LR4 vs. Volvo XC90

I have a lot of questions – if anyone is able to answer them, I’d be very grateful.

I LOVE the LR4 and am deciding between buying a new LR4 or the new Volvo XC90. I absolutely love the feel of the LR4 – the upright seats and the view – I feel like I’m in control of the car instead of the other way around. And it feels more spacious for my kids who are getting older (13, 10 and 7) The Volvo seems like a smart and safe choice and I always like being safe but I really prefer the LR4.

I live a 3 hour drive (through the mountains) away from the nearest land rover dealer. So it’s hard to get a lot of info about them…

Here are my questions:

•Living so far away from a dealer makes warranty issues very difficult. How much have you all had to use a warranty in the first 4 years of owning an LR4?

•When you do have to make repairs/ do service/ oil changes, etc. on your LR4, is it more expensive than a Volvo would be due to specialized parts?

•I’ve heard that because it is a tall car, you can feel it lean in turns, roundabouts and in windy conditions. Have any of you experienced that?

•Would you think it would be more likely to slip in icy conditions vs. a Volvo? (I will buy studded snow tires for either car.)

I test drove a 2010 LR4 today. I’m not sure what has changed since then.

• Are the 3rd row seats any better now? They were a bit difficult to open/close/access.

•Is there power liftgate on the back hatch? Remote start when you get the apps for the car?


•The clearance of the car is listed at 7 inches, less than 9” for the Volvo. Is that because of the air suspension? Does anyone know what the actual height of the front bumper is when parked? (It sounds like they all have air suspension now which is a feature I don't care for that much. I like the look of a car that stands proud when parked and I love having a high front bumper so that I don’t have to worry about high sidewalk curbs scratching the bumper.)

•The 2015-16 models didn’t change body shape from the 2010, did they? The car looks narrower than the xc90 but according to the 2016 dimensions, it is wider. Perhaps just an illusion because it’s so tall.


I’m sorry for tall of the questions. If anyone has the answers to any of them, I sure would love to hear it. Thank you so much in advance!!

Katie

Comments in red below.

katiebee4 said:

I have a lot of questions – if anyone is able to answer them, I’d be very grateful.

I LOVE the LR4 and am deciding between buying a new LR4 or the new Volvo XC90. I absolutely love the feel of the LR4 – the upright seats and the view – I feel like I’m in control of the car instead of the other way around. And it feels more spacious for my kids who are getting older (13, 10 and 7) The Volvo seems like a smart and safe choice and I always like being safe but I really prefer the LR4.

I live a 3 hour drive (through the mountains) away from the nearest land rover dealer. So it’s hard to get a lot of info about them…

Here are my questions:

•Living so far away from a dealer makes warranty issues very difficult. How much have you all had to use a warranty in the first 4 years of owning an LR4? Yes, had a couple of issues that were traced to an open recall. For our LR3, I would say I was at the dealer for something (routine service or warranty issue) every 5k miles.

•When you do have to make repairs/ do service/ oil changes, etc. on your LR4, is it more expensive than a Volvo would be due to specialized parts? I don't know about Volvo but LR4 parts can be relatively expensive if you stay with OEM parts. This includes "consumables" like wipers, brakes, fluids, etc. For example, wipers can wear quickly and cost a lot ($70 for a pair.) I wind up buying non-OEM wipers that work jsut as well for $20. Same for brakes, those generally only last 15-20k miles then need new pads.

•I’ve heard that because it is a tall car, you can feel it lean in turns, roundabouts and in windy conditions. Have any of you experienced that? It actually handles very well for its size, and has a relatively low center of gravity. It does weigh close to 3 tons so it won't handle as well as a unibody SUV/crossover, but I have had no issues. Same comment for wind - high profile car but never had any concerns, even driving in very windy areas in the mountains here and on the plains.

•Would you think it would be more likely to slip in icy conditions vs. a Volvo? (I will buy studded snow tires for either car.) It weighs more than the Volvo so something like a downhill stop on equivalent rubber, the Volvo will stop in a shorter distance. Again, I have had no issues driving in some pretty awful mountain snow storms. I would also recommend a dedicated studless ice/snow tire over studded unless you are routinely driving on ice.

