I grew up in Duluth, Minnesota before heading out here to Latteland over 20 years ago. Being raised “up north” has its advantages. Learning how to drive on roads that often times resemble skating rinks is one. Best of all, I can honestly tell my children that school was a two-mile uphill trek in the snow. Barefoot. Both ways.

Size may not matter after all — whether you take it personally or not is far from my point. Let me remind you and your twisted mind that I’m talking about vehicles, in this case the smallest of the Land Rover lineup: the new 2008 LR2.

As some of you might recall, the LR2 was the big winner of our comparative match held last July. Despite facing some hardcore off-roaders, this little Land Rover used its versatility, styling and overall balance to earn our jury’s approval. Said balance is vividly felt each time you sit behind the wheel of the British compact SUV.

“The Sport badge looks a little incongruous on the back of the TDV6. The TDV8 has no such self consciousness”

With the TDV8, the modest 188bhp of the 2.7-litre TDV6 was transformed into a lusty 272bhp with the addition of another couple of cylinders and a big injection of attitude. This powerplant dwarfs that of the Mercedes ML320CDI (221bhp), the BMW X5 3.0d (231bhp) and the Audi Q7 3.0TDI (230bhp). It’s also an installation that’s more befitting of a vehicle that needs a truly imperious engine. Although the Sport is, in effect, the diffusion line of the Range Rover sub-brand, it’s still perceived as a prestige choice. The TDV6 continues as an entry-level choice but the V8 is a far more desirable piece of engineering. Stretch to it if you can.

Land Rover is celebrating its best sales performance in 714 months of production as wealthy Russians and Chinese queue up to buy its most expensive models.

The Solihull 4×4 specialist has been buoyed by figures showing that global sales rose by 34 per cent to nearly 26,000 units in September.

The numbers show that the company, the world’s only specialist manufacturer of all-terrain vehicles, has not been affected either by uncertainty over ownership or the prospect of big tax rises on its products as a result of pressure from environmental campaigners.

Land Rover, whose sport utility vehicles are prime targets for green-minded lawmakers, will cut the average carbon dioxide emissions of its vehicles by some 20 per cent by 2012 – more than the average cuts the European Union is seeking, according to its managing director.

The brand and its sister Jaguar marque, which their owner Ford Motor wants to sell, are investing £700m ($1.43bn) in CO2 improvements in their five-year business plan, with most of the money earmarked for Land Rover, Phil Popham told the Financial Times.