Used 2009 Land Rover Range Rover

Welcome to the 2009 Range Rover Supercharged Autobiography, a charming tale of a life spent as the undeniable king of the SUVs. However, it is a life following in the tire tracks of esteemed royal forebears. Back in the days when you could count the number of SUVs on your fingers, dealers would take customers down a flight of stairs in Grandpa Range Rover just to demonstrate its unmatched capability. This was also a time when the Range Rover's cabin was a world apart from the rugged, hose-out interiors of Jeeps and Land Cruisers. Now that SUVs have become more numerous than paparazzi at a royal wedding, maintaining that throne has become a much tougher task. Yet even after six years of this third generation, it's hard to think of a more lavish and vigorously capable SUV than the 2009 Range Rover Supercharged.

It all starts with good genes. The Mini Cooper isn't the only British automotive icon BMW has renovated with resounding success. Land Rover was under BMW's ownership and engineering guidance when the current, third-generation Range Rover was in development. This German heritage can be felt through the sophistication of its ride and the well-sorted steering, and even the layout of its controls. Plus, the Range Rover's styling strikes a perfect Mini-like balance between retro and modern design cues.

While much of its engineering sophistication can be traced back to BMW, the Range Rover's brashness is courtesy of the time Land Rover spent under good ol' American Ford. The supercharged V8, in particular, was added under Ford's watch. More recently, Land Rover has been sold again, this time to Indian carmaker Tata. Yet it's the vehicle's old-world charm that will likely please owners the most -- the Range Rover's luxuriant cabin will set it apart for most buyers who will restrict their driving expeditions to malls and Starbucks. And besides being the name of this charming tome, Autobiography also refers to the $10,000 package that adds Bentley levels of leather to almost every cabin surface, along with four-zone climate control and a rear-seat entertainment system.

Does buying a 2009 Range Rover make rational sense? Not really, especially when there are SUVs that provide similar or better on-road performance for much less money. Not when a vast majority of buyers will never take it off road. And consequently, not when the same amount of money will buy you a very well-equipped Mercedes-Benz S550. Luxury cars are seldom rational, and an urban-dwelling off-roader definitely isn't, so if you're looking for the pinnacle of such automotive irrationality, there is nothing that satisfies quite like the storied Range Rover.