Dressed for success
Range Rover: The 4x4 goods, wrapped in luxury

There are sport-ute vehicles, and then there's Land Rover. There are luxury sport-utility vehicles, and then there's Range Rover.

Arguably the granddaddy of them all, the Range Rover has been everywhere and done everything. No matter how hard the slogging or how caked in mud, dirt and dust, Land Rover's flagship conducts itself with an almost imperial dignity - coming as close to poise and grace on the trail as a truck can get with two or three wheels in the air at any given time.

Of course, you're not likely to see any really dirty Range Rovers around these parts. Few North American buyers ever take theirs off-road in any serious way. At a starting price of $98,000, would you? Most, however, take comfort in the knowledge that Range Rovers have been driven to - and back from - virtually every remote patch of god-forsaken sod on the planet. So it is reasonable to expect that a Range Rover will get you safely through almost anything a Canadian winter can conjure.

When equipped with the proper tires, a Range Rover will traverse almost any terrain with seeming effortlessness. It will descend hills so steep that you might reasonably expect the back end of the vehicle to pass you overhead on its way to an ugly conclusion. Then, having negotiated the decline, it will turn around and climb right back up.

Height-adjustable, all independent suspension with interconnected air springs gives up to 280 mm (11 inches) of ground clearance. With all four wheels pushed out to the corners of the vehicle, overhangs front and rear are short, allowing it to accept abrupt changes in grade (up to 32 degrees at the front!) without rubbing either its nose or tail in the dirt. Total front/rear wheel travel is an impressive 269 mm and 330 mm (10.6 and 13 inches) respectively.

It's a proper 4x4 with a transfer case that can be shifted to Low range from High and to High from Low while on the move. A torque-sensing centre differential continuously and automatically changes the torque bias between the front and rear axles depending on available traction.

Regardless of the environment outside, those within are enveloped in luxury in a bright and airy cabin trimmed in three kinds of leather. Vault-like construction of the monocoque body with integrated chassis imparts a serenity within that makes listening to the premium digital audio system or simply engaging in quiet conversation all the more pleasurable. Airbags abound.

Not always lauded for having the most ergonomically accommodating interiors, the new Range Rover's cabin is a comfortable and inviting place to spend time.

Extensive use of aluminum body panels and the sub-chassis help to keep the Rover's weight from exceeding portly, though at 2440 kg (5,379 lb) it's certainly no lightweight. That's a lot of mass to push around, but the 4.4-litre, DOHC V8 engine is up to the task, making 282 hp at 5,400 rpm and 325 lb-ft of torque at 3,600 revs. It hustles the SUV off the line with reasonable grunt (zero to 100 km/h in 9.2 seconds) and will cruise all day long at extra-legal speeds without breaking a sweat.

On roads and highways the Range Rover defies its size and weight, imparting a ride that feels more luxury car-like than truckish. It isn't exactly in its element being hustled through turns and twisties, but can do so with authority when pushed.

The weight and power are reflected in fuel consumption, rated by Transport Canada at 19.3 litres per 100 kilometres in the city, and a slightly better 12.9 litres on the highway. Of course, if you can afford the HSE's $104,000 as-tested price, fuel costs aren't your biggest concern.

Five adults can be seated in comfort with respectable legroom and lots of headspace. Cargo capacity is an acceptable 535 litres with the back seats up and jumps to a large-for-its-class 1755 litres with them folded.

Four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock not only provide ample stopping power around town and on the highway, but also work in concert with Land Rover's own Hill Descent Control mode to give the Range Rover its impressive surefootedness downhill. Electronic traction control systems also include dynamic stability control, emergency brake assist and electronic brake force distribution.

All of which makes it easy to imagine oneself fording a rugged riverbed somewhere in Africa while sitting in stalled city traffic.

If you had to or wanted to, you know you could do it.

Immediate competition:
BMW X5,
Hummer H1,
Mercedes-Benz G-Class