Sports-car handling in an SUV seems impossible, but the Range Rover Sport’s handling is impossibly sharp, especially considering it’s a highly capable off-roader, too. Its supercharged 340-hp 3.0-liter V-6 delivers admirable performance and the smooth eight-speed transmission powers all four wheels. If the info and navigation system matched the rest of the interior’s snazziness we’d be even more pleased, but at least there’s room for seven so the whole family can tag along for the adventure.

The unibody makes the Sport even more at home on the road, with an isolated and controlled ride that obliterates head toss. A new suspension revised from the Range Rover’s muffles rough pavement down to a murmur, and here’s an example where electrically assisted steering helps improve the driving experience, sharpening response and filtering out noise. Handling? Yes, there’s quite a bit: With the active-roll-control system, an optional rear electronic locking differential, and a torque-vectoring unit on up level models, the Sport has shocking directional agility. We’d call it gecko-like, but then there’d be two zoological similes in this story.