IF you are wondering what the next Range Rover is going to look like, take a peek at the model planned for launch in the spring, and reckoned to be the most luxurious and most powerful model built.

With it will be two new petrol engines, including a powerful supercharged 4.2-litre.

This latest sport utility vehicle from Range Rover will join the dynamic Range Rover Sport, which has extended the Land Rover line-up to five models for the first time. The new car is seen as Land Rover's most luxurious SUV, while the Sport is seen as a performance model, a driver-focussed sports tourer.

The new model gains two powerful, Jaguar-derived petrol engines, which offer more performance and are predicted to have better fuel economy than the single outgoing V8 petrol.

Now heading the line-up is a supercharged 291kW (400bhp) 4.2-litre engine, with maximum torque of 560Nm (420lb.ft). It offers more than 35 percent more power than the outgoing V8, over 25 per cent more torque - which contributes to more refined driving - and is projected to be around 1.5 seconds faster from 0-62 mph.

The new, naturally aspirated 225kW (305bhp) 4.4-litre V8 is also quicker and more powerful than the outgoing V8. The 0-62 mph acceleration time is projected to be around half-a-second faster and maximum power is increased by 15kW (20bhp).

Both engines are lightweight and use advanced torque-based engine management systems.

For the Range Rover, the Jaguar-sourced engines have been further developed to offer more torque at lower revs and to operate at more extreme angles to cope with tough off-roading. They have enhanced protection from dust and rocks, and are also better water-proofed for Land Rover's tough river-wading requirements.

The Range Rover retains its iconic shape, but there are subtle yet distinct changes. All Range Rovers get a new front bumper design, new headlamps and tail-lights, a new front grille and revised power vents. New 18-inch and 19-inch alloy wheels are also available. The supercharged derivative gets distinctive, additional styling modifications, which include mesh-design front grille and power vents, and unique 20-inch alloy wheels.

The current Range Rover, launched in 2002, is a design classic that has been fantastically well received. It carried over the original Range Rover design cues - the clamshell bonnet, the floating roof (created by the black roof pillars), the split tailgate, and the bold upright front with its simple grille and interplay between the vertical and horizontal lines. It clearly owes its lineage to the original Range Rover, launched in 1970, yet is also modern and fresh.

The original Range Rover also created a whole new class of vehicle - the luxury SUV. It combined style, prestige, saloon car handling, and the spaciousness of an estate, with the ruggedness and versatility of a Land Rover. Those qualities have continued through all three generations of Range Rover, up to the present day.

The interior design does not change. The supercharged model, however, does offer two new trim colour combinations, jet/jet (all black) and ivory/jet. Black lacquer wood is also now available, and all supercharged vehicles get special sports-designed stainless steel accelerator and brake pedals.

The new car is not only faster, it is also quieter. The new engines offer better noise, vibration and harshness qualities than the predecessor, and are also better isolated from the interior.

Additional customer features available include a rear camera for easier reverse parking, a tyre pressure monitoring system and adaptive front headlamps that swivel when cornering, to improve illumination. A rear seat entertainment system is now available, with two headrest-mounted 6.5-inch screens, a six-disc DVD auto-changer, infra-red remote control, wireless headphones and sockets for auxiliary media sources (such as an MP3 player or games console).

These improvements are in addition to other luxury appointments (optional in some markets). These include DVD satellite navigation that provides both on- and off-road guidance, a Logic 7 harman/kardon audio system boasting 14 speakers and 710 watts of power, and a personal integrated telephone system.

This latest in-car phone is Bluetooth-enabled and can be voice, touch-screen or steering wheel operated. Cradle-mounted phone handsets also allow for SMS text messaging (via an on-screen keyboard). A new, easy-to-use touch-screen is standard on all derivatives.

Dealers: Armstrong Massey Land Rover, Tadcaster Road, Bilbrough, York (01937 531531); Charles Douglas Land Rover, Thornton Road, Pickering (0845 009 1870).

Updated: 11:50 Friday, February 11, 2005