Refined LR4 is luxurious, but ready for the outdoors
Land Rover boasts a supercharged 3.0-litre V6
The Land Rover LR4 made its debut with the 2010 model as a replacement for the LR3, and for 2014 there have been significant styling and powertrain revisions to the popular luxury sport utility vehicle.
The LR4 represents the mid-range offering for the brand, but with this latest iteration, it is obvious that the planning team sought to raise the bar in this segment. My test rig gave me a new appreciation for the level of refinement, equipment and performance the company is packing into its current lineup. There are three trim levels available: the V6, the HSE and the HSE LUX.
The new LR4 is tall, long and wide, just like its forebears. Many assume that these styling elements are a nod to Land Rover’s utilitarian past, but it allows for a wider track. That helps give the LR4 with the stability of a mountain goat when the conditions get slick or steep.
The most significant change to the LR4 platform is under the hood. In an effort to improve fuel economy, a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 engine has been fitted in place of the outgoing vehicle’s 5.0L V8. Overall performance is similar to that of the outgoing model.
This new power plant produces 340 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque, which is sufficient to hustle from zero to 100 kilometres an hour in about eight seconds. The LR4 has a wide torque band, which means there’s plenty of grunt available at most engine speeds. Paired with a new eight-speed automatic transmission — with paddle controls — it made short work of extended climbs and on-ramps.
The LR4 proved to be an excellent grand touring vehicle, as the steering, suspension and traction control systems work together to make you feel more connected to the road without compromising off-road performance.
The passenger compartment is well insulated from wind, road and engine noise, and its highly adaptable air suspension provided a smooth ride, predictable handling and exceptional steering response.
The overall driving experience delivered by the LR4 is nowhere near as dynamic as that offered by its Range Rover siblings, but this is not a sports machine. Instead, the LR4 is a luxuriously outfitted goanywhere vehicle with room for the entire family.
The new transmission has been engineered to make the most efficient use of the vehicle’s power resources, and it does an exceptional job of getting the power to the ground without much drama. However, the tall centre of gravity and overall heft of the vehicle will keep you from tossing it into corners.
Where the LR4 excels is off-road. It features Land Rover’s Terrain Response System, which is a userfriendly full-time four-wheel-drive system that allows the driver to select from four settings — special programs off, grass-gravel-snow, mud-ruts, and sand — to tailor the vehicle’s operational setup for different conditions. At the push of a button, the system reconfigures the LR4’s settings so you can take on any surface with confidence.
By using the LR4’s adaptable air suspension system, the vehicle is rewarded with 240 millimetres of ground clearance. When operating in extreme off-road conditions, having optimal clearance is a plus, but the system also features an access mode that drops the vehicle by almost 50 mm to facilitate the loading of passengers or cargo.
During my time with the LR4, I took it for a brief off-road adventure to explore the vehicle’s climbing and descending abilities. Before ascending the deeply rutted trail before me, I activated the air suspension to raise the vehicle to its optimum height. This helps the LR4 achieve the very impressive approach angle of 36.2 degrees, and a departure angle of 29.6 degrees.
My test unit was fitted with the standard single-speed transfer box, so there is no low setting available, unless you opt for the heavy-duty package. As my front wheels began to scurry up the loose gravel and light debris that made up the majority of the road’s surface, I was able to monitor on an in-cabin screen what was happening to the suspension, as well as the direction of my front wheels. This clever technology comes in handy when climbing steep grades, where the windscreen is painted with blue sky and clouds rather than helpful visual cues like rocks or trees.
The rectangular shape of the Land Rover LR4 helps maximize in- terior volume, and the spacious cabin offers seating for seven. Secondrow seating is sufficient for three adults, while two stowaway seats can be found in the cargo area.
The cargo area is accessed via a split-door design, which features a compact folding tailgate and an upswing lift gate to protect you from the rain.
The quality of the interior materials is all top-notch. The tall windows and raised seating positions promote excellent visibility throughout the vehicle, and all but the tallest individuals should be able to get comfortable in the two front seating positions.
The Land Rover LR4 looks classy in its formal dress, but this SUV is perfectly suited for adventure.