Traded the single speed for an HD pkg

Just one month short of a full year of ownership and 21,000 miles, I am very happy to replace my '16 LR4 single speed with a nearly identical '15 LR4 w/HD package that was a CPO. The reason I did this was not because the single speed was incapable, I just wanted the best of what was offered in this vehicle and also plan to take it out west.

Here is my take away from owning a single speed for the past year...

First off, all of the off road mileage put on this vehicle was between florida and western NC. Within that area, the vehicle has seen soft sand, coquina sand, mud, ruts, clay, moderately steep inclines/declines, one butt puckering hill climb, wet grass and water up to the wheel well, aaaand it never got stuck or tumbled. IT DID however take some convincing and extra throttle...and a set of duratracs may of helped (in fact I know they did)...and some assistance from a set of treds once when I was unsure about the situation. It also required using the manual Sport mode to shift into first gear to get through some spots. So all in all it was a good experience but an even greater learning opportunity.

So yeah...I'm super stoked about my new one with the HD package, but I also learned that the single speed (with a little convincing at times) is extremely capable, more capable than most other offroad vehicles. I am positive that owning the single speed for almost a year now will make me appreciate this new one much more once I can truly take it through it's paces.

That's awesome. Congrats and thanks for sharing the report.

Nice work finding an HD package. When I was looking, they were hard to come by. That's not a bad idea, actually... to just keep some searches out there in case one pop's up. I eventually heard enough of you saying, the single speed was plenty capable for my uses (mostly sand, snow and some mud), so I stopped my quest for the HD.

So, will you have both trucks at the same time for a while to swap favorite gear from one to the other? I'm sure there is some gear you'll want to move over.

toddjb122 said:

That's awesome. Congrats and thanks for sharing the report.

So, will you have both trucks at the same time for a while to swap favorite gear from one to the other? I'm sure there is some gear you'll want to move over.

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I traded it in so they took my truck when I purchased the new one. The LR dealership here is fantastic, they swapped over my wheels, skid plate, interior black lacquer trim and I'm keeping my crossbars...they really bent over backwards to make this work. I have plans for a roof rack so I didn't touch the extended roof rails. In fact, I told the dealership what I wanted a few months ago and they contacted me every time an HD package hit the lot. They are amazing.

In regards to the single speed...it is super capable. I just kept seeing non single speed owners questioning the capability and honestly I don't think there is that big of a deficit between the two if driven correctly. If anything, it has more to do with the capability of the person behind the wheel from what I see. But....I just have OCD and wanted the HD package.

I really appreciate your report, thank you for sharing your experiences with the "single speed" LR4. I too have a2016 LR4 without the transfer case. I fell in love with the Santorini Black and had a brain fart and forgot all about the HD package.

I kept kicking myself but also kept hearing stories like yours so I'm much less upset than I was 8 months ago. The guys at the LR driving school told me much the same as you experienced.

So I'm pretty happy- the issue isn't function or ability, it's that tiny little voice...

Hope you have good luck with your new LR!

Frank

Congrats and kudos for wanting the best out of what the platform has to offer! I am surprised you wanted to keep your black laquer interior trim. I'd trade mine for the wood trim in a heartbeat. The black is a dust and fingerprint magnet. They look fantastic when clean, but that lasts a few hours at best.

Surfrider77 said:

Congrats and kudos for wanting the best out of what the platform has to offer! I am surprised you wanted to keep your black laquer interior trim. I'd trade mine for the wood trim in a heartbeat. The black is a dust and fingerprint magnet. They look fantastic when clean, but that lasts a few hours at best.

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I hear ya but the black and white goes so well together, it's like a storm trooper, lol