Land Rover is no stranger to jungles, deserts, and mountains. Aptly named for their sheer off-road prowess, Land Rovers are designed to travel where few vehicles dare tread, and have conquered some of the toughest terrain on Earth. Ironically, in the places where most people dwell - in the cities of the world and suburbs of North America - Land Rovers have traditionally fared poorly due to ungainly handling, sluggish acceleration, and iffy assembly quality.

The 2005 Land Rover LR3 brings to mid-luxury SUV buyers what the Land Rover Range Rover delivered to the ultra-luxe sport-ute class in 2003 - civility. Not only that, but it also contains cutting-edge technologies that pioneer a new way of building sport-utility vehicles that perform brilliantly both on and off the road. Replacing the Discovery in the British bushwacker manufacturer's lineup, the 2005 Land Rover LR3 is our selection for the Autobytel Editors' Choice 2005 SUV of the Year award.

Don't think that just because the LR3 is great to drive on paved roads it's no longer capable of blazing new trails. With its powerful new Jaguar-derived V8 engine, slick Terrain Response System, available air suspension, and room for seven, the Land Rover LR3 is equipped for whatever comes its way, whether it's the porte-cochere at the Beverly Hills Hotel, the swamped streets of Banda Aceh, or the jungles of Bangladesh.

Yes, the creaky, cranky old Discovery is gone, replaced by the 2005 Land Rover LR3, a quantum leap in performance, quality, and design. Few vehicles on the market can successfully serve as many masters as the 2005 Land Rover LR3.

- Christian J. Wardlaw