History

Arguably the ultimate rough-and-tumble adventure vehicles, Land Rovers appeared just after World War II — Britain's answer to the popular American Jeep. Shown for years in jungle trek and safari movies, the stark, aggressive Land Rover style became a hit with urbanites in the SUV-crazed '90s. Built by the England-based Rover Company before BMW's involvement and finally landing under Ford's Premier Auto Group umbrella, three models — the burly Discovery, the mini-ute Freelander and the more sophisticated Range Rover — comprise the Land Rover lineup. New for 2005 : The Range Rover features a voice-activated, DVD-based navigation system; a touch-screen interface to control multiple in-car systems which uses a low-temperature polysilicon VGA (video graphics display) screen which has 3.5 times higher resolution replaces the LCD screen; a 4X4 driver interface which graphically displays vehicle settings and positions, such as the angle of the front wheels, the suspension setting, and direction of travel; upgraded Harmon/Kardon LOGIC7 surround sound system; and integrated telephone system with bluetooth capability. The copper wiring for the information and entertainment features has been replaced by the new M.O.S.T system (Media Orientated Systems Transport), a multimedia fiber-optic network optimized for automotive applications.