Test Drive: 2010 Land Rover LR4

2010 Land Rover LR4. Click image to enlarge

You could be forgiven for thinking that the Terrain Response off-road mode dial on the console is a fake: this SUV rides nothing like what you’d expect from a serious trail machine. It’s like a big luxury sedan, and handles like it, too. Going around corners, there’s little clue as to its height, as body lean is very well-controlled. Its weight doesn’t overpower the brakes, with the pedal providing nice bite early in the travel, and everything stopping straight and securely.

The LR4 is always in four-wheel drive; the programs on the Terrain Response dial control the degree of input from the engine, transmission and stability control functions, and in some settings, the differential and suspension. “General” is used for on-road driving. From there, you can choose Grass-Gravel-Snow, Mud-Ruts, Sand, or Rock Crawl, which activates only in low gear. The driver-adjustable air suspension will rise 55 mm above normal height for off-road, or drop 50 mm for “access” height, allowing easier entry and exit. At very low speeds, the vehicle can remain lowered, which might be helpful when that last little bit will squeeze you under the garage door, but at regular road speeds, the vehicle automatically returns to normal height if it was propped up too high or dropped too low. At its highest, the LR4 can wade through 700 mm of water, and the speed of its hill descent control can be adjusted by tapping the cruise control buttons.

2010 Land Rover LR4. Click image to enlarge

It’s generally been my experience that the more expensive the vehicle, particularly in an all-wheel SUV, the more difficult it will be to figure out the controls (Audi, are you listening?). The LR4 isn’t; instead, it’s refreshingly intuitive and easy. You want to turn the stereo on, you hit the big button, and then you spin that to turn up the sound. If you don’t want your climate control on automatic, you simply press one of the three mode buttons, without a need to find the icons on a computer screen. Then – and this is brilliant – if your windshield suddenly fogs up, you hit a single button that puts everything on maximum defrost. When it’s done, you hit that button again to turn it off, and your HVAC goes back to whatever setting you had before.

What I didn’t like, though, was the heated windshield. I’m sure it’s great for taking off the ice (it never got cold enough for me to test it), but it does this via tiny, closely-spaced wires that run vertically in the glass. I found myself straining to look through them, rather than at them, especially in bright sunlight when they were particularly visible. It’s similar to looking through a screen door, and my husband said it gave him a headache.

2010 Land Rover LR4. Click image to enlarge

The LR4’s seats are firm but supportive, and clad in luscious leather that, courtesy of the Premium Leather Package included in the HSE LUX package, also puts that upper-level cowhide on the steering wheel, shifter knob and cubby box lid. Open that, and inside, you’ll find a cooler box that’s a true on-off refrigerated unit, not just an a/c vent routed into it. A USB and auxiliary input outlet are found just above it.

The second-row seats fold and tumble forward for access to the optional third row. Deploying the two third-row seats involves climbing into the vehicle to release the seatbacks and pull them upright. The third-row cushions are flat and I don’t know how long I’d want to sit on them, but the legroom is incredible: unlike most three-row vehicles, real adults can actually fit back there, especially since the high-mounted second-row chairs have enough room for slipping feet under them. The LR4’s square shape also ensures plenty of headroom, and three huge sunroof panels ensure light and airiness right to the back.

With the third- and second-row seats folded, there’s a completely flat cargo floor. The asymmetrical tailgate opens clamshell-style: you first pop open the top half, and then press a rubber-covered power switch (it takes more pressure than expected, and you have to hit exactly the right spot) to open the bottom half. A small panel slides across the tailgate opening to provide a flat surface for sliding goods into the vehicle.

Ford never seemed to be sure what to do with Land Rover; perhaps its new owner, India’s Tata, might have a vision of how to improve the brand’s visibility in North America. With its upgrades and better interior, the LR4 might be poised to grab buyers who always wanted a Range Rover, a lovely vehicle but one that’s almost $34,000 more. Or those who only ever stay on solid dry asphalt, but picture themselves in tweeds and wellies, off to explore the vast uncharted corners of their English estates.