Would you ever have expected Jeep and Land Rover - the sovereigns of the 4x4 world - to build musclecars? Well, here they are - the very best that the United Kingdom and the United States have to offer in the way of brilliantly arrogant SUV - the Robbie Williams and the Fifty Cent of the sport utility world are built do the same job - even though they go about it in rather different ways...

The Range Rover Sport Supercharged and the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT 8 are both relatively new concepts to their respective makers - both Landy and Jeep are traditionally more at home off the beaten track than on smooth tarred roads of suburbia. But both, kind of simultaneously, seem to have decided to lay claim to the super-ute crown.

Land Rover reckons its beast is the 'best performing and best handling' vehicle it's ever built, while Jeep claims its monster is the 'quickest, most powerful' vehicle they've ever created. Neither statement is in question here - both are fact. But through a recent twist of fate, we just happened to end up with both these devices sitting in our parking lot at the same time. So we did what we had to and put them head-to-head in yet another Cars in Action magazine super test...

Before we get all carried away in issues concerning fit and finish or build qualities, let's get straight to the heart of the matter. The flat out muscle of these two is without a doubt their most important attributes. If you disagree, then you're probably lacking in some testosterone (or oestrogen) and you can skip the next two paragraphs and come back to them later.

Firstly the Range Sport - turn the key and it immediately impresses with that baritone gurgle emitting from the belly of the beast. Reverse gear out of the parking and out to the main road. With absolutely no interest (yet) in the sound system, seat comfort or climate control, just mash the gas pedal to the floor and feel out the best the Brits can offer...

To be completely honest it was a little disappointing. Make no mistake, the Sport is supremely powerful, but after close inspection of the specs tables it's quite obvious where the problem lies - it's too damn heavy!

So out of the Sport and into the Jeep with the same procedure. Plonk the pedal to the metal as soon as the steering was straight and with no turns or obstacles for at least a K or so, one has to dig deep into your vocabulary bank to describe exactly how SRT 8 feels under power - words elude. Perhaps the word is nauseating, for as soon as the throttle starts opening, the thing lurches forward with seemingly disgusting force. All four tyres battle to find traction and needless to say, the Jeep wins the straight up, balls to the wall, drag race, acceleration fight hands down.

Okay, so grunt isn't everything. Maybe you're willing to sacrifice a little performance for some extra features, comfort and quality. I'm sure you've already guessed that the Range Rover takes the cake here. It's actually no contest. Interior panels fit together perfectly and are made of higher quality materials. Switchgear in the centre console allows you to control ride height and suspension settings to help tackle all types of terrain. Yes, the Sport is a far more capable off-roader. Satellite navigation, high resolution DVD screens and real wood grain inserts are available here and not the Jeep.

But the range does have a few spec shortcomings - like no power lifting for the three passenger windows and one or two other items we could not find that a three-quarter-million buck car simply has to have.

But to drive everyday, the Range is a pleasure - its myriad suspension settings make for a highly versatile car although with those low profile wheels, off-roading will clearly be of the softer variety - even tough its still a Landy at heart.

Comfortable and almost surreal, Range Sport Supercharged certainly cossets you in every way with its plush cabin and finishes - and its sporty driving position certainly is more sport than ute - cool!

And how does this super-ute handle? Well compared to a BMW X5 4.8S its no contest - this thing feels like a truck by comparison and it seems there are even a few compromises that have side effects on ultimate driving pleasure - like a way too sensitive steering clearly a by product of an attempt to make this behemoth's turn-in feel sporty. It reacts too much to even accidental steering inputs and reminds us of that original Rangie that suffered a similar effect.

That doesn't mean that the Range is not majestic to drive - just don't expect that Bavarian all-roundedness - those two tonnes ultimately hurt it dynamically as much as they do against the stopwatch...

The Jeep is another prospect altogether and we suppose that for almost two-hundred grand off, it can afford to be a little rougher around the edges than the Royal Horse Box Tractor we have stuck it up against here. Detroit's child is all the bruiser you'd expect it to be - more muscle than class, it is far more pointedly aggressive than its English gentleman friend here.

It offers a more direct if a little crass handling prospect and suffers less foibles than the Range - in fact, taking the X5 4.8iS as a marker again, this thing rides on the other side of that sublime line - its rougher, harder and more brutally honest. Like a highly capable musclecar off-roader that actually points, turns and stops like no musclecar ever could.

Again the lighter Jeep annihilates the Range when it comes to performance, but it falls flat through a comparatively crude cabin and amenities. But hey, for R200K off, we can live wit that crudeness - any day...

So basically the Landy is far more solidly built and for the necessary extra money it's worth it - even if it is quite a bit slower than its Yankee muscle ute rival here. The quicker, cheesier Jeep is certainly a bargain though and when it comes down to pure bang for buck, then we're afraid its has to win this one.

If you need the best of both worlds though, then perhaps you need to lash out and get yourself a Porsche Cayenne Turbo S. But that costs more than both of these two put together, so why not get both of these instead and choose which to drive every day. Makes you think - doesn't it...?

Shootout
MAKE Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT 8 Range Rover Sport V8 Supercharged
Engine V8 DOHC 16V V8 QOHC 32V
Capacity 6059cc 4197cc
Power 313kW @ 6200rpm 287kW @ 5750rpm
Torque 569Nm @ 4800rpm 550Nm @ 3500rpm
Specific power 51kW per litre 68kW per litre
Specific torque 94Nm per litre 131Nm per litre
Power to weight 144kW per tonne 111kW per tonne
Torque to weight 262Nm per tonne 214Nm per tonne
Drive/transmission 4WD/5-speed auto 4WD/6-speed auto
Approach angle 15.8¡ 34¡
Departure angle 19.7¡ 27¡
Towing capacity (kg) 1600 750
0-100km/h (c) 4.9 seconds 7.6 seconds
0-100km/h (g) 5.3 seconds 6.8 seconds
Quarter mile (g) 13.8 seconds @ 170km/h 15.2 seconds @ 157km/h
80-120km/h 4th gear (g) 5.9 seconds 6.4 seconds
120-160km/h 4th gear (g) 6.7 seconds 8.9 seconds
Maximum speed (c) 240km/h 225km/h
Fuel use overall 15l/100km 15.9/100km
Fuel Capacity 77.6 litres 88.1 litres
Price R549 900 R740 000
CiA Rating 8 8