2010 RANGE ROVER

From the curb, the 2010 Range Rover is still as defiantly upright as ever. At first glance, it’s quite difficult to distinguish the new edition from the ’09 model. Alterations were executed with an admirably light touch: New headlamps, tail lamps, and side marker lights incorporate bright LED elements, and a revised mesh grille crowns a reshaped front bumper. Inside, yards and yards of finely stitched leather and a radically revamped instrument panel. A 12 inch high resolution display replaces traditional analog gauge faces and needles.

Doubtless the biggest news for 2010, however, lurks beneath that expansive hood: Land Rover’s brand-new 5-liter V-8. In the Range Rover, a normally aspirated version of the engine produces a stout 375 horsepower and 375 pounds of torque, while a fearsome supercharged version churns out 510 horsepower and 461 pounds of torque, sufficient to launch the 5,800 pound off-roader to 60 mph in a mere 5.9 seconds.

The 2010 Range Rover rolls into Land Rover showrooms this fall. Pricing hasn’t been finalized, but expect the top-trim supercharged model to start at about $95,500.

- Jason