2006-2009 Range Rover Minutiae

Rich people love displaying their wealth subtly, yet loudly. That’s why those cryptic oval decals are so popular. You know, “ACK” for “Nantucket” and “OBX,” which ostensibly stands for “Outer Banks” but really just indicates the owner is “obnoxious.”

Of course, Land Rover knows the wealthy like subtle displays of wealth because Land Rover is well-versed in the psychology of rich people. They must be, since they still have strong brand loyalty no matter how many times customer cars come in on a flatbed.

The differences between the 2006-2009 Range Rover and its more powerful Range Rover Supercharged twin are great examples of the slight distinctions adored by the wealthy. On the outside, there are four major ways to tell them apart.

One is the front grille. While the regular 2006-2009 Range Rover (which made do with a paltry 305 horsepower) retained Land Rover’s horizontal slats, the Supercharged added the chain-link fence look. Apparently, this is the Land Rover equivalent to an OBX sticker.

Number two: side grilles. Each 2006-2009 Range Rover has a rather tall vertical grille right behind the front wheels that’s almost certainly non-functional. In Supercharged models, it retains the chain-link look of the front grille – apparently a vast step up from the naturally-aspirated Rover’s vertical slats.

Of course, the Range Rover Supercharged also wore distinct wheels. But those are easy to change, not unlike slapping an Aspen sticker on your car when your mountain home is actually in Vail.

The best way to tell the 2006-2009 Supercharged apart from its rawther pedestrian naturally-aspirated stablemate is the taillights. You see, wheels can be swapped. So can grilles. But nearly all the posers forget the taillights.

All 2006-2009 Range Rovers had two circular taillights stacked on top of one another. But while the non-supercharged models had one clear light above one red light, only the Range Rover Supercharged had two clear lights. At night, when the lights are illuminated, you can still tell them apart: the lower light in Supercharged models shows as pink, while it’s red in the base model.

Now that you’ve learned the differences, you may forget them. Owners of base models certainly hope you will.