2014 LR4 Test Drive Review - LR4 1st Drive

[epiclr4]

I said I would add my experiences to test driving the 2014 LR4. Plus, being that I have never driven an LR4 this will be my initial thoughts from even driving or being in the vehicle.

Vehicle Specifics:
2014 LR4
HSE Package
Climate Package
Sat. Radio
Protection Package (Rubber Mats)
Cargo Cover
Total Price: $58,618

Initial Impression:
To be completely honest I have walked past LR4's but never really ever paid them much mind until I started this search for a nicer off-road vehicle than my 2013 JKUR. Nicer in the on-road sense and mileage.

I got to the dealership and since it was raining they had pulled it into the garage so we were not standing in the rain while reviewing some of the vehicle. They showed me how the rear seats folded down and we discussed some of the changes between 2013 and 2014. The vehicle itself seems very large in person. When you open the rear hatch door and look inside it seems like there is an inordinate amount of space for luggage and gear. Climbing in and out of the vehicle is easy. The materials used in the interior are very nice and soft touch. Leather on most all Surfaces. Buttons and Knobs have a solid feel.

First Drive:
After getting handed the Key's I left the dealership which is on a 2 lane semi highway road that then leads to a 3 lane highway through my city to the interstate. This would lead me down the interstate and back to a 2 lane semi highway road to take me home. I reset the trip computer once on the 3 lane highway to see how it did on mileage. Just getting home resulted in a computer calculated 21 mpg. This is with speeds from 55 to 70 with a couple stop lights along the way. Mostly hilly terrain.

It is very different to be shifting the transmission into drive with a dial. Doesn't take long to get the hang of. Engine and transmission were fairly quite. After all of the discussion on the forums about the LR4 needing the V8 with more power and torque I was expecting it to be a dog. I was pleasantly surprised that it accelerated quite well! I would say that it has a very similar amount of power that my JKUR had with 35" tires and 3.5" of lift. I could easily get on the highway and passing people was not a struggle. There is one nice hill on the interstate on the way home that can easily slow you down, I gave it a little more gas just to make it kick down a gear and it easily not only kept speed but started gaining speed on the steep grade. I will say that I never pushed the engine past 3,500RPM's because the vehicle had 9 miles on the clock.

I will say that I expected the steering to be more solid. It was very easy to turn the wheel but it also seemed flimsy. There was lots of road communication coming through. I would also say that the vehicle is somewhat easily noisy and disrupted when on what I would call cracked pavement. This could also be due to the tires. Otherwise the vehicle felt fairly planted for such a tall vehicle in turns. Some sway but overall the ride was very nice.

Interior Dimensions:
One of the main reasons I am considering the LR4 is because it is one of the few vehicles left out there that has a high roofline and is capable of carrying bikes on the inside of the vehicle. This is a must for me as I am a mountain biker and don't like leaving my expensive bikes on the outside of the vehicle for people to be tempted to steal or the elements to cause issues. This was something my JKUR could easily do and worked great!

When I got home I folded and leveled down the 2nd row seats. I had read that you could easily sleep in the LR4 and I fit no problem (5'11"). I then got my mountain bike and sure enough, the bike fits. It would fit nicer if there wasn't the cross bar between the sunroofs but I will be able to pull it off.

I also sat in the 2nd row seats and with my seat set in the driver seat there was plenty of room for me to sit in the seat behind the driver. Knee's didn't even touch the driver's seat.

I find the new layout to be nice with the shift dial. It leaves plenty of room to get to drinks. I will say that there is no nice place to put a cell phone if you were to have drinks in both holders. My other frustration with the 2014 model is that they got rid of 2 USB ports. There is now only 1 USB port and it has been moved to the glovebox. This makes it difficult to have your phone charging and within reach if you are trying to use (not saying this is safe or endorsing it). I really like having 2 USB ports because on long trips both of us can have our phones plugged in and charging.

Second Drive:
After checking out the interior dimensions of the vehicle I decided my route back to the dealership would consist of my daily drive to work (interstate to 4 to 2 lane roads where the speed limit goes from 55 to 60 to 45 to 35) then I would take the semi-highway from before (55 mph) to downtown streets (stop lights, 25 mph or less to a 35 mph road) and then would hop back on the previous road stated where the dealership resides. This last stint didn't happen due to the road being closed. This worked out as I was stuck in stop and go traffic that lead to a 2 lane rural road with 40 mph limit that lead back around to the dealership.

This trip really showed the ECO Stop mode, the first vehicle I have driven with this technology. Sitting downtown and in bumper to bumper traffic it was at first odd to have the vehicle go silent. But it does it very seamlessly. I actually didn't mind it. I thought I would absolutely hate it but I really didn't mind it at all.

By the time I was halfway to my office I must admit I was pretty hooked on the vehicle. I felt at home driving it. At first it was really odd sitting so high up but after I got the seat set and the wheel in the right position it really feels great driving this vehicle. Plus even with the stock sound system it is really just a great place to be.

