Having been completely redesigned for 2003, the 2006 models are more evolutionary than new. The 2006 Range Rover is quicker and more agile than last year's model, while retaining its Land Rover pedigree for traversing the backcountry, featuring the latest in off-road technology and luxury appointments.

Land Rover has moved beyond its brief ownership by BMW and is now firmly ensconced in Ford's family of premium vehicles, along with Aston Martin and Jaguar. BMW's heavy involvement in the design and engineering of the previous model is still evident and much appreciated for its legacy of exemplary road manners. No longer, however, does Land Rover use BMW engines. For reasons beyond cost savings, which company officials admit was a persuasive factor, the 2006 Range Rover is powered by V8 engines developed by Jaguar. The new engines are lighter, cleaner, more powerful, more efficient and overall more tractable than their BMW-sourced predecessors. One is naturally aspirated, the other supercharged. And they now drive the Range Rover's signature four-wheel-drive system through a new, six-speed automatic nicely adapted for driving all kinds of roads and terrain, from smooth interstates to rocky tracks to snowbound byways.