Likes - Good performance with the new V8
- Comfortable and sophisticated
- Good price (for a luxury SUV)
- Unstoppable off road
Dislikes - Poor fuel economy
- Heavy
- Third row is a pain to fold
- Some electronic glitches
Tech Specs - 375 horsepower 5.0-liter V8
- 0 to 60 mph in 7.7 seconds (at 5,200 feet)
- 12 mpg city and 17 mpg highway
- 60 to 0 mph in 125 feet
What's Changed - The LR4 carries over much of the LR3. The notable exceptions are powertrain, suspension, body refinements and interior updating.
The Vehix View - Land Rover/ Range Rover wrote the book on capable, luxury SUVs. Now, with the 2010 Land Rover LR4, a new chapter is about to be written. It's an excellent machine.
First Impressions
There's just something about Land Rovers and Range Rovers. The look has always been unique and the capability has never been in question. When I see a Land Rover like the 2010 LR4 (view photos), images of traversing frozen tundra or blasting through a thick jungle path come to mind. This is the image that Rover wants you to conjure – even in the middle of an urban sprawl.
The brand new LR4 is an improved, polished and beefed-up 2009 LR3.
Body lines are taut, with no plastic body cladding from the former model – giving the Land Rover LR4 a much more distinctive look. Most notably revamped is the front end. The grill and jewel-like headlight lenses are reminiscent of the more expensive Range Rover nose. Sides are even smoother than before, leaving very little wind-harassing surface nose to tail.
Overhangs are very short and become shorter when the power suspension is set to an off-road setting, lifting the LR4 several inches. Unlike Land Rover’s older Discovery (which is the LR4’s ancestor) there is no rear tire hanging off the back or exposed roof accessories. The look is sleek, purposeful and definitely in line with the rest of the family.
Best of all, Land Rover made the new LR4 look as good as it drives.
Pricing, Trims and Options
The 2010 Land Rover LR4’s entry model is the LR4 V8 ($48,100) culminating in the top-of-the-line LR4 HSE LUX Plus ($59,215).
Land Rover offers option packages, some of the popular option packages are listed below. Various trim levels negate many option packages.
- HSE Package ($3,650): Includes 19-inch, Premium Hard Disc Drive Navigation System with 7” Color Touch Screen, 7-Split Spoke Alloy Wheels, Front Park Distance Control, Climate Comfort Package, SIRIUS® Satellite Radio (subscription not included), and Personal Telephone Integration System with Bluetooth with registration.
- Rear seat entertainment package ($2,500)
- HSE LUX Plus Package ($11,115): Includes HSE LUX Package, 7-Seat Comfort Package, Heavy Duty Package, and Surround Camera System featuring 5 cameras in total, including one camera located under each side-view mirror, two located in the front bumper and one in the rear to assist in low-speed maneuvering.
Interior Features
It’s wondrous how a properly presented interior can make you feel.
I absolutely adore the new, Range Rover-like interior trim offered on the 2010 Land Rover LR4. The LR3 had an acceptable interior, though its wood accents looked like an afterthought and included far too many tiny buttons that required great patience to learn.
The new LR4’s electronics are simple and easy to operate. The layout of the touch screen controls and larger buttons are logical and intuitive. Imagine that? I no longer feel that NASA has to be consulted. Other controls (such as the off-road selection system) are equally well designed.
Seating comfort is excellent all around – with third-row seating being a bit tight for full sized adults. My biggest issue is with the operation of the third-row as straps to lower and raise the seats can (and do) disappear and make for an uncomfortable search. I had to crawl in the back of the vehicle to drop the seats flat. That’s like watching a polar bear squeezing into a small tracksuit.
The ride height, sight lines and driver’s position are superb. I was constantly heated and cooled in a pleasurable display of comfort as miles slipped by. The LR4 allows for drivers of every size to be comfortably seated with several adjustments.
Expect luxury appointments like these to bring out the adventurer-sophisticate in you.
Safety, Quality and Reliability
No crash ratings from the IIHS or NHTSA are available at the time of this writing for the 2010 Land Rover LR4.
Warranty information: The bumper-to-bumper warranty covers4 years or 50,000 miles, powertrain is 4 years or 50,000 miles, corrosion is 6 years/unlimited miles, roadside assistance is 4 years or 50,000 miles and scheduled maintenance lasts 1 year or 15,000 miles.