  2014 Land Rover LR4. Click image to enlarge |
Review and Photos by Jeff Wilson
Sometimes it all comes down to simple, inexplicable emotion. Nothing more than “just ‘cuz I like it” to justify an obscenely impractical and expensive purchase.
I don’t run an African safari tour. My commute to work does not require me to fashion a bridge out of felled trees in order to traverse a piranha-filled river. And even our recent long, miserable winter does not qualify for cross-tundra travel conditions.
So why the heck did I fall for the Land Rover LR4 – a vehicle completely unjustified for my lifestyle?
There are a number of reasons actually, not the least of which is that it is a bit gratuitous. The attention one receives for driving an expensive or interesting car is a guilty pleasure that never grows old for me. I’m unlikely to ever enjoy any significant celebrity of my own accord (notoriety, possibly; celebrity, nah), so being noticed for what I’m driving is kind of fun. Plus it often encourages strangers to talk to me about cars, and I enjoy that.
The LR4 generated a surprising amount of attention. I say surprising since the Greater Toronto Area in which I live is littered with a near-endless supply of Range Rovers and Range Rover Sports. Strange then that the cheaper sibling turned so many heads, but indeed it did.
Then again, the Land Rover is a bit of an odd-looking machine. The Rover-family LED light treatment at the front grabs the attention of passersby, but it’s the unusually tall greenhouse that surely makes people gander a while longer.
Finished in “Fuji white” as my test car is, some Catholics likely expected to see Frances being driven around town in what would surely make a great off-road version of the Pope-mobile.
   2014 Land Rover LR4. Click image to enlarge |
And despite being too tall to actually fit in my garage thanks to the optional roof racks, the Crystal Cathedral-on-Wheels affords passengers in all seating positions a spectacular view and an abundance of headroom. I cannot recall another three-row vehicle that I’ve been in lately short of a proper van that’s had as accommodating a third-row perch as the LR4. Properly tall seatbacks, recessed foot wells and those giant windows all make the back of the bus a decent place to be even if you’re of average adult size. Plus a third-row sunroof means you won’t miss the giraffes on your safari either.
  2014 Land Rover LR4. Click image to enlarge |
Moving forward in the cabin, the accommodations only get better.
Second-row passengers enjoy their own climate controls and seat heaters, and the expedition leaders in the LR4’s two front seats will appreciate the pedestals from which they’ll be able to see for miles in all directions (okay, maybe not miles, but pretty far).
My test rig had an extra $1,100 in “Extended Windsor Leather” covering the dash and other trim bits. It feels and smells great, but otherwise, much of the rest of the dash materials, though soft to touch, do look a little low rent compared to the Range Rover siblings.
Appearances aside, they are ergonomically quite good enabling easy and precise control of climate and the great sounding Meridian 11-speaker audio system. While other recent models of Jaguars and Rovers are doing away with the rising-rotary-knob gear selector, the LR4 wears it for the first time this year. For what it’s worth, I really like it and find it convenient and easy to use, especially compared to the convoluted push-me-pull-you levers found in most Euro cars these days.
One negative of the cockpit is the infotainment screen, which is small, and dull compared to the industry standard and the navigation system is slow to respond and often confused.
When not in use, the two rear seating rows fold flat (albeit with a lot of convoluted switching, tugging and crawling around the vehicle) and a tall, square cargo cavern is revealed. During its stay with me, with the rear seats folded down and the middle row 60 percent flattened as well, I still had room for a spectacular amount of film lighting gear and didn’t even need to remove my son’s child seat from the other 40 percent.
   2014 Land Rover LR4. Click image to enlarge |
If you look at the LR4 and presume it drives much like an elephant atop a yoga ball, you wouldn’t be alone – I thought the same. Incredibly though, the Land Rover is considerably more composed on highway on ramps than expected. There is considerable lean, but there is a solid heft to the lower half of the vehicle that makes you aware of the height, but not fearful that it’s going to roll over in a stiff breeze or mild curve. What’s more, the steering provides decent feel, especially considering the somewhat squishy Mud-and-Snow-rated rubber affixed to the 19-inch wheels.
