Wild Rover.

My obsession with Land Rover dates back to my early teen years in Johannesburg, when Range Rovers were passports to great adventures in the African veldt.

Hopping up into Land Rover USA's Supercharged Range Rover Sport, I felt that old sense of adventure--even though these days my veldt pretty much ends in suburban Los Angeles. A smaller, more aggressively styled version of its larger brother, the Sport ably makes the Range Rover case to a younger, adventure-inclined, metro-living, upwardly mobile crowd,

On the highway the Rover's 390 horses quickly move this 5,670-pound beauty even when heading uphill through a mountain pass. The cruise control's proximity sensors adjust the Rover's speed to match the traffic ahead.

That means you're free to savor a luxurious passenger experience: leather upholstery and light-colored wooden trim, Harman Kardon 550-watt surround-sound stereo, satellite radio, advanced GPS with off-read enhanced navigation, steering wheel-mounted controls, and a large sunroof. Of course, beneath the perks is an off-road vehicle whose capabilities will shock you. That's Land Rover's dual-personality groove: luxury vehicles to take you around the world and back again.