I test drove a 2010 LR4 today. I’m not sure what has changed since then. If you are buying new, quite a bit has changed for the powertrain and interior electronics, otherwise the chassis, suspension, and other key components are unchanged. Biggest difference is the engine is now a supercharged V6 with slightly less power than the car you drove. The transmission is now an 8-speed box v. the 6-speed in the 2010-2013 LR4s. Interior electronics are much improved (nav, entertainment) but will be far behind the new XC90 (I have heard very good reviews of their new systems and that they will support Apple CarPlay sometime soon.)

• Are the 3rd row seats any better now? They were a bit difficult to open/close/access. They are exactly the same, much larger than the Volvo (I am 6'3" and can fit comfortably), but still cumbersome to operate.

•Is there power liftgate on the back hatch? Remote start when you get the apps for the car? No to both, unfortunately. You might be able to fit a 3rd party remote starter.


•The clearance of the car is listed at 7 inches, less than 9” for the Volvo. Is that because of the air suspension? Does anyone know what the actual height of the front bumper is when parked? (It sounds like they all have air suspension now which is a feature I don't care for that much. I like the look of a car that stands proud when parked and I love having a high front bumper so that I don’t have to worry about high sidewalk curbs scratching the bumper.) I have never had an issue in 9 years of owning Lr3s and now the LR4. Never had a parking curb even touch the car. Was surprised to read that stat about the Volvo. Both can go higher with the air suspension, standard on the LR4 but optional on the Volvo. The LR4 looks like a meaty truck, I can't say the same for the Volvo (although I do think it looks good in its own way).

•The 2015-16 models didn’t change body shape from the 2010, did they? The car looks narrower than the xc90 but according to the 2016 dimensions, it is wider. Perhaps just an illusion because it’s so tall. I think you are right about the looks, hard to top the LR4 for interior volume. No changes to the body, only changes in 2014 were to the engine/trans/infotainment (as noted above), new headlights and taillights, and many changes to trim and options.


I’m sorry for tall of the questions. If anyone has the answers to any of them, I sure would love to hear it. Thank you so much in advance!!

If we were shopping today, I would have a hard look at the Volvo. Biggest downsides are the drivetrain (turbo 4 is too small for a large SUV, plus not a fan of hybrid drivetrains), smaller interior volume and generally less rugged. The LR4 is now a very old car, a platform that was originally developed well over 10 years ago and in some aspects it really shows. Mostly the modern conveniences people like to have aren't available, including a lot of things you mention. It is quirky in a lot of ways, but nothing out there drives like it. I drove a lot of new cars before buying the LR4, and for me nothing came close. Smooth, quiet, solid as a rock, great looks, best offroad chops, loads of interior room for the exterior size... I knew I was buying an outdated truck in a lot of ways but those factors were far more important to me than new technology/conveniences. Even after driving the new RR, RR Sport, I would still chose the LR4 for how it drives.

Hope that helps.

Katie

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I own a 2012 LR4 and a 2014 Volvo xc70. (Have read extensively about the new XC90.)
My wife and I enjoy both.

I would NEVER own a LR if the dealers was not within an hours drive. (This is not a Toyota. They break and have issues. We have purchased 3 LRs. All Certified Pre-Owned, CPO. with 30-40K miles. BUT there is nothing like a LR when the roads get difficult. Just finished doing a Land Rover Owners Driving Experience at the Biltmore in Asheville. Unbelievably fun.

BUT if the Volvo dealer is closer you can not go wrong with it. Last winter we had a freak snow storm with over a foot. The Volvo went through were others were just stuck.

I am thinking about trading my XC70 for the new XC90.

Good luck with your decision.

colorover nailed your questions pretty much the same as I would have. With regards to dealer, two suggestions...

1) Arrange this with your dealer upfront. You never know what they will do to sell you a car. My friend has a Porsche Cayenne and for the life of the car they will come and get if it there are ever issues. Tell them you want to buy new (or used?) but the 3 hour factor is a concern, see what they propose to you. Then ask for it in writing. Personally, if I didn't have a dealer within a drive I wouldn't buy one, but everything is negotiable!

2) Buy a used one from a local lot. Make the same deal with them... (you don't want to run 3 hours away for LR required service, what can they offer you?) Additionally, a used one might already have the kinks worked out of it. But check the Carfax, that could also be why it's on the lot.

Don't buy used without it being CPO. IMHO

jim6090 said:

I own a 2012 LR4 and a 2014 Volvo xc70.

