FORD may own Land Rover but it was BMW that created the greatest Range Rover ever – the outgoing Mk3. Superb design inside and out and thorough engineering (using the iconic X5 as a base) ensured that. Obviously Ford wasn’t going to keep buying up expensive BMW engines for its SUV range-topper, so in go the highly-impressive (and more powerful) V8 units Jaguar developed for the fantastic XJ range (gutsier diesels have to wait until 2007). Suitably fettled and updated with a new gearbox, more comfort and refinement and a small but noticeable facelift, the Range Rover is here and ready to take on what Porsche, VW, Mercedes and, yes, BMW throw at it.
The Road to Recovery podcast series

Range Rover Mk3
Released: August 2002
Ended: July 2005
Family Tree: Range RoverBMW got the outgoing Range Rover pretty much spot-on after the slightly anonymous and not-very-competitive P38 model from 1995-2002. Using the X5 SUV as a base, it built was essentially an ‘X7’ - a larger and more luxurious on-road monocoque-body 4WD with serious off-road credentials. Two engines were offered here from its August ’02 launch – a 130kW/390Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel in the base SE and mid-range HSE, and a version of the 4.4-litre V8 also found in top-end BMWs. For the RR HSE and range-topping Vogue it produced 210kW/440Nm - both mated to a five-speed automatic.
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