optional entertainment system includes a wireless remote and pair of headphones. Auxiliary input jacks in the base of the back end of the front center console allow two rear-seat passengers their individual choice of diversion, whether it's watching different videos or listening to separate CDs, while the front seat occupants enjoy their audio selection from the stereo.

Driving Impressions

The 2007 Range Rover upholds its legendary off-road capability, yet with equally civilized road handling. It doesn't lean much in corners, making it enjoyable on winding roads.

Our jaunts through Northern California wine country, along the state's northern coast, throughout the Monterey Peninsula and on various highways and freeways in the 2007 Range Rover were delightful and comfortable. Freeways and urban traffic were conquered with ease and smoothness. Off-pavement obstacles showcased the Range Rover's ability to live up to its name in the woods, around quarries or seemingly anywhere a four-wheel vehicle might venture.

As boxy and upright as the Range Rover is, it is remarkably quiet, its beefed up sound deadening and laminated side window glass blocking nearly all outside noises.

The Range Rover's superb balance of ride and handling is the result of a highly refined and interconnected air suspension that allows softer spring rates for enhanced on-road comfort and an adjustable ride height over a range of some two inches. This system allows both serious off-roading and the courteous lowering of the ride height to make it easier for passengers to get in and out, a nice feature for shorter, older passengers and for social outings around town. An Access setting can be pre-selected so the body lowers to the desired height as the Range Rover rolls to a stop, avoiding having passengers wait while it kneels.

The Jaguar-based 4.4-liter V8 in the HSE is more powerful, more fuel efficient and cleaner than the BMW engine it replaced for 2006. It produces 305 horsepower at 5750 rpm and 325 pound-feet of torque at 4100 rpm. The Range Rover HSE can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just over 9 seconds, quicker than the 2005 model with the BMW-based engine. The top speed is electronically limited to 124 mph. The Jaguar engine is clean and is EPA-rated at 14/18 mpg City/Highway.

The supercharged 4.2-liter V8, also from Jaguar, increases the output to 400 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque. Even so, fuel economy is EPA-rated 13/18 mpg, and we saw 16-17 over the course of our driving. Land Rover says the Supercharged model can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph time in 7.1 seconds with top speed governed at 130 mph. Though stately in its performance, the Supercharged model is noticeably quicker, both in accelerating off the line and when it comes to passing other traffic.

Both V8s are mated to a the latest-generation, ZF six-speed automatic transmission featuring CommandShift, one of the more flexible manual override systems in the luxury market. In the Range Rover, CommandShift can operate in both the high and low ranges of the transfer case for use on or off road. It will upshift when in manual mode but not until engine redline, and in deference to off-roaders' occasional need for low, borderline-lugging engine speed, it delays downshifting until just before the engine's stall point. When in automatic Sport mode, the transmission employs slightly higher shift points and downshifts more readily. Your can sometimes feel it drop down a gear halfway through a corner to gain a sweeter spot in the engine's power curve.

Speaking of tracking through corners, for 2007 the HSE gets the same suspension setup as the Supercharged version. That means the suspension is some 30 percent stiffer in front and 100 percent in the rear, reducing body roll by some 15 percent in cornering. Ride, however, remains smooth and quiet when cruising down the highway.