Topic: Test Drive: 2010 Land Rover LR4

[Autos_Editor]

An evolution of the LR3, the 2010 Land Rover LR4 is competent and luxurious, writes Assistant Editor Jil McIntosh. New styling and a more powerful V8 come together in a vehicle that can climb the mountains it'll probably never see.

Read More...

[John MacDonald]

Everyone on this forum harps about how unreliable this vehicle and that vehicle is, usually the north american manufacturers but also the germans.  Well this company has been making the most unreliable high end vehicles for awhile now and now's your chance to give it to Land Rover.  Personally I would never purchase one of these as they are unreliable, not that good looking, expensive, and very thursty at the pumps. 

[new age group]

So can someone tell me why none of the auto manufactures owned by European and North American can produce a reliable vehicle?

Honda and Lexus that's manufactured in North America are very reliable (such as Civic and ES350) so it proofs North American workers are as good as Asians, same as the Honda made in UK (02 to 04 Civic SI) ,  so why the same workers in NA cannot produce a reliable MB or GM?

Why?
 

[ktm525]

Wow feel the Land Rover hate. $70k+ is insane, so is the weight gain. These things new make no sense. For us bottom feeders cruising the used market these vehicles are great. I was able to grab a 3 1/2 year old LR3 for much less than an equivilent Pathfinder, 4Runner, Yukon etc. I have the deatiled service history on my vehicle and aside from regular oil changes it had one issue since new. Faulty sensor that was fixed my some new code and all was well. The other thing to not is that this vehicle is a true 7 seater, meaning 7 adults can actually fit in the thing. The seating room is superior to a Yukon. It also can tow almost 8000lbs which puts it beyond most light duty SUVS. Next stop is a 3/4 Suburban.

I have had the LR3 for about 1 1/2 months now and have made some interesting observations: The component quality is high. Typical European. The brakes etc are oversized and overbuilt, the driveline is beyond solid etc. It was built to take extreme abuse. The electrics can be scary but the air suspension is simple and not all that expensive. The system and components were built by Delphi and are no different than the stuff used by Lexus and GM.

If LR would come to their senses and trim perhaps 300-500lbs off the LR3 weight and offer the diesel (available everywhere else in the world) it would make it much more appealing.

[johngenx]

ktm bought an LR the RIGHT way: used and at a fraction of the original price.

We had a Land Rover in the shop one day, and the shifter assembly appeared to be made to withstand a nuclear blast, but the main engine wiring harness wouldn't have been to spec for a Fischer Price toy truck.  Hope things are getting better...

[ktm525]

ktm bought an LR the RIGHT way: used and at a fraction of the original price.

We had a Land Rover in the shop one day, and the shifter assembly appeared to be made to withstand a nuclear blast, but the main engine wiring harness wouldn't have been to spec for a Fischer Price toy truck.  Hope things are getting better...

Sort of, but there is a scary amount of fuses...The LR3 was the first LR vehicle to be designed and produced after Ford bought them. Ford sunk a lot of $$ into the production facility. I have come across a few Ford bits under the hood. The 05 modle had a recall for the fuel tank but the 06+ has had surprisingly few.

I think the biggest problem LR has is it's dealer network. The shops are small and there doesn't seem to be a lot of knowledge. I know the LR dealer is Calgary is dissapointing. I have found a decent  Rover specialist  shop but I don't think they see too many LR3's...yet.

[robarakira]

90% of new Land Rovers are being used by tools, instead of as one.

[BlixemBimmer]

Quote:
It starts at $59,900, which gets you the base model with five rows of seats.

5 rows of seats?? That must explain the cost and the weight!!! ;-)

[Sir Osis of Liver]

So can someone tell me why none of the auto manufactures owned by European and North American can produce a reliable vehicle?

Honda and Lexus that's manufactured in North America are very reliable (such as Civic and ES350) so it proofs North American workers are as good as Asians, same as the Honda made in UK (02 to 04 Civic SI) ,  so why the same workers in NA cannot produce a reliable MB or GM?

Why?
 

Your perceptions are dated.

Ford’s sustained production of vehicles that are as dependable—or better than—some of the industry’s best dispels the notion that only Japanese manufacturers make reliable cars. Other than the Toyota Prius, the reliability of the 4-cylinder Fusion and Milan ranks higher than that of any other family sedan. Both of those Ford Motor Company products continue to beat the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, while the upscale Lincoln MKZ tops its rivals, the Acura TL and Lexus ES.

http://pressroom.consumerreports.org/pressroom/2009/10/consumer-reports-2009-annual-car-reliability-survey-ford-secures-place-among-worlds-most-reliable-ca.html

[john doe]

90% of new Land Rovers are being used by tools, instead of as one.

 

[cpa4s]

the heated windshield in these is a fantastic feature for Canada. the wires are all but invisible so i really do not understand the comment by the author. freezing rain, snow, frost it was fast - wish my Cayenne had that feature.

our 2006 Lr3 had NO service issues, but you really do have to watch the 1st run of these new models. go for 1 that is built after the 1st year of production.

lastly - the rear seating is superior to anything on the road when it comes to visibility out the windows by smaller children.

