Climb Any Mountain

While many manufacturers claim title to creating the Sport Utility Vehicle category, few can provide the kind of evidence in support

Land Rover created the luxury off-road segment with its Range Rover, and after 35 years it's still the most capable, most luxurious vehicle in its class. (Photo: Land Rover Canada)

as can Land Rover.

Lost in the patchouli-scented mists of the Sixties is the fact that the then-British owned automaker conceived and created a vehicle that personified what the company's marketing department of the day defined as "tough luxury."

The idea, according to Land Rover lore, was "to build a vehicle that combined saloon car levels of performance, handling, ride comfort and refinement, with all the ruggedness and off-road ability of a Land Rover." Hmmm... sounds awfully like the 21st century SUV sales pitch to me.

And just what was that new vehicle's name? Range Rover, a vehicle that redefined the off-road segment by defining the luxury off-road segment, and by so doing sparking a long string of imitators that continues to this day,

This week's tester is the base 2006 Range Rover HSE, but with a near six-figure sticker price it is a little hard not to choke a little on the words "entry-level". (Photo: Land Rover Canada)

has been so successful an icon in the 4x4 world that most admirers don't even realize it's produced by Land Rover at all, but rather Range Rover, while a brand within a brand, is actually a brand unto itself.

Model year 2006 marks the 35th anniversary of so-called tough luxury, and the past three-and-a-half decades have seen Range Roves just get tougher and more luxurious with each passing year.

This week's tester is the base 2006 Range Rover HSE, but with a near six-figure sticker price it is a little hard not to choke a little on the words "entry-level". In addition to the HSE, Land Rover showrooms are filling with new supercharged HSEs, 35th Anniversary Limited Edition models, and inspired Ranger Rover Sports (more on that in a future column) for the new model year.