After this drive back to the dealership I had completed 60 miles of driving and the onboard computer was telling me that I had averaged 19.5 MPG. I was pretty pleased with this as I would say in total there was about 70/30 highway/city driving.

Conclusion:
Hopefully we will be ordering a 2014 model. I need to take my better half back so she can experience the vehicle as she was out of town. I think the overall capability of this vehicle and its size with hopefully reasonable mileage make it the vehicle for us. I might still drive a 2013 model the dealership has (was delivered with a broken transmission, they are working on fixing it) but I am not sure it really matters to me. I could imagine how a couple more horses could make the driving experience a little nicer but if I can regularly commute and get 19 MPG out of the vehicle I will gladly give up some power.

If anyone has any questions on the 2014 feel free to let me know. I snapped some pictures that I can post as well. I also posted in my other thread asking if the oil changing process has changed. Ill say it here as well that the process has not changed at all. There was a tube in the oil fill hole so I am assuming it is the same as on the NAV8.

 

[Finlayforprez]

This was a great review - thanks!

I will be very curious to get your opinion once you drive the 2013.

What kind if packages/options are you considering? My 2011 was an HSE and my 2013 is an HSE Lux and it's definitely a nice upgrade. The premium leather on the Lux is quite nice.

Looking forward to reading more....

-David

 

[danrhiggins]

Thanks, Epiclr4! I was looking forward to a couple reviews like this. This info is helpful. My initial drive was I scheduled and very short but my reaction to the feel of the vehicle is similar. I, too, am particularly keen on the interior volume. I may or my not put my MB in there but very likely my RB. I also like the idea of being able to haul a substantial item around if I need to. Over the past couple days I took a tape measure to the Lexus dealer and measured the interiors along with the LR4 and my MDX. The LR4 was clearly superior due in part to its height and the fold flat seats. It may seem a bit silly but I actually tried folding down the middle row and opening up one of the 3rd row seats. My office is "virtual" so I can work from my vehicle and I could see myself spreading out in the back with my PC, some nourishment and taking in the view out those big windows.

I do have a couple questions. If you did not consider these things no worries as they are on my list for my next drive.
- did you try out the Nav system and what did you think?
- same for voice command
- did you happen to try the paddle shifters in Drive?
- did you drive in the dark and if so what did you think of the adaptive headlights
- did you attempt to use you phone and did the wire mesh in the windshield affect your connection?

I, too, am disappointed about them moving the cell phone plug to the glove box.

 

[epiclr4]

This was a great review - thanks!

I will be very curious to get your opinion once you drive the 2013.

What kind if packages/options are you considering? My 2011 was an HSE and my 2013 is an HSE Lux and it's definitely a nice upgrade. The premium leather on the Lux is quite nice.

Looking forward to reading more....

-David

David:

I am actually looking to have a vehicle similar to yours (if that is okay, kinda fallen in love with it).

List currently sits as:

Fuji White on Ebony
HSE LUX
Sat Radio
HD Package
Black Package

The one thing I am not sure about getting is the vision assist package. I would really like the adaptive headlights and auto high beams. Don't really care for the blind spot or multiple cameras. If anyone can give a reason as to why this package is a must have I am open to opinions.

Also, I have spec'd the truck with the HSE package and everything that makes up the HSE LUX package with what I want and the price difference is $3,150.

If there is something I am missing or should consider please let me know.

Thanks,
Heath

 

[epiclr4]

Thanks, Epiclr4! I was looking forward to a couple reviews like this. This info is helpful. My initial drive was I scheduled and very short but my reaction to the feel of the vehicle is similar. I, too, am particularly keen on the interior volume. I may or my not put my MB in there but very likely my RB. I also like the idea of being able to haul a substantial item around if I need to. Over the past couple days I took a tape measure to the Lexus dealer and measured the interiors along with the LR4 and my MDX. The LR4 was clearly superior due in part to its height and the fold flat seats. It may seem a bit silly but I actually tried folding down the middle row and opening up one of the 3rd row seats. My office is "virtual" so I can work from my vehicle and I could see myself spreading out in the back with my PC, some nourishment and taking in the view out those big windows.

I do have a couple questions. If you did not consider these things no worries as they are on my list for my next drive.
- did you try out the Nav system and what did you think?
- same for voice command
- did you happen to try the paddle shifters in Drive?
- did you drive in the dark and if so what did you think of the adaptive headlights
- did you attempt to use you phone and did the wire mesh in the windshield affect your connection?

I, too, am disappointed about them moving the cell phone plug to the glove box.

Dan:

I have also considered your thoughts around lowering the 2nd row and putting up the 3rd row as a luggage divider that way the Dog has lots of space to ride on long drives.

