A World of Ice and Land Rover’s Discovery (VIDEO)

by Alexandra Straub on Thursday, February 26th, 2015

“As we traverse the topography, it’s almost as though one of the Norse gods, or trolls, is looking over us from above and shaking a sifter of powdered sugar.”
(more…)

Land Rover LR4: At Home on the Serengeti and B.C. Backroads

by Ian Harwood on Monday, August 25th, 2014

“I was pleasantly surprised at the comfort level and the drivability of this vehicle…”

 

 

The Land Rover LR4 was not what I was expecting – instead it was a pleasant surprise.

Looks

I’m used to seeing bulky and cumbersome old Land Rovers on the back roads, spinning out rocks while attempting a hill climb and shaking the occupants to bits! Fast forward to today’s version of the Land Rover and you will find an outstanding front end that is easily recognized with the signature grille and projector style headlights. Also feature are those trend setting side vents on the front fenders, much copied in the aftermarket. And the large rear glass panels that extend up into the roof line make the overall appearance very clean looking and unique. Optional 20 inch rims are worth the upcharge.

In The Cab

My first impression after climbing into the cab was one of disbelief. I did not expect that level of comfort. The sight lines are amazing and the blind spot was almost non-existent. The rear seats had plenty of room for adults and the cargo area was adequate. The heated leather wrapped steering wheel featured all the controls one needed to operate the equipment without distraction. The front and rear seats are heated. Power tilt/slide front sunroof and two sections of glass covering the roof area over the 2^nd and third row seats allow plenty of natural light in.

Safety

There are six airbags, including side curtain, side thorax and front passenger with occupant detection system, four-channel all terrain ABS, electronic brake assist and an electronic parking brake. Blind spot monitoring, closing-vehicle sensing and reverse traffic detection systems have also been added.

Power

The engine is a 340hp 3.0 litre supercharged V6 coupled with an 8-speed ZF automatic transmission. This transmission features Command Shift and sport mode that actively responds to your driving habits and road conditions by reconfiguring the shift patterns for optimum drivability in all situations and is mated with a single speed transfer case or an optional 2 speed electronically controlled transfer case. Stop-start technology helps to improve the fuel economy. Four wheel electronic traction control, hill descent control and four-corner air suspension with terrain response not only make this vehicle manouevre well on the road, but also make it fully capable of tackling the back roads too.

Roadworthy

This is the first time I have driven the Land Rover LR4 and visions of driving a boxy SUV through the Serengeti looking at exotic animals came to mind. I was pleasantly surprised at the comfort level and the drivability of this vehicle.

Verdict

This luxurious vehicle has comfort and performance levels that should be expected at this price point. This is a heavy vehicle and fully loaded with passengers and gear it is not going to get great fuel economy, but for some reason I don’t think that matters.

Pump frequency:

17.1/11.6 L/100 km (city/highway)

Warranty support:

4 year/ 80,000 km

Sticker price:

Price as tested $70,620

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Contact: ian [dot] harwood [at] drivewaybc [dot] ca