The supercharged 3.0-litre V6 is quite familiar to me now, having experienced it in a Range Rover Sport and last summer in a Jaguar XF. In the Jag, the 340 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque propel the car in a lively fashion appropriate for a Euro sport sedan. In the Range Rover Sport, the performance is still energetic for an SUV. The LR4 is nearly 1,000 kg heavier than the XF (and 500 kg heavier than the new, more svelte Range Rover Sport) and that mass starts to tax the V6 a bit more.
The LR4 can still pull itself up hills easily and passing maneuvers are certainly not worrying, but the Land Rover doesn’t have the physics-defying sensation of its Range Rover siblings. Plus, the price of that mass combined with the aerodynamics of an outhouse is paid at the premium fuel pump where the LR4’s combined Highway/City rating is 12.8 L/100 km. This is a not insignificant 2.0 L/100 km worse than the Range Rover Sport. I averaged a costly 14.4 L/100 km through a pretty even split of city and highway driving with the tedious “ECO” auto stop/start function engaged throughout the week. Hey, at least it’s better than last year’s V8-powered LR4.
The ubiquitous eight-speed automatic found in many high-end cars these days (including the aforementioned Jaguar and Range Rover Sport) is a great, smooth-shifting unit. Tuned for use in what is currently Land Rover’s most rugged and off-road ready beast, it is a little soft off the line, often resisting the drop to first gear unless coaxed with a heavy throttle foot. This gives a sluggish and somewhat rubbery feel pulling away from stop signs, but likely prevents untoward wheel spin when crawling over steep, rocky goat paths.
Land Rover also sees fit to add paddle shifters to the LR4, but don’t be fooled; this SUV has neither the interest, nor the capability to take advantage of them, providing grumpy, clunky downshifts if demanded. Just leave the system alone to figure things out on its own and it’ll do just fine; it’s not a sports car.
   2014 Land Rover LR4. Click image to enlarge |
While the Range Rovers grab the luxury and cachet crowns, it’s the LR4 that is left to remind folks of Land Rover’s 65-year history of building some of the most capable off-roaders available. The LR4 is more macho; a little rougher around the edges. It wears a full beard and a flannel shirt, but still speaks the Queen’s English.
I wish I could tell you that I had an opportunity to really test the LR4’s off-road prowess, but a recent snow thaw and a lack of winch or second tow vehicle meant that I’d likely find myself several kilometres down what once was a road but now a spring bog, and mirrors-deep in muck. I’ve learned enough from past experiences to know that this is unwise.
Instead I ventured through some light off-road – bumpy, grassy fields, some light rocky roads – nothing to make a proven machine like the LR4 break a sweat. The air suspension is remarkable in its ability to absorb and dispense of significant road undulations and bumps, isolating passengers completely from the chaos beneath. The frost-massacred roads around Southern Ontario look a bit post-apocalyptic these days, and the most devastating potholes that would swallow a subcompact car whole were not even felt in the LR4’s cabin.
If you find yourself in an LR4 and well off the beaten path, simply select one of the many terrain settings and ride height variations and let Land Rover’s mountain goat get you where you need to go.
  2014 Land Rover LR4. Click image to enlarge |
At nearly $80,000 as tested with very few options, the LR4 is a pricey machine. That same sum can put a competitive SUV from any number of other European brands in your garage. But I’d love to have an LR4 because where it really counts for an SUV – space, durability, ruggedness and comfort – the Land Rover is a success. What’s more, it just looks so damned cool.
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Pricing: 2014 Land Rover LR4
Base Price: $70,990
Options: Extended Leather Package, $1,100; Vision Assist Package, $2,800; Roof Rails – Extended, $350; Retractable Cargo Area Cover, $150; Grand Black Lacquer Trim Finisher, $490.
Destination: $1,470
A/C Tax: $100
Price as tested: $78,920
Competitors:
BMW X5
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Lexus GX460
Mercedes-Benz ML-Class
Porsche Cayenne
Crash Test Results:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)
