The Range Rover rides on four-wheel independent suspension utilizing double wishbones and driver-adjustable air springs at each corner. At maximum suspension height, the Rover's ground clearance improves from a stock 8.9 to 10.8 inches. Braking has been upgraded for 2006 in the form of massive 14-inch Brembo units, which come standard with the supercharged Rover. On HSE models, 55-series Continental Crosstrack radials on 19-inch wheels are standard; SC Rovers get 255/50R20 Continental 4x4 Crosstracks rollin' on 20s.
The Rover's interior and exterior have both been refreshened for 2006. A user-intuitive touch-screen stereo/NAV system, rearview camera, onboard tire-pressure monitoring system, extra jacks for MP3s, and optional in-car Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone are all new creature comforts, and the front side glass has been laminated to reduce NVH levels. Outside, the Rover sports adaptive headlights, a new bumper and grille, and massive side air vents-the blower, after all, likes Big Air.
Two-Lanes And Green Laness
On pavement, simply put, the newest Range Rover is far and away the best riding, best handling, best performing incarnation of this storied marque to date. As mentioned, the supercharged 4.2 eliminates previously sluggish acceleration characteristics; the vehicle tracks remarkably straight; electronic upshifts are virtually imperceptible; and the independent suspension, 50-series tires, and variable-ratio ZF power steering make it a joy to drive on mountain twisties, with only slight hints of understeer at high speeds.
Off the tarmac, on mountain trails comprised of loose dirt, rocks, and shale, we opted to drive an HSE Rover to see what the vehicle could do at stock power levels. We weren't disappointed-there was still enough power on tap to crest steep hills, and that 40-plus crawl ratio and ample engine compression let us ease down rutted downslopes with nary a tap of the brakes. (Weary of the cacophony of traction-controlled brake groan, we turned off the Hill Descent Control to see what the vehicle could do on its own. Quite splendidly, thank you.) The Rover's locking diffs and electronic traction control (when we wanted it) lived up to billing also, keeping us moving on uneven stretches of loose dirt when one tire or another momentarily lost a grip. As with many newer, electronically controlled SUVs-the LR3 and Volkswagen Touareg being prime examples-suspension articulation is not the key to forward movement on the trail: Traction and gearing are, and as long as one tire is in contact with the trail, the Range Rover will likely keep ambling down the green lane, wherever it'll fit.
2006 Range Rover Sport
All new for 2006, the Range Rover Sport could just as easily be called the Rover GT, as it's built with the "Grand Touring" concept in mind: smaller, lower, cozier inside, and sportier on pavement than the Range Rover. Five inches shorter in wheelbase (via a chopped frame), 7 inches shorter in length, and 2 inches lower in ground clearance, with 40-series radials on 20-inch rims (get over it already!), the Rover Sport aims to expand Land Rover's presence in the luxury SUV segment. And while the Sport may have the looks of an AWD sport-tourer, it has all the four-wheeling hardware found on the Range Rover-and quite a bit more.
The Shock Of The New
A peak at the body specs alone provides a hint of the degree of technology that went into the Rover Sport's development: Aluminum bonnet and tailgate, zinc-coated steel doors, new die-cast magnesium crossbeams and magnesium alloy front body panels for reduced weight and better crash protection, and brand-new body dampers which supplement the factory body mounts and bushings to reduce on-road vibrations at lower speeds.