[robarakira]

the heated windshield in these is a fantastic feature for Canada. the wires are all but invisible so i really do not understand the comment by the author. freezing rain, snow, frost it was fast - wish my Cayenne had that feature.

Actually I found the coils slightly annoying the one-and-only time I drove a LR.

Plus the glass is brutally expensive to replace.

[sailor723]

We have a heated windshield in the Cooper and you really can't even see the wires unless you look at just the right angle in the right sort of lighting. I can't tell it's there 99% of the time.

[ktm525]

the heated windshield in these is a fantastic feature for Canada. the wires are all but invisible so i really do not understand the comment by the author. freezing rain, snow, frost it was fast - wish my Cayenne had that feature.

Actually I found the coils slightly annoying the one-and-only time I drove a LR.

Plus the glass is brutally expensive to replace.

Here is the cost breakdown. $810 for heated and rain sensor, $700 for heated only, $610 for rain sensor, $495 for neither. I am leaning towards the basic if I can get int. wipers working instead of rain sensor. I really don't care for rain sensors.

[Triple Bob]

Honda and Lexus that's manufactured in North America are very reliable (such as Civic and ES350) so it proofs North American workers are as good as Asians, same as the Honda made in UK (02 to 04 Civic SI) ,  so why the same workers in NA cannot produce a reliable MB or GM?

All it proofs is that you can't spell.

[Triple Bob]

Everyone on this forum harps about how unreliable this vehicle and that vehicle is, usually the north american manufacturers but also the germans.  Well this company has been making the most unreliable high end vehicles for awhile now and now's your chance to give it to Land Rover.  Personally I would never purchase one of these as they are unreliable, not that good looking, expensive, and very thursty at the pumps. 

So what would you purchase?  And why did you read the review?

[aknutson]

As much as I dislike the idea of mommified SUV's, I like Land Rovers. There's something very Swiss Army Knife about them, that it will just work in circumstances that leave others behind or stranded. If I were to ever get one though, it would only be the real one, the Range Rover...none of this LR stuff. The interior on the Rangie is, in my opinion, one of the best in any vehicle at any price. Plus, it can handle a freeway or a narrow rocky path on the same trip. Then the practical side grabs me and says yeah, but a Toyota 4Runner does that too.

[ar_ken]

I jumped on the Land Rover boat last November.  Got a LR3 V6 with the SE package (Off lease from a Land Rover dealer)    .  The truck has been great to me.  Yes it's low on power, and isn't the best equipped truck out there (no memory seats, xenon lights, parking aid etc), however I love its looks and how it drives.

Does it have its little quirks?  You damn right it does.  Here's a list, fixes are in the brackets:

- Sunroof leaked water into the interior, causing the floorboards to be soaked (Took the exit point of the sunroof drain and nipped off the too-small outlet, took out the carpet and dried it out)

- Ashtray in the center console won't go back in (Use it as a cell phone holder)

- HDC Warning comes on in extreme cold weather starts (Apparently caused by low voltage on battery, warning light goes away once the truck gets running - after approx. 3 seconds)

- CD player lost its voice.. everything else works but the CD player.  (Fixed itself overnight and never came back... go figure)


To be honest, anyone that buys a Land Rover and expect Japanese-like reliability are merely kidding themselves, or just ignorant in general.  You buy a Land Rover for its class, its heritage and its capabilities.  If you are just looking for something to drive from point A to point B with a jacked up chassis and 4WD, there are plenty of choices out there for you.

[ktm525]

As much as I dislike the idea of mommified SUV's, I like Land Rovers. There's something very Swiss Army Knife about them, that it will just work in circumstances that leave others behind or stranded. If I were to ever get one though, it would only be the real one, the Range Rover...none of this LR stuff. The interior on the Rangie is, in my opinion, one of the best in any vehicle at any price. Plus, it can handle a freeway or a narrow rocky path on the same trip. Then the practical side grabs me and says yeah, but a Toyota 4Runner does that too.

One of the best features of the LR3/LR4 is the seating flexability. 6' adults can fit in all 7 seating positions. In addition any combo of seat can be lowered, each seat is seperate. The tall greenhouse of the vehicle makes it not only roomy for passengers but also for cargo. I folded the back two rows down and was able to stuff two 7' Hoopsi Blue spruce from the tree farm in the back. In the trailer was 7 other assorted trees. The back is a little sore today...

[aknutson]

One of the best features of the LR3/LR4 is the seating flexability. 6' adults can fit in all 7 seating positions. In addition any combo of seat can be lowered, each seat is seperate. The tall greenhouse of the vehicle makes it not only roomy for passengers but also for cargo. I folded the back two rows down and was able to stuff two 7' Hoopsi Blue spruce from the tree farm in the back. In the trailer was 7 other assorted trees. The back is a little sore today...

With that tall greenhouse, did you ever feel that it was top-heavy on the road? That is what comes across to me when I'm following one of these on the highway, it looks like the same proportions of width-to-height as those old Suzuki's that used to catch a summer breeze and flip over, albeit the LR is on a much grander scale. Again, I don't know if any of this is true, just an outward impression.