2003 Land Rover Range Rover HSE

The night air is crisp in northern Scotland, where the winter winds come across the firth and blow sheets of rain at a 45-degree angle to the ground. Ensconced inside the upscale cabin of the newest Range Rover, I'm comfortable and warm. I realize that I have everything I need at the moment at my finger tips, and a world-class four-wheel-drive course below my tires. I even have a picnic backpack filled with scones and the makings for piping-hot tea or coffee. What more could a girl want?

Its first major redesign since being launched in 1970, the 2003 Range Rover incorporates futuristic ends onto its traditional-looking sides. Functional side vents are also a distinguishing trait.

After a day of motoring through the picturesque countryside nearby, I'm on the Land Rover off-road driving school's 4x4 course at Skibo Castle, built by Andrew Carnegie, who was born the son of a weaver in a small Scottish village. Carnegie went on to be one of the wealthiest men in the world and built Skibo in 1898, which is today home to the Carnegie Club, a private residential sporting club.


Land Rover tells us that Carnegie would be exactly the demographic that its new Range Rover was designed for, a new model described as "tough luxury." But, it was also designed for lots of other sporting enthusiasts—as well as other drivers with thicker-than-average wallets who want "the best." They will find, as I did, that the new Range Rover's capability and ride quality on the highway is greatly enhanced, and that its legendary backcountry prowess is also improved.


Nosing the Range Rover across the break of an extremely steep, muddy descent, I back off the throttle and let its new Hill Descent Control (HDC) feature guide this heavyweight model down the slippery slope in a graduated crawl. With an improved HDC that now sets the descent rate at 2.4 mph, my driving partner and I practically float down the hill. I'm bowled over. This new model retains the best of what it was, but brings so much more to the ring that it wins my vote as heavyweight champion of the luxury SUV world.


Everything about the 2003 Range Rover is heavy—from design to curb weight to its impact on your wallet. But if bigger is better, this new model will truly turn out to be the best offering in the high-end sport-ute market when it hits dealer lots in June '02.