Topic: Test Drive: 2014 Land Rover LR4

[Autos_Editor]

Taking the high road only.

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[Silverjesus]

Taking the high road only.

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I have never seen a Land Rover driven off road.  There seems to be a certain type of person who buys these cars strictly for status.  I find the typical Land Rover owner to be a woman between ages 30-40 with bleached blond hair. 

[Fobroader]

Ive seen some offroad, they do very well, of course with proper tires not the mall rated, low profiles that come stock, but yeah, for the majority, its just basic transport. I like them, the wife really like them, the reliability, or lack thereof, really puts me off.

[Noto]

Nice article - very enjoyable read!  Great job, BM!

I wonder how much the LR4 has been changed since Tata took over.  I like what they've done with the Jag products and reliability seems to be on the rise.  Maybe it'll carry over to the LR4, too?

The interior (i.e. dashboard, centre stack) seems very blocky, indeed, and I'm not a fan.  I do like the outward visibility and manoeuvrability, though.

[treepondersleaf]

As a proud LR3 owner (which the LR4 is very similar to), I would say the LR3 is quite reliable.  Certain parts are prone to failure, but in a predictable fashion (the control arms, and air suspension will fail, but you expect it at around 80,000 - 140,000 kms).  The engines, both the V6 and V8 were rock-solid.

The LR4 corrected those issues, and to my knowledge most owners are very, very happy with this vehicle.

I live in BC and regularly take my LR3 off-road and I see many doing the same.  The only reason I purchased the LR3 was because I have a family (need seating for 7), but love going off-road.  In that market there aren't too many options, and nothing that compares to prowess of this beast.  I tried a Suzuki XL-7 and a Toyota Sequoia but I fell in love with this.

The only other thing I would object to is referring to the V6 in the LR3 as an 'underpowered huffalump.'  I actually chose the V6 because it had a proven record for reliability and it actually quite well-suited to the LR3.   

[Brendan McAleer]

Well, maybe it's not that bad, but 0-60 in nearly 11 seconds is pretty leisurely, and it's not much different in fuel-economy. Next-gen version of this vehicle should lose some of that mass with a more intensive aluminium construction - I just hope they keep the utilitarian styling.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

When considering the use of "alternative materials" to steel, it's very important to investigate the properties of said material. It turns out "depleted uranium" is fairly dense, you see Chauncy? 

[Brendan McAleer]

Oh, and I hardly ever see Range Rovers going off-road, but I do see plenty of Discos, more and more LR3s and the odd LR4. True, it's still mostly a prestige car for the bulk of sales, a few of the original owners and often the 2nd owners tend to use them as they were intended. As pointed out, if you have a specialist mechanic, and know how to maintain them, it's only the usual failures that crop up.

[sailor723]

I've always been attracted to this brand.

It's probably just as well that the closest dealer is 400+ kms away. 

[tpl]

I've always been attracted to this brand.

It's probably just as well that the closest dealer is 400+ kms away. 

I can see that it would be a problem, having to drive 400 kms with the CEL on. 

[Sir Osis of Liver]

I've always been attracted to this brand.

Kind of a moth to a candle, aren't you. 

[sailor723]

I've always been attracted to this brand.

Kind of a moth to a candle, aren't you. 

Cadillac SRX....ML350....attracted to this Land Rover.....I'm beginning to see a pattern here.

Oh well, they say the first step is admitting you have a problem. 

[ktm525]

Just got back from Kelowna and area with my LR4 and I can say it is the best vehicle I have ever owned for tackling an active family holiday. The space, smooth ride and powerful V8 (big mistake ditching that engine..) and large brakes eats up the pavement miles with ease. The low range  gear box, extra off road suspension height and most importantly full skid plates allowed us to access some great back country hiking, biking  and fishing spots. Our friends had a MDX but it's lack of skid plates made any mistake in the backcountry a potentially fatal one (oil pan etc). The lack of a proper low range made maneuvering around obstacles tougher than it had to be. We ended up leaving it at the trailhead and piling everyone into the Rover. I don't blame him as I feel uncomfortable with the Ridgeline in tough conditions for the same reasons. It can generally do it but it is not enjoyable. The trade off is owning a vehicle that eats more gas and  may require more TLC than most but I actually enjoy some of the wrench turning. It doesn't bother me as I am used to dirt bikes (1 hour riding = 1 hour maintenance or so it seems) So far with the LR4 I have had to replace some brake pads. So far so good. I would like to get some 18" wheels and some better off road rubber but so far it has managed quite well.