- Classic rugged styling
- Foot in the country club door
- Half the cost of a Range Rover, but not half the car
Misses:
- Niggling annoyances from horn button to tailgate to seat latch
- Thirsty for premium fuel
- Third row seats more appropriate for monkeys and other agile creatures
In terms of the country club pecking order, the LR4 will get you onto the same putting green as the Range Rover, but you’ll be further from the cup than you might like. At close to a hundred grand, the Range Rover is a hole-in-one for the horsey set. The half-as-costly LR4 may be a two-put for par, but shares enough virtues with big brother to make it worthy of the family name. Both enjoy the same 375hp, all aluminum V8, the same two-speed electronic transfer gearbox for sublimely competent off road abilities, and similarly airy cabin space. The difference lies in price and attention to detail. If you can make do with simplified leather, lack of wood trim, and tighter packaging, than the all new LR4, base priced at $47,850, is a bonus bargain worthy of Costco.
The LR4 has come a long way from the Discovery that Rover marketed as its first entry level offering. Where the Discovery, and its successor, the LR3 seemed insubstantial and cheap, the LR4 seems more like a de-contented version of the Range Rover. Its appearance is considerably up market compared to the Discovery and LR3. The front corners contain a bevy of headlights that resemble crown jewels. Likewise, the rear corners are bejeweled with LED tail light clusters that look like they were stolen from Tiffany showcases. The slab-sided and heavy weight five-door body has the same regal presence as the Range Rover. In fact, the LR4 actually weighs 6 pounds more than its sibling (5,703 lbs. to 5,697 lbs.).
There’s no mistaking the LR4’s parentage once you’ve climbed behind the wheel. The front seats feature characteristic Rover fold-down center arm rests, with knurled height-adjustment rods concealed beneath them. The steering wheel lacks a central horn pad in favor of two vertical aluminum bars to honk. Finding these in a pinch can be disconcerting. Instrument dials and vent orifices are done in subdued matte-finished aluminum trim that is characteristic of Rover understatement. The LR4’s interior is graced with no less than 3 skylights and 8 large windows. The front sunroof is the only one that opens, and since it lacks a pop-up windscreen, it’s noisy at speeds above 45mph. The tailgate features a double door arrangement that requires you to pop the upper lid, then drop the lower gate. Sometimes the button to drop the lower gate fails to activate, and sometimes the upper gate fails to latch on the first try. A single door would be an improvement here.
Our test LR4 had its bottom line boosted by no less than $2,500 for a set of 20” diameter “ ten split-spoke” alloy wheels, which replaced the standard issue 19” x 8” alloys. Mounted on the upgraded wheels are 255/50R20 Pirelli Scorpion M&S rated tires. A much more substantial price boost results when you order the $9,165 “7 Seat LUX Package” which brings you an in-car cooler for food and beverages, a pair of rearmost jump seats to add to the normal accommodations for 5, a passive keyless entry system, and a Harman/Kardon 14 speaker audio which replaces the standard 9 speaker model. The audio is terrific, with the H/K speakers in the front doors taking nearly half the width of the doors. The folding aft steerage seats are sized for kids who are limber enough to clamber over the second row to reach them. These occasional seats fold flat, though the latch to accomplish this task is difficult to access. The keyless entry is convenient, but why does the key fob need to be so large and heavy?
Unless you really need to transport 7, the base model LR4 is perfectly adequate for 5. The basic LR4 is a good buy at $47,500, less so at $60,615 for the super 7 pack.
2011 LAND ROVER LR4
- ENGINE: 5.0 liter DOHC 32-valve V8
- HORSEPOWER: 375hp
- TORQUE: 375 lb.-ft.
- TRANSMISSION: 6-Speed ZF Automatic with Commandshift
- FUEL CONSUMPTION: 12 MPG City/17 MPG Highway
- PRICE AS TESTED: $60,615
