Twice a year, a group of auto writers from in and around Texas gather to evaluateall (or most) of what's new in trucks, SUVs and (more recently) cars. TheTexas Truck Rodeo, now in its 11th year, is the established event for (obviously)trucks and SUVs, while the more recently introduced spring event -- dubbed "SpringChallenge" -- is in its second year. The Spring Challenge is intended forall of those products a manufacturer wouldn't enter in the Truck Rodeo.

Leave it to the PR folks at Land Rover to muck things up. Already well regardedby Truck Rodeo judges, where it's invariably given the nod for best luxurySUV, the Range Rover was entered into the Spring Challenge for evaluation ofits on-road behavior. Against, of course, a bunch of luxury sedans, sports carsand muscle cars with established reputations for on-road prowess and no pretenseat off-road capability. Given that the Texas Auto Writers Association is managedlike a volunteer-led organization, the Range Rover was accepted, with only thelaughing, stuttering and ass-scratchin' to follow.

At the end of the day, no one was laughing, and only a few were left scratchin' theirasses. As we learned in a weeklong evaluation of the Range Rover, both in townand on the interstate, this is one sweet piece of upscale engineering. And whetheryour venue is Kenya or Kansas, there's a lot to say about the vehicle'sluxury, performance and comportment. We, of course, will say it in less thanhalf a page.

Out of the box, you'll note that, for a Land Rover product, the Range Roveris out of the box. While retaining the overall profile used since Range Rover'sinception, every contour has been smoothed, and every seam seemingly narrowed.Fronted by a grill/headlight arrangement that smacks of (egad!) a wind tunnel,the relatively low belt line and generous greenhouse look fit for a king. Andwith aggressive window tint, you could take Camilla.

Inside, it gets even more special. As Range Rover suggests, simply immerse yourselfin the "incomparable ambiance of leather and wood, Foundry Metal and NobleChrome accents, waterfall lighting and meticulous appointments." If wecould write like that we might make -- and deserve -- real money. Suffice itto say: Nothing is spared to provide the Range Rover customer all the comfortsof an on-road/off-road home.

Under the hood, Range Rover provides 4.4 liters of BMW-supplied power. Giventhat Rover is part of Ford's Premier Automotive Group, the powerplant'sorigins are whispered rather than shouted. But then, so is the performance. Thisis one way-refined sumbitch, offering more than adequate grunt from its 282 horsepower,and more than enough towing capability (7,700 pounds) from its 325 pounds-per-footof torque. If there's a negative, it is, of course, fuel consumption. Besure and bring the Shell card.

The unified body/chassis is supported by an all-independent arrangement: MacPhersonstruts up front and double wishbones in the rear. In combination with Enhanced(natch) Electronic Air Suspension, the ride's soft enough for your mum'sbum, and handling is sufficiently crisp to elevate (pun intended) the SUV category.In the city, we were amazed by the combo of responsive handling and commandingview. And on the highway, we were beginning to wonder how it would work whenrobbing banks, our only viable means of affording this vehicle.

In sum, the PR mavens at Land Rover are absolutely right. It belongs in a TruckRodeo for its off-road alacrity, and in a car-oriented venue for its luxury andresponsiveness. We're mildly stunned.