To answer your questions:

1) I didn't try the Nav out in the sense that I put in a location and had it tell me how to get there. What I did try to do is during the traffic jam I tried to easily look for a different route on the map. Trying to do this proved impossible while sitting in traffic and first time use of the Nav. I don't think anyone makes a better navigation than BMW with the iDrive. The LR4's nav is all touch screen which I don't really like and has entirely too many buttons. Maybe with some more time I could have figured it out better but when needing to just be able to see a map with streets to try and find a different route while in traffic it was a total failure.

2) I didn't try voice command. Thought about it but same with the nav didn't want to put any personal information in it. I will say that I did hook my phone up over USB and the music system was okay. Wasn't as easy to use as in the BMW but after a couple tries I was able to figure it out. I think again my frustration is the touch screen input and how limiting it is when trying to focus on the road and drive. I think they should make it so the left side button is capable of scrolling through the music playlist and entering the track you want.

3) I did try the paddle shifters in drive and I had the same experience as you. Wouldn't work. Took me a couple tries to even get the dial to turn to Sport mode. Not sure if it needed 50 miles on it before it would go or what but it refused to move for the longest time and then finally went. I found using the paddles to be a nice experience in sport mode. Shifts were fairly quick and smooth. Once the transmission allowed me to go to Sport I didn't think it was such an inconvience to turn the dial between drive and sport.

4) I didn't get to drive in the dark. I did drive the vehicle in heavy rain and dark cloudy skies. This didn't give the ability to see the lights but it took me back to when I owned my Jeep and had a high seating position. Makes driving in the rain a really nice experience as you are not constantly getting the spray/mist off of the vehicle in front of you. I will say the heated windshield didn't play nice with the rain and people in the other direction as it seems to make the light spread over the windshield. It wasn't something I was expecting but found myself struggling with a bit and I kept starring at the wires going through the windshield.

5) I just now read this question about the windshield and the phone after answering the above. I didn't connect my phone to the vehicle just for the same reasons as putting addresses in the nav. Not my truck didnt want to put information in it. But like I said the phone worked fine playing music through the USB port in the glovebox.

The only other thing I would miss from our BMW vehicles is the passenger mirror tilting down when put in reverse. I went to my office parking lot and tried parking the vehicle and this is not something that the LR seems to have.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Heath

 

[umbertob]

Dan:
The only other thing I would miss from our BMW vehicles is the passenger mirror tilting down when put in reverse. I went to my office parking lot and tried parking the vehicle and this is not something that the LR seems to have.

FYI, it's got that feature (Reverse-Dip Mirrors found in the Vehicle Setup menu), probably disabled by default.

 

[Finlayforprez]

David:

I am actually looking to have a vehicle similar to yours (if that is okay, kinda fallen in love with it).

List currently sits as:

Fuji White on Ebony
HSE LUX
Sat Radio
HD Package
Black Package

The one thing I am not sure about getting is the vision assist package. I would really like the adaptive headlights and auto high beams. Don't really care for the blind spot or multiple cameras. If anyone can give a reason as to why this package is a must have I am open to opinions.

Also, I have spec'd the truck with the HSE package and everything that makes up the HSE LUX package with what I want and the price difference is $3,150.

If there is something I am missing or should consider please let me know.

Thanks,
Heath

I am glad my rig could be an inspiration ;-) thanks!

The options you describe above is what I opted for, as I did not want the Vision Assist package. The adaptive lights seem nice, but I am not a gadget person and I definitely did not (personally) want the surround cameras. But, that's just me.

I have the Arabica interior.

-David

 

[epiclr4]

FYI, it's got that feature (Reverse-Dip Mirrors found in the Vehicle Setup menu), probably disabled by default.

This is good to know. The backup camera is pretty good but the dip mirrors would be a great thing to have. I will look into this one. Thanks!

 

[Finlayforprez]

This is good to know. The backup camera is pretty good but the dip mirrors would be a great thing to have. I will look into this one. Thanks!

I had to enable mine, as it was disabled upon delivery.

 

[epiclr4]

I am glad my rig could be an inspiration ;-) thanks!

The options you describe above is what I opted for, as I did not want the Vision Assist package. The adaptive lights seem nice, but I am not a gadget person and I definitely did not (personally) want the surround cameras. But, that's just me.

I have the Arabica interior.

-David

I found on here somewhere where you posted your specs and noticed that was the only difference between what we wanted.

I really like the Arabica interior because I love dark brown leather but my concern with the Tan carpets is keeping them clean. From the dog to muddy mountain bikes I am just concerned over time I won't be able to keep the carpets clean. I would say I am a little OCD with a clean vehicle and have taken a rather large interest in detailing so even with the knowledge and resources I have gained from studying that I don't know if over time it would work out.

Maybe you could talk me into it otherwise? The better half likes the Arabica as well after I showed it to her a few times. I also think since the LR4 doesn't have cooled seats that even dark brown might be better than black.