The 2006 Range Rover is almost an identical twin to the 2005, in appearance as well as measure. It's less than an inch longer overall and only slightly more than an inch wider and taller. Wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear tires) has shrunk by 0.1 inch, but track (distance between the right and left tires) is unchanged. Ground clearance ranges from a minimum of just under nine inches to just over 11 inches, depending on the height-adjustable suspension's setting. Despite the continued used of aluminum in many body panels, new safety equipment and other features have increased its weight about 100 pounds over the 2005s.
The front end is strong and horizontal, capped by Range Rover's trademark clamshell hood. High-tech lighting clusters housing bi-xenon headlamps (with power washers) wrap around the corners. The adaptive headlamps in the Luxury Interior Package turn several degrees in the same direction as the front tires during turns. Punctuating the bumper are two serious-looking round ports with deeply recessed foglamps and a long, horizontal slot feeding air to the engine. Taillights echo the futuristic look of the front and incorporate a bright-light rear foglamp.
Viewed from the side, the latest Range Rover features a high beltline and a flat expanse of sleek metal dramatically slashed by vertical louvers that extract hot air from the back of the engine bay to help cool the engine.
The Supercharged model is set apart by a silver-metallic, mesh-design grille and side vents and monochromatic exterior paint scheme with black-on-silver badging. Dual, chrome exhaust tips signaling the presence of the more powerful engine are set back beneath the rear bumper to maintain the same, ground-clearing departure angle as the HSE.
Underneath the skin is a steel monocoque structure with an integrated chassis that improves ride and handling and gives the Range Rover the ability to tow, haul and tote just about anything on or off road. Towing capacity with a braked trailer is more than 7700 pounds, for instance, unbraked, almost 1700 pounds, while top governed speed is 121 miles per hour in the HSE, 130 mph in the Supercharged.
