Mention the Land Rover Range Rover, and anyone familiar with automobiles will understand that you refer to one of the world’s most capable four-wheel drive vehicles. However, the paved roads leading to muddy and rock-strewn trails expose the Range Rover as a mere mid-pack contender in terms of on-road handling. That was until the release of the 2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport.

As the Sport moniker suggests, this new version of Land Rover’s patriarch is designed to add some fun to the daily drive, while maintaining the Range Rover’s king-of-the-hill ranking among off-road vehicles. Serving to boost the fun quotient are the Sport’s overall smaller dimensions, revised suspension, and two potent V8 engines.