What Is It?

Land Rover Range Stormer Concept

What's Special About It?

Although the Range Rover is a well-rounded luxury SUV that complements its exceptional off-road ability with polished road manners, the fact remains that it only makes 282 horsepower at a time when a Porsche Cayenne S puts out 340 horses while a Turbo makes a cool 450. By introducing the Range Stormer concept, Land Rover has given notice that it intends to enter the small but growing realm of performance SUVs.

The Range Stormer rides on an all-new platform exclusive to Land Rover that will provide the basis for all of the company's larger SUVs, those being the Discovery, Range Rover and whatever production vehicle comes out of this concept. Under the hood is a supercharged V8 — the same one that powers Jaguar's current S-Type R and XJR. A six-speed automatic handles the shifting duties.

The body is more revolutionary. Certainly, its lines are reminiscent of the current Range Rover, but its low-slung stance, two-door body style and bulging hood are like no other Land Rover past or present. The doors are actually a two-piece design, with the larger upper portion swinging up and forward while the lower portion drops down to provide step-in entry. The power-operated tailgate employs a similar design — the upper half lifts skyward while the lower section drops behind the bumper to provide unimpeded access to the cargo bay. Concealed within the bay are floor compartments that raise and lower under electric power.

Like other cabins of late, the Range Stormer's pairs liberal amounts of aluminum with high-grade leather surfaces. In back, rear passengers have two DVD screens at their disposal.

One interesting bit of technology that makes its debut on this concept is Terrain Response. Designed to maximize on-road composure and off-road capability, the system offers six terrain settings — dynamic, normal, grass/gravel/snow (for slippery conditions), sand, deep ruts and rocks. Terrain Response manages all engine, driveline, suspension and braking functions, and automatically chooses the appropriate setting for the given conditions. The driver, of course, has the option to manually select the setting he wants.

What's Edmunds' Take?

Although the Range Stormer is just a concept, Land Rover says that many of its styling cues and much of its technology will make their way to an eventual production vehicle. — Erin Riches