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Land Rover stakes out new territory with the Range Rover Sport, targeting luxury SUVs with performance pedigrees, such as BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne.

Dubbed the baby Range Rover, the 2006 model diverges from the tony image of Land Rover’s flagship. The name Sport is upheld with aggressive styling and refined road manners designed to emulate high-end sedans, such as Land Rover’s own British stable mate, Jaguar.

Sport is the second new Land Rover since Ford Motor Co. took possession in 2000. The first new model, LR3, shares its basic structure with the longer Range Rover Sport, although the look is totally different. Where LR3 has a solid, utilitarian shape, Sport’s chiseled form looks downright racy. advertisement

Not everybody’s pleased, with some Land Rover adherents dismayed by the trendy styling. The interior also seems stark compared with the reassuringly English wood-and-leather of the big Range Rover.

The Range Rover name, which first appeared on U.S. shores in 1987, means different things to different people. For some, it evokes visions of the world’s greatest adventure vehicle charging across the plains of the Kalahari desert or slogging through the jungles of the Amazon.

Others see it as a status symbol brimming with class distinction. Some even view Range Rover as a showy urban cruiser, similar to Cadillac Escalade, to be dressed up with gigantic chrome rims and zillion-watt audio systems.

The new Sport model puts another spin on Range Rover: a sharply sporty all-purpose vehicle with a modern take on adventure.

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The lowdown

PERFORMANCE: The standard 4.4-liter V-8, basically a beefed-up version of Jaguar’s 4.2-liter engine, churns out a muscular 300 horsepower and 315 pound-feet of torque, enough to make even this heavyweight feel quick.

There’s also a supercharged version with 390 horsepower and a mighty 410 pound-feet of torque. It also costs $13,000 more.

Fuel mileage is an unimpressive 14 city and 19 highway, dropping to 13 and 18 for the supercharged Sport. advertisement

DRIVABILITY: Handling and highway cruising are way above par. The sophisticated drivability and nimble cornering are assisted by all-terrain dynamic stability control, electronic air suspension and huge performance tires.

Naturally, Range Rover Sport is fully equipped for serious off-roading with such goodies as adjustable electronic all-wheel drive, hill-descent control and electronic locking-center differential.

A brief foray on a rocky trail showed the Sport’s tenacious climbing ability, though it was cut short by a flat tire. To our dismay, the spare was one those wimpy space-savers. It quickly went flat, too, after about 100 yards.

We were towed home.

STYLING: The look is edgy and controversial, with its sharply canted rear hatch and sharp roof spoiler and its louvered front fenders. Some consider it an excessively trendy look.

On the other hand, I think it’s pretty sharp.

INTERIOR: More controversy over the techy styling. Here I join the critics, missing the rich look and feel of the big Range Rover’s cabin.

The interior is nicely outfitted, though, with plenty of features, gadgets, buttons to push and dials to turn.

The standard Harman Kardon audio is awesome.

BOTTOM LINE: Sporty drivability and off-road prowess make Land Rover’s latest a worthy competitor.