2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Preview

While one might think that the SUV boom that has echoed across the globe during the last decade or so may have been beneficial to

While the SUV craze was sweeping North America, Land Rover was left in the dust with their aging Discovery. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press)

Land Rover, the British specialist didn't prosper as much as one might imagine. The firm was seemingly out to pasture when the craze struck, being late to jump on the compact SUV bandwagon with its rushed Freelander, and the ancient brick-like Discovery with its Buick-derived OHV V8 simply lagged behind the times until being replaced for 2005 by the award-winning LR3.

The upper echelon of the sport utility market has long preferred car-based products such as the Lexus RX-series and BMW's X5 rather than the traditional off-roaders. It seemed as if SUV buyers had spoken, and Land Rover's marginal profits quickly dove into the red.

When the radical, metallic tangerine, scissor-doored Range Stormer concept was presented at last year's North American International Auto Show, the specialty SUV maker knew that it had what was needed to grab back some critical market share.

Initially made known as 'Project L320', Land Rover has finally revealed the finished product. The Range Rover

The scissor-doored Range Stormer concept proved that Land Rover had what it'd take to grab back some critical market share. (Photo: Land Rover)

Sport is said to possess the same spirit as the Range Stormer, the luxury and character of the Range Rover fused with the soul of a sports car. It is a vehicle to bridge the gap between the go-anywhere LR3 and the ultra-luxurious Range Rover.

What may confuse many is the car's naming scheme. Under the skin, the Sport has little to do with the flagship Range Rover, and everything to do with the new LR3. The Sport uses a truncated version of the trademarked Integrated Body-Frame structure of the LR3, with a 14 cm (5.5 in) shorter wheelbase to improve agility and reduce weight.