Fabulous at forty

The Range Rover is 40 this month and still has some styling similarity to the 1960s original, but when you drive the latest you see how far this instigator of luxury SUV driving has come, writes DAVE MOORE.

It was not originally intended that the Range Rover would become a luxury vehicle. In fact, during its gestation period in the late 60s there was no such animal in the all- wheel-driven segment and the simple brief for its development was to create a vehicle that was as good on- road as it was off it.

Which meant it had to be more refined than its Land Rover parent - not a difficult brief, really - and quick enough not to be a hazard on the then new British motorway system.

The arrival of the light, compact and powerful GM-derived aluminium 3.5-litre V8 was a godsend, after the tough but old- fashioned fours and sixes inherited from Rover. The unit solved the cruising speed part of the equation perfectly. Also, its light weight had the bonus effect of lowering the vehicle's centre of gravity, not to be sneezed at when you have the seemingly incompatible requirement of ample ground clearance when being used on rough ground.

At the time of its launch in June 1970, the Range Rover was no luxury vehicle - that would come later. However, it was smooth, quick, at least as capable off-road as the Land Rover from which it was effectively spawned and disarmingly good- looking when everything else with four-wheel-drive resembled an army surplus vehicle.

At the time, the Range Rover's closest competitor was the Willys Jeep Wagoneer. As its name suggests, it was a tall station wagon with four doors, decent clearance and a version of the all-wheel-drive system that helped win the war. At the time it was better equipped than the Range Rover, with automatic and air- conditioning options and a version with wood applique along its flanks.

By comparison, the first Range Rover, pictured below, was handsome, airy and uncluttered. However, it had a hose-out interior, thick, vinyl-covered seats and a manual gearbox only.

So spartan were the first pre- production Range Rovers, that in order for the Queen - a Land Rover fan - to consider trialling a model for her Balmoral fleet, a modification or two had to be made. At the time the car's jack and tools were simply clipped on to fasteners mounted directly on the inner body panel on the right-hand side behind the rear seats. Her Majesty's equerry noticed this and explained that these should be covered so that his boss's corgis would not be hurt on the sharp edges. From that moment, the Range Rover's tools were always covered, and eventually would be hidden away completely.

From being a two-door double- duty car in which a farmer might travel to town, the Range Rover over the years has become a vehicle seen more in the city than out of it, though it took some time before a genuine luxury aura came over it.

It was 11 years after the first model was revealed before a four- door model appeared and this coincided with a heavily equipped special edition, known as the "In Vogue". In time, the monicker Vogue (this time as a single word) became a mainstay in the Range Rover lineup.

A year later, in 1982, the introduction of automatic transmission finally gave the model a little more cachet. Those who still liked to do some of their own gear- shifting had to wait another year - 13 years since the car's introduction - before a long-legged fifth ratio was added to the previous four-speed manual transmission, improving refinement and fuel economy.

A four-cylinder diesel was added to the lineup in 1985, and was promoted by way of a speed record attempt. The Range Rover diesel broke 27 records in all, on the way to averaging 160kmh for 24 hours, including refills. This was quite an achievement when you realise the very first V8 petrol Rangie wouldn't quite do an official "ton" flat-out.

The Range Rover, by now a genuinely opulent luxury offering, was finally launched in the United States in 1987, and has become a fixture there, despite some quality and reliability issues in the early days.

The original classic Range Rover continued in production, with numerous upgrades and a multiplicity of variants, for just over 25 years. The second-generation vehicle, known internally as the P38a went on sale in late 1994 and lasted just seven years, so quickly does the SUV market move, to be replaced in 2001 by the current model.

A second model line on the Range Rover template was introduced in 2005 as the Sport. The Range Rover Sport cleverly used a shortened Discovery III platform with Range Rover styling and a closer-coupled five-seat interior than that of the Range Rover proper and was aimed at more sports-oriented, driver- focused customers. It appears to have been well-targeted for it has become Land Rover's biggest-selling vehicle worldwide.

You can option normally aspirated or supercharged Jaguar- derived 5.0-litre V8s should you really need up to 500 horsepower and the ability to outsprint your neighbour's Boxster to 100kmh. But on the Range Rover's 40th birthday I made do, very nicely thanks, with a turbocharged V8 diesel, which at 3.6 litres was very close in swept volume to the original petrol V8 that the first Range Rover used in 1970.

It's a heck of a lot quicker, however, with an easy eight seconds to 100kmh available and fuel economy that could embarrass a 2.0-litre family sedan.

But it gurgles along just as a V8 should, and for everyday purposes I really wonder why the highfalutin petrol V8s are really needed - after all, the 3.6-litre diesel twists out 625Nm of torque, so towing can't be a valid reason.

While small details show some differences between the Range Rover proper and the Sport, it's easier to identify the two from a distance and in profile. Then you'll note that the Sport's roof is angled downwards where a more severely angled hatch- line meets it. The vehicle is also 289mm shorter over all and 135mm in the wheelbase.

So it's compact, for a Range Rover, and though it's still a very large, heavy vehicle, at well over 2.5 tonnes, the ability to spot from one's high perch where the Sport's body finishes at every corner, makes it easy to park. The reversing camera is however a sensible standard item, and unless you have a driveway you can turn around in, I wouldn't own an SUV without one in a street that also contains a school.

Accommodation is rich and beautifully finished with gorgeous material textures and fragrances. However, if it's ultimate legroom you want, the proper Range Rover will have to be your choice, for the biggest indication of the Sport's shorter wheelbase is that you can't really put large male adults in tandem in this car. Oh, they'll fit and they'll be comfortable, but I found myself moving the front seat forward to allow extra space for a similarly- sized person behind me - something you'd never have to do with a non- Sport Range Rover. You'll just have to work out if it's worth the $35,000 difference between the vehicles, engine for engine.

The money side of things is worth considering with any car, and if you can get more than you expect from a package then of course it's better value. Considering a similarly sized and equipped luxury sedan with a similarly torquey engine will cost you north of $200,000, the fact that the Range Rover Sport can do all the sedan can, plus scrabble with its Land Rover forebears offroad, tow a keeler to and from the water and give you a view from its cabin like that from a low-flying airship, then you're getting a little more for your money by comparison.

I'm just a Lotto win away from buying my own Rangie, which I'd do without a thought. But if I won enough, I have to say I wouldn't give the Sport a second look. I'd take the slightly longer Range Rover proper and spend the extra.

RANGE ROVER SPORT

* Drivetrain, as tested: Front, inline-mounted, turbocharged 3.6-litre V8 diesel, producing 200kW at 3750rpm and 640Nm at 2000rpm. Six-speed automatic transmission.

* Performance: Max 210kmh, 0-100kmh 8.3 secs, 10.1L/100km (observed), 294gm/km CO2.

* Dimensions: L 4783mm, W 1932mm, H 1784mm, W/base 2754mm, Weight 2656kg, Fuel 84.1L.

* Pricing: Range Rover Sport 3.6 V8 TD $149,990, other Sport models from $134,990 to $174,990.

* Hot: Posh reputation; towering performance; frugal diesel; manageable handling; value.

* Not: Posh reputation; no-one believes they're using more gas than you are; lack of rear legroom.

* Verdict: The Sport shows the Germans how to mix sports and luxury with potential offroad talent, but the Range Rover proper is a more complete car.

- © Fairfax NZ News