One thing Range Rover have done is stuck to the evolution of design. The current Rangie looks and feels like its capable of doing the job of its intended funtion. The Range Rover Sport feels the same, as is the Freelander. The only downfall is that they suffered, reliability wise. With TATA being the new owners, I hope that improves, Ford money did go someways to fixing the problem, but not entirely. Something the Germans can feel smug about, and to the same degree the Japanese is in those areas. The CX-7? Drives rather well, the previous owner put some big wheels on it, purely for looks, I wouldnt be brave enough to go near some goat tracks in the current state. handles very very well, a little bit jiggly on small imperfections, but I put that down to the footwear again. I've driven a few CX-7/ CX-9's and in stock form, they handle well. They run a 2.3 turbo, 175kw. But, as they were part of Ford, they use Volvo's anti-roll over programme as part of the stablity package.
Styling copy cat? Back when I was a staunch Benz loyalist. I used to look at the Lexus LS400, which had alot of Benz cues, what made it more laughable was that Toyota used 2 W124 bodies and slid their drivetrain & suspension in underneath for testing purposes. AND they also did teardowns on 2 Silver Spirits to see why they were so quiet. Fast forward to now, the current LS, looks very similiar to the W140 Benz. Depending on how you look at it, copycat styling can either be flattering or insulting.
