2006 Range Rover Supercharged Review & Road Test

Wolfgang Reitzle was a senior exec at BMW when that company owned Land Rover, and he personally spearheaded the development of a new Range Rover planned for a 2002 introduction. He left to join Ford before the job was done--only to reinherit the project when the Blue Oval acquired Land Rover. When the flagship Rangie came to market, it did so carrying a BMW powerplant. Ford, for obvious reasons, wanted to segue to homegrown engines, taking the opportunity to do that, and much more, with a substantial midlife update for 2006.

The previous BMW V-8 cranked out 282 horsepower and was backed by a five-speed automatic transmission. That combo has been replaced by two new powertrains: a 4.4-liter naturally aspirated aluminium V-8 good for 305 horses and an Eaton-supercharged 4.2-liter unit packing an impressive 400 ponies. Both are mated to an outstanding ZF six-speed automatic, offering a Sport mode and manual control. New grille and headlight treatments, plus redesigned A-pillar finishers, reduce wind noise. Chassis and subframe revisions make for more quiet as well. Audio/ nav/communications systems have been upgraded, and a rear-seat DVD audio/video system is available, too. The Supercharged model is visually distinguished via a mesh grille and side-gill treatment, badging, and dual exhaust pipes. As you'd expect, it also has sportier damping, stiffer anti-roll bars, larger and more aggressive rolling stock, and Brembo front brake calipers.

The current Range Rover didn't offer much to complain about, but the new one is sharper, more up-to-date, and more refined in every way. Only the fuzzy mouse-fur headliner, similar to that on many $20,000 cars, looks out of character. The blown model offers more performance than one needs in a luxury sport/utility, and the firmer handling is welcome at high speeds and in mountain passes. Land Rover should consider making its underpinnings optional on the base model as a Sport package. The ride remains supple, although with much enhanced road feel.

The sales types guess that just 15 to 20 percent of next year's estimated 15,000 Range Rover sales will be of the Supercharged model. So, it'll enjoy the cachet of rarity (and a big sticker price) as well as its premium performance. Herr Reitzle would be proud.