I am thinking about trading my XC70 for the new XC90.

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Funny, we have the same combo. really like the XC70...

For the OP - a lot depends on how the LR was maintained (or not) as to whether it would be worth getting a used one. I went the LR4 route as I wanted close to full size capability without having to deal with a full size truck. We have had great luck with ours so far, several road trips with family, weekends in the woods, etc. Only issue we have had was a bad ignition coil in the first 3 months. We bought new, so keep that in mind.

We were between the two cars also. The interior spaciousness of the LR4 sold it for us even though both kids now off to college. It is very comfortable on long drives. Picked up our 2015 in May after ordering in February.

colorover - great job answering all those questions. I agree with all your responses.

The one area where the LR4 will be better is offroad. I often see XC90's stuck in deep sand on a nearby beach while LR4's seldom get stuck. But if you are driving on roads, both will do just fine in rain, snow, etc.

At this point, a new LR4 will be pretty reliable as most bugs have been worked out over the last 10 years. But it's not a Honda or Toyota so issues will come up. I'm sure the new XC90 will have some issues as well, being an entirely new model.

Either way, the LR4 and new XC90 are both beautiful, luxurious, capable vehicles.

colorover, where are you located specifically.

PaulLR3 said:

colorover - great job answering all those questions. I agree with all your responses.

The one area where the LR4 will be better is offroad. I often see XC90's stuck in deep sand on a nearby beach while LR4's seldom get stuck. But if you are driving on roads, both will do just fine in rain, snow, etc.

At this point, a new LR4 will be pretty reliable as most bugs have been worked out over the last 10 years. But it's not a Honda or Toyota so issues will come up. I'm sure the new XC90 will have some issues as well, being an entirely new model.

Either way, the LR4 and new XC90 are both beautiful, luxurious, capable vehicles.

Click to expand...

I am simply going to echo what has already been said. We picked up our new 2014 LR4 over a year ago. I have 35K miles on it. No issues whatever.

So why the LR4? As PaulLR3 said,

- the interior spaciousness including the big windows (we especially enjoy that on road trips or when using the LR4 to take us somewhere where we will then hike, bike or camp - folding down the middle row and using the 3rd row opens up a lot of space for changing clothes, eating a meal while riding out a storm or even sleeping for two people when the cargo floor is flat.)

- we also find the ride very comfortable on longer road trips

- although we are not off road warriors the LR4 has enabled us to go places in Colorado, Utah and Arizona that we would never have considered in any other luxury vehicle. As I said, we are not hard care (we embrace the "expedition style" of offroading meaning that we do not want to be walking home). In other vehicles I was always afraid I would "break" them if I tried to do some back roads touring. And, by the way, though the "normal" height of each side of the vehicle is 7.5" or so, the center is 2" higher. So even in Normal mode you can clear rocks up to 9" but taking them "down the center". When you raise it via the air suspension to Off Road Mode the side becomes 9.5" clearance and the center becomes 11.5". If you do get hung up or high centered the LR4 can actually lift another 2" (emergency mode) to help get you off the obstacle. If back roads touring/exploration is of interest to you then you may want to view the many videos on youtube showing the LR4 used for exploration. But if this is really only going the be a "suburban utility vehicle" then you probable don't need or care about that capability.

As for the Volvo, I have also considered them great vehicles. But a couple years ago I purchased a 2014 Acura MDX - the first year for a brand new model - and I bought it before the reviews were out. I made far more trips to the dealer for servicing in the first 6-8 months than I will likely make to the LR dealer in the first 3-4 years. And the Acura is a Honda product! The problem was with the fact that it was a first model year. There were a lot of issues they needed to work out. The service people didn't understand all the new electronics. There were some design things that they couldn't fix (but will likely be changed in MY3 or 4. So going forward I will avoid first model years.

Did I/we make some compromises going with a vehicle that had been on the market for a number of years. Sure. The electronics are not as advanced as I had on the Acura for example. But in the end, we actually like the fact that we are not overwhelmed with electronic gadgetry and wizardry. (The Acura had Lane Keeping Assist, Collision Assist and on and on. It also had a voice command system that we comical at best and drove us nuts.) So I may not be able to use Apple apps for the Infotainment stuff and I don't have the LR4 braking for me or warning me of collisions. But I'm actually very OK with that.