2003 Land Rover Range Rover HSE

New dimensions make this luxo-SUV taller, wider, longer and higher off the ground than ever before. More than nine inches wider, with a wheelbase more than five inches wider than that of its predecessor, this model also clears the floor by 2.6 inches more than last year's version. Its ground clearance is a laudable 11 inches, and the '03 Range Rover has an improved angle of approach (35 degrees) for navigating tough trails.


Under the hood, a 4.4-liter V-8 is adapted from the BMW X5's V-8. Repackaged for the Range Rover, this engine provides a power surge from its predecessor's 220 hp (an aluminum-block V-8 designed by Buick in the early '60s) to 282 hp at 5,400 rpm in the 2003 version. Torque is also up 10 percent to 325 lb.-ft. at 3,600 rpm. Top speed is 130 mph in this road-worthy SUV, which hits 62 mph in 9.2 seconds.


The V-8 is mated to a new 5-speed automatic transmission, which was also developed by BMW and adapted for Land Rover and Ford. The transmission features CommandShift, one of the newest manual/automatic hybrids now coming to the luxury market. The news here is that CommandShift in the Range Rover can operate in both high- and low-gear ratios for use on- and off-pavement.


The new Range Rover gets high marks for offering true trail-worthy performance. It boasts the slowest low-range crawl speed in the industry—just 2.4-mph at 1,000 rpm—as well as the lowest gearing in its class for off-road control. This transmission also lets drivers switch between low and high range on the fly at speeds up to 30 mph.

Wood and brushed aluminum give the IP and console a contemporary look. Steering-wheel controls are standard, as is the LCD driver-info center (although the navigation system is optional).

Inside the cavernous new model, drivers and passengers will not be surprised by the luxury amenities, but will likely have their eyebrows raised by its new interior design, which, in this tester's opinion, makes the cabin bright and airy, with an improved quality of detail and simplicity of architecture. The cockpit and passenger areas are roomy, with more head- and legroom than ever before. Flat panels and gauges dominate the dash, and new toggle switches for engaging HDC and low-range gearing are placed on a console, as a part of the gearshift controls.