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Kraftwagen König
Taking on the Slippery Slope in Style
We're easing the front wheels of our new 2010 Land Rover LR4 up to the lip of a muddy precipice somewhere in the Scottish countryside. The primitive track ahead drops away at something like a 45-degree angle, so there's a spotter at the ready. He's grinning in a way that suggests imminent entertainment.
Our 2010 Land Rover LR4 is in low range and the air suspension is set for maximum clearance. The Terrain Response dial is set to "Mud & Ruts" because, well, that's mud right there and we're aiming for a pair of gooey ruts that should keep us out of the trees as we descend the infamous slippery slope.
As we gingerly tip over the edge, the reason for the spotter's grin reveals itself: a broad, brown pool of muddy soup. Its depth is impossible to gauge, but fresh tracks lead away from it. We ease off the brakes and put our trust in the software behind the Hill Descent Control.
The descent itself is entirely anticlimactic and the LR4 eases into the pool as it if were a hot tub. A casual dab of throttle motors us through the murk and up the opposite bank.
The Brits, they know their mud, don't they?
Meanwhile, Back on Melrose
The vast majority of Land Rover LR3 owners never attempted such feats, but the idea that they could if they wanted to counts for something when it's time to tackle the snow-covered roads leading to a favorite ski slope.
That said, the utilitarian heritage that makes Land Rover off-road prowess possible was just a bit too apparent in the outgoing LR3. Sure, the exterior styling won rave reviews, but the plasticky look of the interior materials and a chaotic center stack earned it a full serving of raspberries.
And that is why the 2010 Land Rover LR4 looks like an entirely new vehicle, from the inside at least. Gone is the monochromatic festival of look-alike buttons, hard plastic and flat surfaces. Instead the LR4 has soft textures, gentle curves, a tasteful sprinkling of brushed metal accents and attractive controls. What's more, these controls are now spread out, logically grouped by function and utterly self-explanatory.
High Tech, High Content
The 2010 LR4 has also made a large leap forward to meet the expectations its well-heeled buyers have for modern electronics. This Land Rover offers keyless push-button start, an electronic parking brake, a fully integrated iPod connection that is fully operable via greatly improved steering controls, Bluetooth and hard-drive-based navigation.
There are also rain-sensing wipers and the newly styled headlamps have automatic high-beam assist and segmented LED parking lamps. The interior is bathed in tasteful ambient light and there is a 5-inch TFT screen between the main dials to display various onboard system details.
Most interesting is an available five-camera view system that can show you clearances all around the vehicle, and what's more you can actually zoom the view closer or farther away at your pleasure. Even the perfect path to your trailer's hitch ball can be mapped with guide lines that overlay the image. Once connected, another two cameras look down the sides of your trailer, with additional guide lines to plot the trailer's trajectory.
But these significant electrical upgrades would not be possible (or reliable) without a rethink of the LR4's central nervous system, so the whole wiring harness has been reengineered to make more extensive use of controller-area network (CAN) protocols. CAN, an in-vehicle network standard, allows the LR4's various smart electronics to talk and interrelate with each other in ways that conventional electronic networks cannot.
If You Can't Lose Weight, Gain Horsepower
None of this additional content does the 2010 LR4's weight any favors, however. The body and its integrated frame rails are essentially a direct carryover, so the extra goodies simply add a few more pounds. The outgoing LR3 reportedly weighs 5,796 pounds, and the 2010 LR4 is expected to come in at 5,833 pounds.
This significant mass is certainly the reason why the LR3's 4.4-liter V8 and its otherwise respectable output of 300 horsepower and 315 pound-feet of torque were considered barely adequate, at best. Not to worry; that motor is now history.
The sole engine offering for North America is an all-new 5.0-liter V8. Known simply as the LR V8, it sports all the latest technology advances for a gasoline engine, including direct injection (DI), variable valve timing and dual-profile camshafts. The performance gains are huge, as it makes 375 hp and 375 lb-ft of torque.
Indeed, our test LR4 accelerated like a much lighter vehicle. Land Rover predicts a 7.5-second 0-60-mph performance, which would be more than 1 second quicker than the LR3. We'll have to wait until later to confirm this, but in Scotland our LR4 had no trouble reaching highway speeds without working hard. Better yet, the DI system seemed devoid of the injector clatter we've heard from other such systems.
Despite the considerable increase in punch, fuel economy remains unchanged from the outgoing 4.4-liter V8. That said, 12 mpg city and 17 mpg highway on premium fuel aren't going to write any headlines.
Subtle but Effective Chassis Changes
The LR4's running gear is essentially unchanged, but several detail changes pay dividends.
The new variable-ratio rack-and-pinion steering utilizes a slow initial ratio for steady and predictable behavior when driving straight down the road. A quicker ratio comes into play for improved steering response when enough lock is applied to indicate that the LR4 is actually cornering.
Revised suspension knuckles move the LR4's roll axis closer to the vehicle's center of gravity, and this lessens the natural tendency for the body to heel over in turns. Revised shock absorber valving and a larger antiroll bar complement these changes.
Happily, most of our sinuous, oddly cambered route through the Scottish Borderlands is a good test of these changes, and our LR4 feels lighter on its feet than its 5,833 pounds would suggest, especially because there's a reduction in head toss and that top-heavy feeling that comes from driving off-road in a tall, boxy vehicle. We're not sure what these changes have done to off-road suspension articulation, however, because the boggy Scottish countryside is far from the rocky trails of Moab, Utah, so we'll be double-checking once we get the LR4 back in the U.S.
All of this sits on 19-inch wheels with Michelin 255/55R19 tires, a 1-inch increase in wheel diameter to accommodate the larger 14.2-inch brake rotors with twin-piston sliding calipers. The last LR3 we tested recorded relatively short stops, but no one is going to argue with bigger brakes when 75 more horsepower is on tap. Besides, these binders are asked to do a lot by the onboard electronic brains associated with the stability control, Hill Descent Control, trailer sway control and the permanent all-wheel-drive system.
It Must Cost a Fortune Now
You would tend to think that, wouldn't you? After all, it's now called the LR4 instead of the LR3. And that's one more LR, isn't it?
Land Rover couldn't really come up with a specific reason why this vehicle should be called an LR4 instead of an LR3. Apart from the bumpers and lights, it looks the same outside, but perhaps the new engine, interior and upgraded electronics add up to another LR, making a total of 4.
At $48,100, the entry price of the 2010 Land Rover LR4 is $1,275 more expensive than a 2009 LR3, a special model that was stripped of content slightly to make it more appealing in the recession-affected market. It might be fairer to compare it to the fully equipped model, and in this case the LR4 is $1,200 cheaper, despite a $2,600 improvement in content and specification. If you step up to the 2010 LR4 HSE, the price will be $51,750, while the 2010 LR4 HSE Lux will be $56,515.
However the math eventually works out, it seems clear that the new LR4 has become a better value than before, as well as a better product.
Will all of this tempt a larger subset of Land Rover LR4 owners out into the hinterlands near Floors Castle, the seat of the Duke of Roxburghe? Well, probably not. But it might have an even stronger appeal to those who motor down Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. Sadly, no Mud & Ruts setting is required there, unless you're planning to drive down an escalator at the nearby Beverly Center.
2010 Land Rover LR4 First Drive on Inside Line
Love this picture…
