So I've done a bit of driving (just on paved roads at this point) now and want to toss my opinion into the hat.
1. Handling:
The handling is sublime. The ride is smooth and quiet, and one thing of note: Body roll is virtually non-existent. I took a freeway onramp at a less than ideal speed and found relatively little to no lean. Granted, it's not turning on rails like a low, stiffly sprung sports car, but for what it is, I don't know how they do it <-- rhetorical. I did notice a bit of understeer, but this vehicle isn't made for the track anyway.
2. Seats:
Seats rate as on the better side of average. After 3 hours behind the wheel, I was admittedly starting to feel like getting out, but that's a long time to sit in any car.
3. Fuel Economy:
I don't know what the EPA was thinking. The LR4 consistently logged between 22-23 mpg. This is quite respectable for a 3 ton 4x4 with a 5 liter V8. I admit I have a very sanguine driving style, rarely exceeding 60mph, so this might be a factor, but still, it's a far cry from the highway rating of 17mpg on the window sticker.
I will say this though...the tank, at 20 gallons, is definitely too small.
4. Gadgets and gizmos:
Land Rover deserves an award for putting cruise control on the LEFT SIDE of the steering wheel...seriously...every car I have ever driven has it on the right. Think about it from an ergonomic standpoint for a sec. Everything you may have cause to pick up in the car whilst driving is on your right (assuming we're talking about left hand drive vehicles of course). Ergo, making throttle adjustments whilst sipping a starbucks can be a ***** when cruise control is on the right side of the steering wheel....oh wait...distracted driving is a bad idea? Screw people who think that, I'm a good enough one handed driver thank you very much.
As far as reliability is concerned, I have one spotty vision assist camera that comes and goes, but a trip to the dealer hasn't been in the cards just with everything else that's going on. Other than that, the LR4 has been rock solid.
The stereo has a quirk that I don't count as a reliability issue...when plugging in an iPhone via the cable, the stereo seems to go through my song library and picks out songs it likes (I know right?), but if I go and select a playlist, everything works fine.
One thing I find kind of baffling is the BIG RED X button present on most of the screens in the lower left corner....why is a button that turns off the touch screen altogether given such a priority from an interactivity standpoint? It makes me think a lot of people who flip out that their screens aren't working, merely pressed that thinking it would quit out of whatever screen they were in, not shutting the system off.
The display between the gauges could do so much more. I mean there's a joystick devoted to it on the steering wheel and it gives me a few settings and that's it. I'd like to see it provide a little more info beyond fuel level, temperature, cruise control, and gas mileage. I don't know, maybe I'm doing something wrong? It seems like competitors use their equivalent setups for things like secondary navigation displays, radio information, compass, etc.
And that's my two pence for now. Hoping to add notes on off-roading soon.
1. Handling:
The handling is sublime. The ride is smooth and quiet, and one thing of note: Body roll is virtually non-existent. I took a freeway onramp at a less than ideal speed and found relatively little to no lean. Granted, it's not turning on rails like a low, stiffly sprung sports car, but for what it is, I don't know how they do it <-- rhetorical. I did notice a bit of understeer, but this vehicle isn't made for the track anyway.
2. Seats:
Seats rate as on the better side of average. After 3 hours behind the wheel, I was admittedly starting to feel like getting out, but that's a long time to sit in any car.
3. Fuel Economy:
I don't know what the EPA was thinking. The LR4 consistently logged between 22-23 mpg. This is quite respectable for a 3 ton 4x4 with a 5 liter V8. I admit I have a very sanguine driving style, rarely exceeding 60mph, so this might be a factor, but still, it's a far cry from the highway rating of 17mpg on the window sticker.
I will say this though...the tank, at 20 gallons, is definitely too small.
4. Gadgets and gizmos:
Land Rover deserves an award for putting cruise control on the LEFT SIDE of the steering wheel...seriously...every car I have ever driven has it on the right. Think about it from an ergonomic standpoint for a sec. Everything you may have cause to pick up in the car whilst driving is on your right (assuming we're talking about left hand drive vehicles of course). Ergo, making throttle adjustments whilst sipping a starbucks can be a ***** when cruise control is on the right side of the steering wheel....oh wait...distracted driving is a bad idea? Screw people who think that, I'm a good enough one handed driver thank you very much.
As far as reliability is concerned, I have one spotty vision assist camera that comes and goes, but a trip to the dealer hasn't been in the cards just with everything else that's going on. Other than that, the LR4 has been rock solid.
The stereo has a quirk that I don't count as a reliability issue...when plugging in an iPhone via the cable, the stereo seems to go through my song library and picks out songs it likes (I know right?), but if I go and select a playlist, everything works fine.
One thing I find kind of baffling is the BIG RED X button present on most of the screens in the lower left corner....why is a button that turns off the touch screen altogether given such a priority from an interactivity standpoint? It makes me think a lot of people who flip out that their screens aren't working, merely pressed that thinking it would quit out of whatever screen they were in, not shutting the system off.
The display between the gauges could do so much more. I mean there's a joystick devoted to it on the steering wheel and it gives me a few settings and that's it. I'd like to see it provide a little more info beyond fuel level, temperature, cruise control, and gas mileage. I don't know, maybe I'm doing something wrong? It seems like competitors use their equivalent setups for things like secondary navigation displays, radio information, compass, etc.
And that's my two pence for now. Hoping to add notes on off-roading soon.
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