Not every vehicle test drive is a joy.

Sometimes it's just work; not because the vehicle isn't fun, or nice or elegant, but because no one's life is always in the fast lane.

When Land Rover loaned me the 2009 LR3, a big SUV that sits high on the road, I dreamed of African safaris.

These are the rugged vehicles people use to cross impossible terrain. I've driven a few Land Rovers down wickedly steep hills with its awesome Hill Descent Control feature turned on, letting the truck glide me down a hill at 3 mph.

But this time, I needed something to help move my father, cobbled by surgery, into my house, and my exotic journey would take me no more than a few miles away to a storage unit across perilous potholes and a gravel road off of Jefferson Avenue. Not exactly the Sahara.

But you don't need to cross a continent to measure a vehicle's worth.

Life has more weekend moves than trekking up sand dunes. And my first hundred miles may have been accomplished with a dozen trips of loading and unloading -- but at the end of the day, that made me appreciate the LR3 even more.

Sometimes we need a vehicle that can ford a river or pull an elephant out of a mud bog, but during my Land Rover test, I needed the 90 cubic feet of storage available with the second- and third-row seats folded down.

The loading space isn't completely flat, but it was roomy enough to fit nearly everything from an apartment but the mattress and box springs.

Even with the driver's seat pushed forward to accommodate a particularly big dresser, I was comfortable driving the LR3. The high ride gives you a commanding position on the road, and the flat surfaces around you -- such as the window controls, center console and top of the dash -- seem to fit the rugged appeal of this SUV.

The easy-to-use Terrain Response system lets you select the type of surface you'll drive over, and computers adjust a number of things such as the throttle response, shift points and center differential's operation. I never moved the selector off of Tarmac, but I could have just as easily moved everything in snow or sand or gavel.

The beauty of Land Rover is its ability to combine tough with posh. If it were a sport, it would be rug, given its British pedigree, raw power and finesse touches.

Some people may tie a dead carcass to the hood of their LR3, but they'll get a manicure as soon as they return to civilization.

The amenities in the LR3 are excellent. The well-crafted walnut wood trim and new almond leather interior (with Nutmeg carpet) look astonishing and they're all new for 2009 LR3s.

During the move, I cranked Muddy Waters over the 240-watt Harman/kardon stereo. It tested the surround sound and the Blues seemed appropriate. The only thing I longed for was a push button start, but no doubt, that will eventually come.

Land Rover didn't change the delicious 4.4-liter V-8 under the hood, which pulls the SUV around with 330 horsepower. For on-road driving, it's more than plenty; for off-roading, it gives you that extra oomph. As for hauling a man's worldly possessions around, it had more than enough power. The gas mileage, however, was a sad 13 miles per gallon.

The mid-size SUV's tall sides do make the body sway some in turns, but during the first 100 miles, I never opened her up to find out how much it would roll.

That upright stance, raised rear roof and clamshell hood give the LR3 a distinctive Land Rover look. The flat windshield and slab sides add to its appearance and make it easy to find in the concrete jungle of a parking lot.

With its 19-inch standard aluminum wheels and a body-colored bumper, the LR3 is certainly out of the ordinary.

Perhaps the most surprising thing I noticed during the move was how quickly the LR3 became comfortable. Despite its big size (it's over 190 inches long), it was easy to maneuver in forward or reverse.

Life moves in both directions as well, so it was nice to have a vehicle capable, tough and elegant to make the ride just a little easier.

Scott Burgess is the auto critic for The Detroit News. He can be reached at (313) 223-3217 or sburgess@detnews.com.