2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Test Drives

A Sporty Range Rover, At Last

Land Rover introduces the Range Rover Sport, which would be the third most powerful SUV on the market were it available today.

Land Rover has announced that it will begin selling its new Range Rover Sport next summer. The public will be able to see the sport utility vehicle in person for the first time at January's North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Although Land Rover, which is owned by Ford Motor, has not announced the vehicle's pricing, the Range Rover Sport is expected to fit into the company's lineup between its new $45,000 LR3 and the flagship $74,000 Range Rover. Though it shares the Range Rover name, the Range Rover Sport will have its own engine, interior, body and mechanical underpinnings.

The Range Rover Sport will use a supercharged, 390-hp, 4.2-liter V-8 engine. Were the model available today, it would be the third-most powerful SUV behind only DaimlerChrysler's Mercedes-Benz G55 AMG (469 hp) and Porsche's Cayenne Turbo (450 hp). The new Land Rover will also have a second, optional V-8 without the supercharging.

With this high-performance model, Land Rover is trying to inject the market with some excitement for its brand, which sells only SUVs. In Ford's Premier Automotive Group of upscale subsidiaries, Land Rover and Jaguar have been losing money, while Volvo is profitable.

Ford had a rough September in England, during which Jaguar announced it would close its storied Browns Lane factory and withdraw from Formula One racing, and Land Rover reached a last-minute deal with the unions to save its Solihull factory--the bricks of which often still retain their camouflage painting from World War II.

But Land Rover thinks it has something new and valuable in the Range Rover Sport, which will be the fastest Land Rover ever. In a statement, Land Rover said the vehicle "is ideal for fast, comfortable, long-distance driving ... yet it is also exceptional off-road."

The Range Rover Sport will feature a new chassis and lightweight aluminum body parts.

Forbes Fact

The Range Rover Sport will feature Land Rover's first application of its "Dynamic Response" suspension, which senses cornering forces and acts to optimize body control and handling. It also allows greater off-road wheel travel.