Range Rover Vogue 2006 Review

It's what I imagine it feels like for a Rajah to ride an elephant through his domain, not that the Rangie is like an elephant on the road.

I'm sampling the range-topping supercharged 4.2-litre alloy V8 example of the Range Rover Vogue, as opposed to the new Sport, which also packs a supercharged wallop.

The Vogue is propelled by a supercharged V8 engine, which generates 291kW of power at 5750rpm and 560Nm of torque at 3500rpm, to a claimed top of 210km/h, with 100km/h reached in 7.5 seconds.

Given the real-world rapid response to the right foot, the numbers are easy to believe. What boggles the mind is the sheer size of this 2570kg vehicle reaching the state speed limit in the same time as the vast majority of alleged hot hatches.

It stops smartly, with the Brembo name adorning the calipers around the front 360mm ventilated discs, with the rear wheels halted by 354mm versions.

Independent tests suggest the Rangie could stop from 97km/h in just under 35m, which is remarkable for something so big.

At 4950mm long and 2191mm wide, including the mirrors, it's longer and wider than the only other luxury off-roader that comes close – the LandCruiser-based Lexus LX470.

It's not quite as tall as the Lexus, but sits on a slightly longer wheelbase, which benefits rear passenger leg room more than the cargo space, which is adequate for most luggage requirements but would be stretched for a long off-road journey if spares and fuel were added to the list.

The Range Rover's look is deceptively compact, until you try to park it. Thankfully the flagship comes with a reversing camera, front and rear parking radar and the gimmicky but amusing Venture Cam.

It's not a Survivor or Lost sponsorship thing, just a remote camera that feeds an image to the LCD screen that also displays most of the vehicle's functions.

Also controlled from the touch-screen monitor is the sensational Logic7 Harman Kardon 14-speaker sound system, complete with subwoofer, which can rattle windows with the best of them. All that grunt comes at a cost when pulling up to the bowser for a tankful (104 litres) of PULP. Land Rover claims a city cycle fuel consumption of 22.4 litres/100km.

It drops to a claimed 12.2 litres/100km on the highway for a combined consumption rate of 16 litres/100km, which would mean a range of around 650km. My time in the Vogue had the trip computer showing 16.6 litres/100km.

At $173,900, the features list would want to take up several pages and it does.

Height-adjustable air suspension, electronic stability control, dual front, side and side curtain airbags, sunroof, adaptive bi-xenon headlamps and 20in alloy wheels rate high on what's included in the purchase price.

Complaints are limited to the rear bench seat being on the firm side. The front electrically adjustable pews are comfortable, if not overly supportive against lateral movement. Rear vision is somewhat restricted by the back-seat head restraints but forward vision is nothing short of commanding.

The air suspension provides decent ride quality and does a good job of dealing with ruts and bumps while suppressing the age-old nemesis of the Rangie – body roll – to acceptable levels. The Land Rover breed has always offered unsurpassed off-road prowess and the new Range Rover does nothing to dilute that. We'll have to wait for the clever and highly useful Terrain Response system in the Rangie, but the presence of low range, height adjustable suspension and electronic traction aids will see the Range Rover go further than many allegedly serious off-roaders.

The only restriction might well be the hip pocket nerve twanging as it graunches and scrapes past trees or over rocks, swallowing deeply from the fuel tank.

But if you can deal with all that, you're still driving a machine that won't prompt an inferiority complex rolling up to the valet parking at the Opera House – the reigning off-road monarch remains on the throne.

SMALL TORQUE

Range Rover Vogue

Price: $173,900
Engine: 4.2-litre supercharged alloy, 32-valve V8
Power: 291kW at 5750rpm
Torque: 560Nm at 3500rpm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Acceleration: Zero to 100km/h 7.5 seconds
Top speed: 210km/h
Weight: 2570kg
Brakes: 360mm front discs with Brembo calipers, 354mm rear discs
Wheels: 20in alloys