Aug 06, 2016 04:17 PM
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Land Rover in suburban captivity seems a little like a caged lion at the zoo—bred for roaming the wild plains, but growing fat and slow and deprived of the adventure essential to its well-being. However, Rovers have adapted quite well to the life of leisure that most enjoy, while retaining and refining their legendary off-road potential.
With six adoptive overlords since the Range Rover’s birth in 1970, parent company Land Rover’s corporate marriages have kept pace with even the most licentious in Hollywood. Instability tends to lead to neglect, and the company hasn’t overhauled the Rover in a major way since the BMW-developed third-generation model for 2003.
When pushed, the Rover leans dramatically in turns, its limits are low, it understeers early and often, and the undefeatable stability control cuts engine power abruptly and dramatically. In fact, it’s possibly the worst-handling vehicle that still manages to cause an office power struggle when it comes time to decide who gets weekend privileges. All its dynamic misgivings are more than overcome by endless reserves of style, comfort, and, now, power.
