Weidel on Wheels: Range Rover a fortress on wheels

Although not a big fan of heading into uncharted territory for an
off-road excursion, I do have a great affinity for driving a vehicle
that provides wonderful piece of mind in mountainous regions that are
white with snow.

One of those difficult driving situations occurred during a January
trip into the Sierra Nevada range for a ski weekend. During much of the
journey into ski country the roads were slick with fresh-fallen snow.

The return trip was even worse with traffic backed up for miles and
frequent extended stops on steep grades that tested one’s nerves and
also the vehicle’s braking system.

Fortunately in this case, I was behind the wheel of the 2010 Range
Rover, which provided great mental comfort as I drove the family home
in a snowstorm. This luxury sport utility vehicle was seemingly
designed for road conditions like these.

While it was frustrating to be stuck in one spot for such long
periods of time with a vehicle that possesses so much horsepower, the
reassuring aspect was that we felt so secure in the Range Rover that no
one was too concerned about the snowy conditions.

The Range Rover made a five-hour ordeal — for a trip that should have taken two hours — safe, comfortable and tolerable.

This year’s version of the Range Rover comes with some definite
changes. The most noticeable is the V8 engines, which have significant
increases in power.

Driving the supercharged model was incredibly fun in normal
conditions. Who wouldn’t like to have a 5.0-liter, V-8 with 501
horsepower at their disposal?

Land Rover says the model can go from 0-60 mph in 5.9 seconds, which
I totally believe. The base model is a 5.0-liter, V-8 with 375
horsepower.

Other improvements include new instrument panel and navigation
system, a 360-degree parking assist camera, revised automatic
transmission and several other cool enhancements.

For the off-road lover, the Range Rover has low-range gearing and
maximum ground clearance of up to 11 inches. A standard terrain
response system means the driver can set the parameters for powertrain,
suspension, traction systems and has five off-road choices (general,
grass/gravel/snow, mud/ruts, sand and rock crawl).

Offering a luxurious cabin with a ton of great standard features, the Range Rover provides one very comfortable ride.

It handles tremendously, grips the road with terrific assurance and
handles more like a smaller SUV. The braking capability is another big
plus.

The Range Rover, which weighs three tons, has a top towing capacity of 7,700 pounds, a very impressive total.

Not so impressive is the 12 to 18 miles per gallon. And another set
of numbers that will scare away potential buyers is price. The range is
from $78,425 to $94,275 for the supercharged model.

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2010 Range Rover Supercharged

Price: $94,275

Mileage estimate: 12 mpg city; 18 mpg highway

Power: 5.0-liter, supercharged V-8 engine with 501 horsepower

Standard features include: 19-inch wheels; adjustable air
suspension; front and rear parking sensors; rear-view camera; sunroof;
tri-zone automatic climate control; leather upholstery; wood interior
trim; heated front and rear seats; heated steering wheel;
surround-sound audio system with 14 speakers, satellite radio, a glove
box-mounted six-CD changer, auxiliary audio jack, USB port and a
separate iPod connection; electronically locking rear differential;
high-performance Brembo brakes; automatic high beams; blind spot
warning; traction control, stability control (with rollover control);
hill descent control