To us, Land Rover is all about image and the ability to go where most other vehicles cannot. Granted, some who shop the Land Rover brand are serious off-roaders. But we'd bet that the majority of Land Rover consumers in metropolitan areas would hardly ever actually take their SUV on an off-road adventure. Meanwhile, Land Rover remains a brand that many aspire to own, with the top-of-the-line Range Rover model being especially popular with those that like exclusivity. And for 2004, Range Rover has been redesigned. Remarkably, it's only the third redesign in Range Rover's 31-year history. Offered in two trim levels: HSE and the Limited-Edition Westminster, the Range Rover HSE features a long list of standard features including three-zone automatic climate control, leather upholstery, wood trim, leather-wrapped steering wheel, 12-way power-adjustable driver seat, 10-way power front-passenger seat, CD-based navigation system, park distance control, and a 570-watt, 15-speaker Harman Kardon stereo with a glovebox-mounted six-disc CD changer. Two option packages are available on Range Rover HSE models. The Heated Accessories Package ($1,300) adds dual level heated front and rear seats, heated steering wheel, and an integrated ski bag. The Luxury Interior Package ($5,000) adds contour seats with center fluting, 14-way driver and 12-way passenger power seats, heated front and rear seats, heated steering wheel, and an integrated ski bag. For those desiring a more unique and exclusive Range Rover, a limited production (450 vehicles) Range Rover Westminster will be available for 2004. Outfitted in either Java Black or Bonatti Grey exterior paint, the 2004 Range Rover Westminster features 20-inch bright alloy wheels and a Jet Black interior with extensive leather coverage complemented by rich, luxurious Grand Ebony wood. Also featured in the special edition are contour seats, rain-sensing wipers and a cargo net. A BMW-engineered 4.4-liter V8 engine powers all Range Rovers. The V8 produces 282 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque. The only transmission choice is a five-speed automatic with a manual shift mode. A sophisticated permanent four-wheel drive system is also included, as is an electronic air suspension system with load leveling capability, and a mode for off-road driving. There's no doubt, Range Rover is a serious and competent off-roader. It's quite capable of taking its occupants to places where there is no paved path. Range Rover's four-wheel independent suspension, all-terrain dynamic stability control and hill descent control makes this large SUV easy to control both on and off-road. I drove our Range Rover HSE tester down to Southern Illinois University and back. On the highway, Range Rover provides a confident and luxurious ride. Range Rover is good at isolating the road noise from the cabin. And the high driving position provides a commanding view of the road. The only drawback to taking a large SUV like the Range Rover on a road trip is fuel economy. With a highway rating of just 16 mpg, Range Rover drains the 26.4-gallon fuel tank rather quickly. It's easy to get comfortable inside Range Rover's cabin. According to Land Rover, Range Rover's elegant cabin design was influenced by Riva speedboats and high-precision running gear from ocean racing yachts to create a unique environment. Comfortable and luxurious as it is, my co-tester and I found Range Rover's interior not as refined as expected for this level of expense. We both made notes of exposed screws on the top of the dashboard. The center console storage bin certainly could have been more spacious if the lever-style parking brake were mounted elsewhere. I was not impressed with our Range Rover's navigational system. I found it difficult to operate and it's a CD-based system, with eight CDs to cover the United States. Most other systems that we've tested are DVD-based, with a single DVD to cover the whole country. During most of my road trip, I listened to music from Range Rover's 570-watt Harman Kardon sound system. Without an available satellite radio band, I brought some of my favorite CDs along and truly enjoyed the system's superior sound quality. Overall, the new Range Rover is much better than its predecessor, but with a growing list of competitive models that are priced considerably lower, Land Rover may find that a few tweaks are in order to maintain its appeal.
2004 Land Rover Range Rover HSE
Engine: 4.4-liter (282 hp) V8
Transmission: 5-speed automatic
Drive Type: AWD
Fuel Economy: 12 city/16 highway
Base Price: $71,585
As Tested: $77,250 (including $665 for destination)
Website: www.landrover.com |
