Description: Mid-Size Near-Luxury Sport Utility Vehicle
Base MSRP Range: $38,285 - $52,985
Invoice Price Range: $34,839 - $48,216
Where built: England

In tall stance with a boxy profile and stepped roofline, Land Rover's mid-size LR3 wagon projects a blunt face with squared clear-lens headlamp clusters and a distinctive double-bar grille over the fat-lip bumper. The cabin contains bucket seats up front, a second-row bench for three and the optional two-seat third tier that's now standard on LR3's deluxe HSE model.

LR3 gains power choices in 2006 with a new 4.0-liter V6 developing 216 hp. The optional 4.4-liter V8 hits 300 hp and both engines employ a six-speed automatic transmission by ZF of Germany with CommandShift manual mode. LR3's 4WD mechanism has a two-speed electronically-shifted transfer case and it's always working, either in high range for normal driving or low range for off-road crawling. A tab on the shifter is used for switching into low range -- and LR3 has options for electronically locking of center and rear differentials.

A contemporary suite of three powerful sport-utility vehicles comprise the 2006 wagon fleet for Britain's Land Rover. Fancy flagship Range Rover tops the line with a new supercharged edition that's the most powerful Land Rover ever. A new sport tourer SUV called Range Rover Sport, geared for long-distance driving, brings supercharged and naturally-aspirated engine choices, while the LR3, marking a third generation for the mid-size Discovery wagon, contains sophisticated mechanical hardware for heavy-duty four-wheel-drive (4WD) performance.