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2003 Range Rover 4.4 HSE Road Test

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Khatir Soltani
The sound system itself is impressive. All 290-watts of Harman Kardon and Alpine power does the job, due as much to the acoustically designed placement of its twelve speakers (one at center, four low-range, four mid-range, two tweeters and an active subwoofer in the cargo-area) as to its Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and speed-sensitive volume control. But all said it's still a pain to operate and after five days I haven't been able to spend the time necessary to program in my radio stations. To put this into perspective the process usually takes all of two minutes, completed before I leave the parking lot.

But here I'm complaining while driving around the countryside in what is arguably the best SUV on the planet. Its Blenheim leather seats are firm but comfortable, 12-way adjustable (in the driver's seat, 10-way passenger) and covered with soft, supple hides edged in slightly darker hued leather piping - very British. The driver's seat also includes 3-position memory, which simultaneously adjusts the steering column and exterior mirrors - that incidentally are also heated and power folding. Every lever flips with affirmative action, each knob rotates with surgical precision and all switches click with a tactile quality that the previous Land Rover couldn't even hope to emulate.
Khatir Soltani
Khatir Soltani
Automotive expert
  • Over 8 years experience as a car reviewer
  • Over 50 test drives in the last year
  • Involved in discussions with virtually every auto manufacturer in Canada