BMW purchased Land Rover in 1994 and, for 1999, the Range Rover engines benefit from BMW technology. The engine management system used on BMW's 7 Series flagship sedans now boosts power and torque on the Range Rovers. The intake systems have been revised and twin-tailpipe exhaust has been added. The bigger HSE engine gains 1 mpg in fuel efficiency, returning 13 mpg on the EPA city fuel economy test.We drove a Range Rover 4.6 HSE.
The new 4.6-liter engine starts instantly, and sings when you rev it to its 5500 rpm redline. You notice slightly more oomph when you open the throttle wide with your right foot. Acceleration from 0-60 mph has been improved by more than 10 percent over last year. The engine is tuned for low-rpm torque for off-road driving. Bottom end performance has been improved by 14 percent.
The steering is light and feels over-assisted, a trait that's always been part of Range Rover. In addition, the steering feels unusually slow to respond. However, there's a reason for that: When you're driving off-road and on greasy, slippery surfaces, the fewer jerky, quick motions you make, the less chance you'll lose traction. So the steering is deliberately slow. The throttle pedal has a long distance to travel before you're into big power, too. So, a tap on the gas doesn't mean spinning wheels. This means you can finesse the Range Rover over obstacles easier than other sport-utilities. The price you pay for this wide range of control is the extra motion you need to make to maneuver the Range Rover. You feel like you put your whole body into driving it, which is just the opposite of responsive sports coupes where often you just think about driving and the car follows.
The Range Rover provides the driver with lots of feedback. On fast dirt roads, the car will drift with its tail swinging wide, more so than any other luxury sport-utility. It doesn't drift far enough to swap ends, but it is behavior you have to grow accustomed to.
Ride height is adjusted automatically according to driving conditions; the electronically controlled air suspension provides 5.2 inches of height adjustment over five settings. Around town, the Range Rover moves along at standard ride height. Above 50 mph, the body lowers one inch for better stability in cross winds. Stop and put the transmission into park, and the front springs let loose excess air pressure to lower the body 2.6 inches for easy access. This makes a real difference if you or any passengers have physical or height challenges. Head off road and shift into low range, and it raises the ride height for more ground clearance. It will raise it higher still if it detects you're high-centered on an obstruction. The ride-height can also be changed manually via a console switch. The air springs tend to isolate the body from high-frequency bumps and vibrations.
Off-road, the anti-lock brakes are remarkable. Braking is the last thing you should do when you're sliding down a steep, muddy hill on the fringes of control. But all human instincts tell you to brake. The Range Rover's anti-lock system senses conditions of instability and compensates, keeping you from making braking mistakes. When you stomp on the brake pedal on a muddy hill, you feel as if the brakes are not doing their job. It's just an illusion: You can trust the Range Rover in these situations, since it applies the correct amount of braking.
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