Range Rover Vogue supercharged

Range Rover's iconic British marque mixes the ultimate off-road abilities with high-life luxury and prestige. If you're thinking Rolls Royce with a go-anywhere attitude you're on the right track.

Range Rover is part of the Land Rover brand, which also builds the Discovery, Defender and Freelander. Land Rover in turn is owned by America's Ford Motor Company which purchased it from the Germans - BMW - in 2002. This explains why the old Range Rover had BMW engines, and also why Ford was keen to replace them with some of its own. Enter another Ford-owned luxury marque of British heritage: Jaguar.

The 2005 Range Rover Vogue gets naturally-aspirated, supercharged Jaguar V8 petrol engines with a six-speed automatic transmission. We're talking the 4.2lt V8 Jaguar uses in the majority of its coupes and sedans. In addition the Vogue receives the Discovery's tough eDiff centre differential to ensure all wheels are pulling their weight, and a subtle visual redesign.

Land Rover Australia has trimmed the existing Range Rover line-up from six models to three, all called Range Rover Vogue to separate them from the totally new Range Rover Sport coming later this year, and each with its own engine. Prices will range from $135,000 to $173,000.

The 4.2lt V8 was bored out 2mm to yield an extra 200cc and re-sleeved. Power is up 15kW on the old BMW donk, but torque is actually down 40Nm. Low-end torque is noticeably stronger, however, and we suspect the claimed half-second improvement in 0-100km/h times is mostly due to this and the six-speed auto's extra ratio.

This newfound urge is immediately obvious from a standing start because the Rangie pulls willingly, even with a sizeable load on the back. It is rated to tow up to 3.5 tonnes. The super smooth six-speed transmission is seamless, ironing out some of the jerkiness usually associated with changing gears. Thankfully the big Rangie's brakes are up to the task of slowing this mini-roadtrain, which can top 6.5 tonnes on the go - remember the Range Rover weighs close to 2.7 tonnes alone. But for those really serious about towing in style, the supercharged Range Rover Vogue is as good as it gets.

The engine retains its Jaguar dimensions and outputs, which means 291kW and a tub-thumping 560Nm of torque. That familiar low-pitched supercharger whine accompanies any full-bore assault on the horizon, and the ZF gearbox stays commendably smooth even with the throttle mashed to the carpet. And with a whopping 27 per cent more torque than its brother, this is the one for boat owners in a hurry.

Anything less than a tonne barely registers with the Range Rover's awesome strength. Anything more is comfortably within its capabilities, but the Rangie's fuel economy will swiftly head further south.

Steering is well weighted and consistent, and its slow ratio makes pinpoint manoeuvring easy, but requires plenty of arm turning to reach the extremes. The supercharged model's ride does feel firmer than the other, but both are as refined and compliant as you'd expect from a luxury SUV. Even with stiffer suspension, the supercharged Range Rover loves a good lean in corners, and it's a little disconcerting inside the cabin, but comfortable, well-bolstered leather seats keep you in situ behind the wheel at all times.

Interior changes are kept to a minimum. There's now a touch-screen satellite navigation system with optional integrated front and rear-view camera, great for accurately reversing low trailers. In fact, there's little Land Rover won't fit to your new Rangie - if you've got
the readies.

» Click here for CarPoint's review on the Range Rover Vogue Supercharged

» Click here for CarPoint's further news & reviews articles on the Range Rover range

» Search here for a Range Rover from CarPoint's extensive used car listing